Arlo Pro SmartHub vs Philips Hue Bridge

The Philips Hue Bridge wins overall. It is cheaper, better rated, and a genuine Zigbee hub with Matter bridging and support for Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings and Home Assistant. The Arlo Pro SmartHub supports no smart home protocols and only benefits Arlo camera owners.

Lighting versus cameras. The Philips Hue Bridge moves Hue bulbs from Bluetooth onto a reliable local Zigbee mesh and unlocks scenes, zones, schedules and Hue Sync. The Arlo Pro SmartHub connects Arlo cameras over a dedicated wireless link and stores their footage on a USB drive, and it cannot control lights.

Around 50, which covers most homes but can be limiting in a large one with many bulbs and accessories. If you are past that point, the Philips Hue Bridge Pro raises the ceiling substantially. The Arlo Pro SmartHub has no equivalent smart home device capacity, since it only pairs Arlo cameras.

Only the Arlo Pro SmartHub, which supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi alongside Ethernet. The Philips Hue Bridge is Ethernet only, with no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth of its own, so it needs a free port on your router, which is also part of why it stays so dependable.

Buy the Philips Hue Bridge if you have Hue bulbs and want them fast, reliable and available everywhere: local Zigbee control, whole-home scenes, automations, remote access, Hue Sync and support for Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, Home Assistant and Matter, all with a 2-year warranty.

Buy the Arlo Pro SmartHub only if you own Arlo cameras and want faster response, extra range, 2K live streaming on Essential and Ultra models and local USB recording. It is not a smart home hub, so it will not help with lights, sensors or locks.