When I started my smart home, I naively took a stand: no hubs. I was going to do everything via Matter over Thread, keep it clean, and avoid those proprietary “you need our box” ecosystems. And yet… I ended up with five hubs anyway. In this video (part one of the hubs conversation), I break down why those brand-specific hubs are still necessary right now—and why, at the same time, they absolutely block wider adoption for normal people who don’t want to do hours of research. I walk through what hubs actually do that Apple Home (and other platforms) often can’t do universally: added features, advanced logic, better stability, and sometimes just plain compatibility. I also talk about the “creative hub” problem—like Aqara baking Zigbee/Thread/Matter control into a doorbell—versus the “it’s just a box” reality like the Hue Bridge. Then I get into the real pain: cost and commitment. If you only want one device, being forced into a $90–$110 hub decision is a huge turnoff. My takeaway is simple: Matter over Thread is still the vehicle leading us toward a more hub-free future, but we’re not there yet. For now, it’s about navigating hubs efficiently without getting trapped—and no, telling every beginner to jump straight into Home Assistant is not the answer.