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Do smart blinds need a hub in the UK?

Updated ยท 5 min read

Short answer

Often yes, in two senses. Many smart blinds use a home hub, the device that runs your home app, for schedules and control away from home. Blinds that use Thread also need a Thread border router. Many UK homes already own one inside a smart speaker, streamer or router.

What are the two jobs people call a hub?

People use the word hub loosely, and it hides two separate jobs. The first is a home hub: the device that runs your home in Apple Home, Google Home or the Alexa app. In Apple Home it is what lets automations and control from outside the house work. The second is a Thread border router: the radio that connects a Thread network to your Wi-Fi. In many homes, one box quietly does both jobs.

What is a Thread border router, in plain words?

Thread is a low-power radio network designed for small battery-powered devices. It works a little like Wi-Fi, but slower and far lighter on power, and mains-powered Thread devices pass messages on for their neighbours, so coverage spreads through the house.

A Thread border router is simply the doorway between that Thread network and your ordinary home network. Your phone talks over Wi-Fi; the blind talks over Thread; the border router carries messages between the two. It is usually not a separate box you buy. It is a small radio built into certain smart speakers, media streamers and Wi-Fi routers, often one you already own.

Which Apple devices act as Thread border routers?

Has a Thread border router

  • Yes:HomePod mini, all versions since 2020
  • Yes:HomePod (2nd generation, 2023)
  • Yes:Apple TV 4K (2nd generation, 2021)
  • Yes:Apple TV 4K (3rd generation, 2022), Wi-Fi + Ethernet model only

Does not have Thread

  • No:Apple TV 4K (3rd generation), Wi-Fi-only model, which does not have Thread
  • No:HomePod (1st generation, 2018), which has no Thread radio
  • No:Apple TV HD and older Apple TV models

In Apple Home, a HomePod or Apple TV also acts as the home hub, so one of these devices covers both jobs. Apple's current list of Thread-enabled devices names the Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) and the 3rd generation Wi-Fi + Ethernet model, so check Apple's list if you are buying a newer model.

Which Google devices act as Thread border routers?

Has a Thread border router

  • Yes:Nest Hub (2nd generation, 2021)
  • Yes:Nest Hub Max, which gained Thread through a software update
  • Yes:Nest Wifi Pro router (2022)
  • Yes:Nest Wifi router
  • Yes:Google TV Streamer (2024)

Does not have Thread

  • No:The original Home Hub from 2018, later renamed Nest Hub (1st generation)
  • No:The older Google Wifi
  • No:Nest Audio and Nest Mini speakers, which have no Thread radio

Google's specifications list a Thread border router in both Nest Wifi and Nest Wifi Pro, so check Google's current list for your exact model.

Which Amazon devices act as Thread border routers?

Has a Thread border router

  • Yes:Echo (4th generation, 2020)
  • Yes:Echo Studio, Echo Hub, Echo Dot Max and several Echo Show models (8 3rd generation, 10 3rd generation, 11, 15 2nd generation and 21)
  • Yes:eero 6, eero 6+, eero Pro 6, eero Pro 6E, eero PoE 6 and every eero 7 model
  • Yes:eero Pro and eero Beacon (Wi-Fi 5)

Does not have Thread

  • No:Other Echo Dot models, including the Echo Dot with Clock, which Amazon does not list as Thread border routers

Amazon owns eero, and the eero models above act as Thread border routers for any Thread device, not only Alexa. If you are unsure about a specific model, look for "Thread" or "802.15.4" on its specification page.

Why can a Wi-Fi-only device not be the border router?

Thread does not travel over Wi-Fi. It uses a separate radio standard, IEEE 802.15.4, in the same 2.4 GHz band. A Wi-Fi-only Echo or Apple TV has no Thread radio, so it cannot act as a Thread border router itself. Whether it can still help control Thread devices through another border router depends on the app, so check the maker's help pages.

This matters for blinds. Thread is a low-power mesh network, which suits battery-powered blinds; Wi-Fi generally uses more power, so check how a Wi-Fi blind is powered before you buy.

What happens if the border router is unplugged?

Devices that are already on the Thread network can still talk to each other locally, provided mains-powered Thread devices remain to pass messages on.

What stops is the doorway. Phone control, voice control and any automation that depends on your home app stop responding, because messages can no longer cross between Thread and the rest of your network. A blind's own local control, where fitted, normally carries on.

If you own more than one border router, for example a HomePod mini and an Apple TV 4K, the second one carries on and you may notice nothing. Thread devices normally rejoin by themselves when a border router comes back or a replacement joins the same Thread network, but if a new Thread network is created, for example by regenerating credentials, devices may need to be set up again.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Thread border router the same as a home hub?

No. The home hub runs your app, schedules and voice control; the border router links Thread to Wi-Fi. Many devices do both at once.

Do I need one border router per blind?

No. One border router can serve many Thread devices, and mains-powered Thread devices pass messages on for their neighbours; battery-powered blinds do not. If some rooms are far from a border router, an extra mains-powered Thread device nearby can help coverage.

Can I have two border routers?

Yes. Border routers that share the same Thread network, usually from the same ecosystem, give you backup if one is unplugged. Routers from different brands may form separate Thread networks.

What about SmartThings or Home Assistant?

The SmartThings Hub (2018) and the Aeotec Smart Home Hub include Thread radios. Home Assistant can use a USB Thread radio such as the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 or its newer model, the ZBT-2, or a Thread network that another border router has already set up.

Will Stilba blinds need their own bridge?

Stilba blinds are in development. We expect them to work with a Thread border router a home already has, but nothing is final and we have not tested them yet.

Can I skip hubs and work the blind manually?

A blind's own physical or handset control, where fitted, normally keeps working. In Apple Home, schedules and control from outside the house need a home hub, and Thread blinds also need a Thread border router. Other apps differ, so check your app's help pages.

Sources

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