Smart Light questions

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I am looking at the Sylvania lightify recessed lights which will require some sort of smart hub.

The question I have, is that if I go this route and buy a hub in order to integrate these items, what other functionality am I adding from a Hub that I don't already have through my Alexa app or my Apple Home app?

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dont be scared. that lightify hub is like $20 on ebay.

you will use it to pair the lights then add the lightify skill to alexa and you can do all your 'smart home' schedules & grouping of lights through the alexa app to keep things simple.

eta just remember to hide the hub plugged into an outlet somewhere that a busy-body wife won't find and throw in a drawer and you realize 2 days later none of your lightify bulbs are working anymore.

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dont be scared. that lightify hub is like $20 on ebay.

you will use it to pair the lights then add the lightify skill to alexa and you can do all your 'smart home' schedules & grouping of lights through the alexa app to keep things simple.

eta just remember to hide the hub plugged into an outlet somewhere that a busy-body wife won't find and throw in a drawer and you realize 2 days later none of your lightify bulbs are working anymore.

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Awesome, so I can still do color combos and all that with the Lightify app or whatever, and use the alexa/apple skill for day to day stuff, correct?

Is there any reason to get a Wink or Smart things hub? I don't have a very complex setup (at least not yet), but I can create groups and all that through Alexa, right?

What functionality am I missing. I can screw around with IFTT and all that without Smart things??

ETA: I am replacing existing recessing lights with a switch. I know my wife will turn it off via the switch. Is a smart switch worth installing?

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Awesome, so I can still do color combos and all that with the Lightify app or whatever, and use the alexa/apple skill for day to day stuff, correct?

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yeah and you can use alexa to say 'set kitchen recessed light 1 to blue' or if grouped 'set the kitchen recessed lights to blue'.

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Is there any reason to get a Wink or Smart things hub? I don't have a very complex setup (at least not yet), but I can create groups and all that through Alexa, right?

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none right now. dust needs to settle. i have a hubitat but i don't wish the setup on my worst enemy but i have too much invested in zwave & zigbee that i want a local controller for so i'm digging in.

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What functionality am I missing. I can screw around with IFTT and all that without Smart things??

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not much. you have to ask what you want to do. IFTTT can change bulbs based on a tv show schedule or the weather, etc. but its kinda shitty to be honest.

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ETA: I am replacing existing recessing lights with a switch. I know my wife will turn it off via the switch. Is a smart switch worth installing?

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i'm not sure it is. worst case scenario is she flips it off every now and then if she's unhappy with your pre-existing light routine.

voice has been the killer app for me and the only thing my wife has fully embraced because she's a control freak and no matter how happy i am with my triggers & schedules..being a woman she wants something different every day.

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And the hue hub is little help other than that.

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i paired EVERY BULB IN MY HOUSE with hue to get it away from wink except the zwave+ bulb I have and the LIFX wifi-bulb someone bought me.

i find the hue hub the most stable of all of them.

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This is interesting. Do you have bulbs, other than HUE, paired with the hue bridge? Can I do that with the lightify?

Sorry, I'm pretty green here.

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yes. a cree bulb, tons of crappy ikea bulbs, all my ge bulbs, basically any bulb using zigbee will pair.

but you can't control white-shade or color without the native hub for those and you can't pair zwave or WiFi (obviously) bulbs.

If you're looking into purchasing a hub, Samsung Samrtthings is a good option. I started with a Wink Hub, then a Wink Hub 2, and swapped over to Smarthings 2. We just got all our indoor and outdoor Christmas lighting setup last weekend. All the lights come on and off throughout the day depending on when we are home and simply when the sun goes down. Beyond that I've got a combination of lights, tvs, plugs, and sensors tied to the hub that allow us to broaden our options for automations.

Two big benefits of smart hubs:
1) A hub will tie your devices together to one app.
2) A hub will allow you to build a number of automations that can involve any of your connected devices.

The last thing I'll mention is that you are probably better off long-term investing in one family of products if possible (assuming it is a reliable brand). Primarily because it cuts down on the number of accounts and apps you'll end up having to manage over time.

There are a ton of benefits to Alexa. I don't disagree with including an echo in the discussion for a hub. One other alternative for internet enabled devices, IFTTT is a good way to build logic into your day-to-day.

Have you (or anyone else here) tried setting up a hub with a Pi? Seems like the only sensible option to me at this point.

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The last thing I'll mention is that you are probably better off long-term investing in one family of products if possible (assuming it is a reliable brand). Primarily because it cuts down on the number of accounts and apps you'll end up having to manage over time.

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This. The more things that work locally and don’t depend on multiple cloud servers working together the better.