Compare accounts
Get guidance
Compare accounts
Get guidance
Money market accounts
Money market accounts are similar to savings accounts, but offer some checking features as well.
Get guidance
Banking
Skip the searching and find your next bank in minutes with BankMatch℠.
Get guidance
Compare rates
Get guidance
Home equity
Home equity is the portion of your home you’ve paid off. You can use it to borrow for other financial goals.
Get guidance
Buying & selling
Find an expert who knows the market. Compare trusted real estate agents all in one place.
Get guidance
Home insurance
Home insurance doesn't have to be a hassle. Choose the best home insurance company for you.
Get guidance
Compare investments
Get guidance
Compare plans
Get guidance
Finding an advisor
Get guidance
Life insurance
Life insurance doesn’t have to be complicated. Find peace of mind and choose the right policy for you.
Get guidance
Compare cards
Find your fit
See your card matches
Answer a few quick questions and we’ll show you your top credit card options.
Compare cards
See what the experts say
Read in-depth credit card reviews to find out which cards have the best perks and more.
Get guidance
Compare lenders
Get guidance
Compare lenders
Get guidance
Manage your debt
Start making moves toward your money goals and compare your debt management options.
Get guidance
Compare lenders
Get guidance
Business credit cards
Boost your business with rewards, perks and more. Compare cards in one place to find the one for you.
Get guidance
Auto loans
Figure out funding for your next car or refinance with confidence. Check out today’s auto loan rates.
Get guidance
Auto insurance
Drive with peace of mind when you compare insurance carriers and find the policy that’s right for you.
Get guidance
We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free – so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover.
The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within the listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you.
On This Page
On This Page
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for .
Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. We’ve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts, who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy.
Our banking reporters and editors focus on the points consumers care about most — the best banks, latest rates, different types of accounts, money-saving tips and more — so you can feel confident as you’re managing your money.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions.
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information.
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.
We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
Creating a smart home might seem like a smart idea. But if you’re unsure about how to make all your devices work together, it can make you feel…dumb.
If you’re exploring the world of connected homes or considering buying smart devices, you’ve likely encountered the terms smart hub, gateway and bridge. These hardware pieces sound similar and are sometimes used interchangeably, yet they serve distinct purposes. Some may aid in establishing your smart home, while others could be superfluous for your setup. So, which one suits you best?
Which one is right for you? Here’s a succinct guide to understanding the difference between hubs, bridges and gateways.
Common brands: Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple HomePods, Samsung SmartThings, Aeotec Smart Home Hub, Hubitat, Homey
A smart home hub is basically what it sounds like: the command station or organizing point of your smart home. Think of it as the Wi-Fi network’s HQ. You have all these devices that are connected to the internet, but they need to get their commands from somewhere. Your smart home hub gets them sending and receiving the same messages and allows you to control them simultaneously — typically via a smartphone or tablet app.
Hubs unify all of your smart home devices and systems to allow you to control and communicate with them. “Smart hubs use utility software to control different devices in many ways. For example, if you are watching a movie, you can create a scene that dims your lights using a Philips Hue hub,” explains certified network engineer Nizel Adams, CEO of his own Chicago-based IT consulting firm.
Odds are you’ve most likely run into smart home hubs (and even own one) without fully realizing it. Smart speakers like Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple HomePods are all smart hubs. They allow you to connect and control your household devices and systems from a central location. They also have the added benefit of voice controls, which lets you do things by just saying the words.
There are also hubs like the Samsung SmartThings or the Aeotec Smart Home Hub that are dedicated to the connectivity task, rather than having another purpose like serving as a speaker. While they aren’t routers — the hub itself will have to connect to your home’s Wi-Fi — they act similarly to one designed specifically for smart home devices.
Common brands: Arris, Netgear, Motorola, Asus, TP-Link
“A gateway is a combination of a modem and router. In a typical home network, a modem establishes your connection from your Internet service provider while a separate router directs network traffic, assigns Internet protocol addresses and provides wireless capabilities. But with a gateway, all of this is combined into a single device,” Adams says.
The advantages of a gateway include robust security as a single access point and universal control. “The main drawback of gateways is that they are jacks of all trades yet masters of none, so they are not as feature-rich as a full-on router nor work as well,” cautions Adams.
In a smart home, gateways serve an additional purpose — they act as a translator among all the devices and systems. Different smart devices connect via different technologies, such as ZigBee, Z-Wave, infrared, Bluetooth and of course Wi-Fi networks. A gateway takes your devices that are using these different methods — speaking different languages, basically — and converts their messages to a universal language that allows them to communicate with one another.
In contrast, smart hubs only connect devices of the same type on the same network or wireless protocol. At least, that used to be the case. Many smart home hubs nowadays, such as Homey and Hubitat, are also gateways. That is, they can connect and communicate through several different popular wireless protocols — which means you likely will not need to purchase a gateway if you already have a smart hub.
But if your smart hub isn’t a universal or smart gateway — or you don’t have a smart hub at all — you might need one when you get a new Internet of Things (IoT) toy, depending on what wireless language it speaks.
Common brands: Homebridge, HOOBS, IFTTT
If the gateway serves to get all of your smart devices speaking the same language, the bridge is what allows you to talk to them. While some smart home devices and appliances can connect directly to your home’s Wi-Fi network, some cannot because they use a low-power wireless communication protocol. If you want to communicate with them via your home network, you need a bridge to make that connection.
“A bridge essentially facilitates communication between two different networks or protocols. It bridges the transfer of data between devices that might not otherwise communicate and streamlines device integrations,” Jones explains.
A sandwich-size device, a bridge typically connects either to your gateway or your Wi-Fi router. From there, it helps you communicate with your smart appliances. Your smartphone communicates via Wi-Fi, so the bridge converts that information into the wireless protocol that your device speaks to and sends the command to it.
A bridge often comes into play when you buy a particular type of IoT item, like smart window blinds or shades. To be able to program them, you need to use the manufacturer’s proprietary software, and you may need a bridge for it to communicate with your Wi-Fi network. Some devices or systems come with their own branded bridges.
While the smart home is still relatively new, the technology has advanced quickly. Smart appliance and device makers have largely coalesced around just a couple of wireless protocols, and most new smart hubs can do the work of a bridge and a gateway all in one.
For their part, manufacturers have recognized that most people buy different products from different brands and it’s best to make sure they all can communicate with one another — and be set up smoothly. Many smart home devices and appliances are compatible with most of the major smart home hub brands, like Amazon, Apple and Google.
Adams says a smart hub comes into play once you start connecting individual IoT devices, whether that be a Ring security system, Samsung washer/dryer or Philips lighting equipment.
“Typically, these brands have their own dedicated hubs to use with their devices, although there are plenty of generic hubs or high-end smart hubs like Hubitat or Homey that are compatible with a wealth of devices,” he adds.
Unless you are running a local area network (LAN) where devices are connected directly or via a switch, hub or router, your home network will definitely need either a gateway or dedicated modem to establish a connection to an Internet service provider. In other words, you’re not going to get or be able to use the Internet without one.
A smart bridge may only be needed if you plan to connect multiple physical devices or if the brand/product requires the use of a specific included or compatible bridge.
“A bridge is ideal for those with devices from a singular ecosystem needing interconnectivity,” says Jones.
In other words, particular individual devices often require their own bridge. One example is the bridge used by August to connect and control a Yale smart lock on your home’s doors. The smart lock can be programmed and controlled by the app itself, but the bridge allows you to conveniently control and set the lock remotely from your phone.
When setting up your smart home, it’s often best to start with the hub – assuming you already have a modem and router in place (which is necessary for an internet connection). Pick the hub brand that you are most comfortable or familiar with. If you already have a bunch of Apple products, an Apple HomePod might fit best. If you’re using Alexa smart speakers, then you may want to make Amazon’s Echo your hub. If you own Google Nest products, consider a Nest home hub smart display.
When buying the hub, check if it’s also a universal gateway — that is, if it works with other wireless protocols, which ones, and how many. Homey, for example, features Z-Wave Plus, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Infrared, and is compatible with Siri, Alexa and Google Home.
Bear in mind though, that nothing is one size fits all. Older systems and devices especially might have trouble playing with a new hub. In that case, you may need to consider both a bridge and a gateway — if you want control of the device to be centralized.
When shopping for a new item — be it a security system or a smart oven — check to see what hub brands, if any, it’s compatible with. You’ll want to double-check that a specific model will work with your hub — there can be differences even among the same manufacturer’s products.
Still, some new products (like automated window treatments) require proprietary technology to connect everything. In that case, you’ll need to buy the manufacturer’s bridge, even if you already have a smart hub and/or a gateway. And of course, you’d need to buy it or a gateway if you don’t have a smart hub.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
Bankrate, LLC NMLS ID# 1427381 | NMLS Consumer Access
BR Tech Services, Inc. NMLS ID #1743443 | NMLS Consumer Access
© 2023 Bankrate, LLC. A Red Ventures company. All Rights Reserved.
