Nest's smart home hub is dead but other companies carry the torch

Google subsidiary Nest is shutting down its smart home hub Revolv. Service will be discontinued on May 15, the company posted on its website. The news was met with immediate criticism among those who had bought the relatively expensive hub, prompting Nest to say it would consider compensation on a case-by-case basis.

The hub actually hasn't been sold since Revolv was acquired by Nest in late 2014, but services were maintained and continued to function. The product allowed devices connected to Revolv to be controlled through a single app. Now Nest says it wants to focus on Works with Nest, the program that allows Nest products to interact with third-party devices.

The bad news for Revolv owners could be good news for third-party hub makers. With more emphasis placed on getting other devices to work with Nest products, more manufacturers may start to look for other opportunities to build in this interoperability. Some have started to question the need for an additional device to control the home when smartphone and tablet apps work just as well, but there is simplicity in having a dedicated device for this purpose. This is why big companies like Samsung and Sony continue to develop products with this function in mind.

Hardware manufacturers looking to create dedicated hubs or controllers also have more options today to rely on others' platforms. Just as Vizio is doing with its smart TVs, a simple, small Android tablet can be transformed into a powerful remote that can run any software a user wants. A charging dock keeps the tablet ready for whoever wants to grab it next. Most China manufacturers have not yet been focusing on these kinds of hubs, though that may be the future. Instead, the focus today is more similar to what Revolv was offering, linking up devices using open standards like Z-Wave and ZigBee.