Amazon Echo Hub Review 2025

Smart homes are today’s reality. According to Today’s Homeowner, nearly 18% of households globally have six or more smart home devices. But as the number of connected devices in our homes multiplies, so does the complexity of managing them. This is where Echo Hub comes to the rescue.

Echo Hub is Amazon’s first wall-mounted smart home control panel that offers a sleek way to manage lights, locks, thermostats, and routines.

In this article, we’ll break down how Echo Hub performs, how it compares to Echo Show, and its best alternative. Keep reading!

What is Echo Hub?

Echo Hub is a smart home control panel designed by Amazon to help homeowners manage and interact with their smart devices.

Unlike the Echo Speakers or Echo Show, Echo Hub isn’t focused on media playback - it’s built to be a central dashboard for your smart home.

Also, Echo Hub includes a built-in smart home hub that supports Matter, Thread, Bluetooth, and Zigbee, making it compatible with various devices across different brands.

In-depth Review: Echo Hub as a Smart Home Dashboard

Here is an in-depth review of its design, usability, performance, and lots more.

● Design and Hardware

At first glance, the Echo Hub looks like a smaller Echo Show, but its 8-inch LCD touchscreen, slim bezels, and a matte white frame are what set it apart.

Notably, Echo Hub is designed to be mounted on the wall or placed on a table or countertop, and it’s available in a single color - Glacier White. But what’s more fun is its infrared proximity sensor on the top of its bezel. This turns on the panel from sleep mode whenever you approach the device, displaying elements you’ve selected to show on the home screen.

Also, Echo Hub has a microphone array that answers to the Alexa wake word, and a pair of full-range speakers at the top. And it has three buttons on the right side - the mic mute at the top, and the volume up and down buttons.

● User Interface and Usability

Amazon designed the Echo Hub with a streamlined dashboard UI, which puts all your smart home devices on the main screen. However, widgets occupy an excessive portion of the screen,

displaying your smart home devices, weather forecast., news, calendars, etc.

The bottom menu displays icons for your active media, security, locks, lights, and lots more. And on the side menu are your routines.

The interface is smooth and touch-friendly. And there are several customization options, including widget resizing, room organization, and quick access tiles for frequent tasks. For example, you can pin your most-used lights, create quick-access buttons for actions like “Lock All Doors” or “Turn Off Upstairs Lights," and lots more.

● Smart Home Capability

One of Echo Hub’s major strengths is its broad compatibility. It has multiple connectivity options, including dual-band Wi-Fi 5 (2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth, Zigbee, Matter, Sidewalk, and Thread, which makes it compatible with devices from major smart home ecosystems, including:

• Alexa-compatible lights, switches, and plugs
• Smart locks and doorbells (with live video previews for doorbells)
• Thermostats and sensors
• Security cameras and systems like Ring and Blink
• Matter and Thread device

And the configuration process is pretty straightforward. It automatically syncs with your Alexa once you set it up, and you can add new smart devices via settings.

You are able to create routines, control audio, view up to four camera feeds, and do lots more. However, it’s important to note that you may occasionally encounter problems when trying to access live camera feeds using voice command.

● Entertainment Features

Yes, you can ask Alexa to play music, show a weather forecast, or even watch videos. Specifically, you can access streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Tubi, but not Netflix. And for music, you play songs from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora. However, Echo Hub lacks the speaker quality, you will not enjoy the media playback as much as Echo Show. Think of it more as a touchscreen controller than a kitchen TV.

Pros and Cons of Echo Hub

Echo Hub vs. Echo Show: What’s The Difference?

While Echo Hub might look like a pared-down Echo Show, it serves very different purposes. Here is a quick comparison table for you to understand the key differences.

So, the Echo Show is more of a smart display for entertainment, while Echo Hub for smart home control.

And unlike Echo Hub, Echo Show comes with high-quality speakers for media playback, and a front-facing camera for video calls. What’s worse, it is almost unavoidable to see sponsored content on it.

Best Alternative to Amazon Echo Hub

Of course, Amazon Echo hub is a good way for smart home users to control multiple devices at once, but it does have its drawbacks. You cannot move it around the house, so you might miss out on some events. And although it is compatible with almost all smart devices, you may need to pay extra to integrate some devices with Echo hub.

So, for eufy users, the latest eufy Smart Display E10 is an excellent alternative to the Amazon Echo Hub with no extra fees. And you still can also view 4 camera live feeds at the same time.

What’s cool is that it has a built-in battery—something the Echo Hub lacks—making it portable and easier to place wherever you want. You can keep tabs on what’s going on even when you’re away thanks to the daily reports it generates.

It also levels up your home security utilizing AI power when paired with HomeBase 3, so you will get personalized notification to see exactly who’s at your door and has your package been delivered yet.

Also, in terms of connectivity, it supports dual-band Wi-Fi 6, offering better performance and reliability compared to the Echo Hub’s Wi-Fi 5.

FAQs

What is the Echo Hub for?

The Echo Hub is a wall-mounted smart home control panel designed specifically for managing Alexa-compatible devices. It lets you control lights, locks, thermostats, sensors, and more using a customizable touchscreen interface.

Which Hub is Best for Alexa?

If you're looking for a hub built for Alexa, the Echo Hub is the best choice for smart home control. It supports Matter, Thread, Zigbee, and Bluetooth LE, and it works as a Thread border router.

Can you watch Netflix on the Echo Hub?

No, the Echo Hub does not support Netflix or video streaming apps. It is not designed for media consumption. It is focused entirely on smart home control.

Does Echo Hub work with Google Home or Apple HomeKit?

The Echo Hub does not work with Google Home or Apple HomeKit. It is built for use within Amazon’s Alexa ecosystem. However, it supports Matter and Thread, allowing it to control compatible cross-platform devices—but not through Google or Apple’s native apps.

Conclusion

Overall, Echo Hub is a powerful smart home control. It’s a great choice for homeowners who want a wall-mounted dashboard to control devices quickly and visually, though it lacks entertainment features compared to Echo Show.

If you need an alternative to Echo Hub, the latest eufy Smart Display E10 is one of the smart hubs that’s worth the investment, as it introduces more advanced features.