Arlo Pro SmartHub vs Sonoff Zigbee Bridge Ultra

The Sonoff Zigbee Bridge Ultra wins overall. It costs less, is better rated, and is a genuine Zigbee coordinator with Matter bridging, support for up to 256 devices, and integration with HomeKit, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant. The Arlo Pro SmartHub supports no smart home protocols.

Zigbee. The Sonoff Zigbee Bridge Ultra builds and runs a Zigbee network of sensors, switches and plugs, then bridges it into other platforms over Matter. The Arlo Pro SmartHub has no Zigbee radio and connects only Arlo cameras, which it links over a dedicated wireless channel for faster response.

Up to 256, backed by a dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage, which is why owners describe it as far more stable than the older ZB Bridge-P. In practice, the advertised range is optimistic, so expect to add Zigbee repeaters to cover a whole house.

Partly. It works best with Sonoff devices, and some third-party gear, Philips Hue bulbs for example, will not pair with it despite being Zigbee. Check compatibility for anything important before buying. The Arlo Pro SmartHub, by contrast, works with nothing except Arlo cameras.

Buy the Sonoff Zigbee Bridge Ultra if you want an affordable, stable Zigbee hub for a large number of devices, especially Sonoff ones, with Matter bridging into HomeKit, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant, an Ethernet option and a 2-year warranty.

Buy the Arlo Pro SmartHub only if you own Arlo cameras and want faster response, better range, 2K live streaming on Essential and Ultra models and local USB recording. It cannot pair any smart home device, and Arlo's event detection and history still require a subscription.