Google’s new TV Streamer 4K not only offers 4K streaming but also acts as a central smart home hub, supporting Matter and Thread protocols to unify connected gadgets and reduce hub clutter.
Google’s TV Streamer 4K is being sold as a living-room streaming box, but its most useful trick may be something else entirely: it can also sit at the centre of a smart home. Google says the device works as a Google Home hub and supports Matter over Wi-Fi and Thread, while also serving as a Thread border router, which lets compatible gadgets communicate more directly and reliably across the home.
That matters because many smart TVs can handle streaming apps, yet still cannot manage the kind of connected devices that need a proper hub. Google’s support material says the Streamer can take on that role, and reviews from TechSpot and TheTestedHub both point to its smart home features as one of the device’s main selling points. In practice, that means it can help unify lights, plugs and sensors that would otherwise live in separate apps and ecosystems.
The attraction is not just convenience. The Streamer’s Thread and Matter support can reduce dependence on a clutter of extra hubs, which is especially appealing for households already using compatible devices. The Google Store’s own comparison page positions the Streamer as a more capable box than earlier Google TV hardware, with extra storage and stronger connectivity, while Notebookcheck noted that its launch price was $99.99, putting it below Apple’s comparable 4K box.
There are limits, though. The device is not a universal fix for more complex systems, particularly homes built around older Zigbee products, which do not speak the same language as Thread unless a separate bridge is involved. Even so, the Streamer’s appeal is clear: for many users, it can replace a separate smart home hub without adding another box to the shelf. TechSpot and Google’s own documentation both suggest that combination of streaming performance and smart home control is the point.
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