Amazon has announced a very special device, and it is a component that will increase the Echo family and will complete an ecosystem that was still missing a fundamental piece: un operations center. This is how the Echo Hub was born, a control panel de 8 inches from which you can control everything.
One screen to control everything
There are times when you either can't talk to Alexa or you simply want to have more direct feedback with which you can be able to control your home automation. The Home Assistant suite had until now offered a fairly complete (and also very complex) solution with which to design a control panel with which to control all the devices in the home, however, the need for a Home Assistant server and Its complex installation is not available to everyone.
For that reason, Amazon has launched the Echo Hub, a device that is based on the simplicity of Alexa and that offers a simple and friendly interface from which you can control all your devices in a couple of clicks.
It is an 8-inch screen whose main menu is perfectly customizable. We can, for example, place a preview of the cameras that we have configured at home, direct access to the control of lights and locks and, ultimately, a more direct view of all the controls of your home automation.
Where is it placed?
The device can be hung on the wall in the same way as an Echo Show 15, although it also has a base (sold separately) with which to place it in desktop mode. It also has an optional accessory with which you can obtain electrical current through an Ethernet cable, so if you have a network outlet, but no plug, you will also have a solution to get it up and running.
Compatible with almost everything
Alexa boasts a database compatible with more than 10.000 devices, so you'll be hard pressed to come across anything you can't control from the Echo Hub. Basically, everything you have configured in the Alexa application will have an interactive icon in the Hub, so it is a matter of putting order in your home automation and customizing the main menu to your liking.
How much does it cost
The official price of the new Echo Hub is 199,99 Euros, and is available today on the Amazon website. It is a quite interesting price if we take into account that it is a device with an 8-inch screen, and although it does not offer the sound power of the Echo Show 8, it will also be used to play music.