SwitchBot Hub 2 vs TP-Link Tapo H500

The SwitchBot Hub 2 wins overall, ahead on protocols and sensors thanks to its learning IR blaster, Bluetooth radio and built-in temperature, humidity and light sensors. The TP-Link Tapo H500 counters with dual-band Wi-Fi, an Ethernet port and onboard storage for camera recording, which the Hub 2 was not built to do.

Job description. The SwitchBot Hub 2 is an IR blaster and climate sensor bridge that also connects SwitchBot devices to Matter, while the TP-Link Tapo H500 is a camera hub with 16GB of built-in storage and a 2.5-inch SATA bay for up to 16TB, built to record Tapo cameras and doorbells without a subscription.

The SwitchBot Hub 2. It has built-in temperature, humidity and light sensors that log history and chart trends, though it has no motion sensor. The TP-Link Tapo H500 has no environmental sensors of its own.

Only the TP-Link Tapo H500, which pools recordings from up to 16 Tapo cameras and doorbells onto its own 16GB of storage or an added drive. The SwitchBot Hub 2 has no camera and no storage.

Choose the SwitchBot Hub 2 if you want an affordable hub that learns remotes to control TVs and mini-split ACs, tracks temperature, humidity and light, and bridges SwitchBot devices into Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant through Matter.

Choose the TP-Link Tapo H500 if you already own Tapo cameras or doorbells and want local recording instead of a subscription. It connects over dual-band Wi-Fi or Ethernet and bridges into Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home and SmartThings through Matter.