Wink launches Wink Hub 2, a slimmer smart home hub with 8x more RAM, improved processing power and connectivity, simplified setup, better security for $99
Wink is launching a second generation of its smart home hub, which it's simply calling the Wink Hub 2.
Context & Ripple Effects
Wink arrives at this launch with a reputation problem to fix. In early 2015, reviewers found not one Wink product worked as advertised out of the box, and months later a bad software update killed many Wink hubs outright — the exact failure modes 'better security' and 'simplified setup' are aimed at. Founder Nathan Smith had already handed the platform to Flex by April 2016, making Hub 2 the first major hardware statement under new ownership.
The competitive frame is SmartThings, whose hub hit the same $99 price in 2015 with sensor support, video monitoring and battery backup. Wink is matching the price while trying to out-spec it on memory and connectivity.
First-order effects
- Wink puts a $99 second-generation hub directly against SmartThings' $99 offering, betting that 8x more RAM and improved processing close the spec gap its first-gen hardware opened.
- Existing Wink owners burned by the 2015 update failure get an upgrade path whose headline claims — security and setup — map one-to-one onto the platform's documented weaknesses.
Second-order effects
- SmartThings faces pressure to answer on raw hardware specs rather than ecosystem breadth alone, since Wink has neutralized the price advantage both hubs shared at $99.
- Flex, as new owner, now owns the credibility repair job: every Hub 2 field failure lands on the acquirer's brand, raising the cost of another botched update.
Third-order effects
- If $99 hubs keep demanding better silicon and security, hardware margins alone won't carry these platforms — pointing toward recurring-fee monetization, a path Wink itself later took when it moved to require a $4.99 monthly subscription to keep automations working.
- The hub market structurally rewards whoever controls the update pipeline and the relationship with the buyer, pushing independent smart home platforms toward consolidation under larger manufacturers like Flex.
The trend: Smart home hubs are converging on parity pricing and spec escalation while their business models drift from one-time hardware sales toward subscription revenue.