LG debuts its ThinQ ON smart home hub that comes with an AI voice assistant

LG has introduced a smart home hub called ThinQ ON that has the technology to control not just LG-branded appliances but also other smart home devices. It comes with a built-in speaker that gives you a way to talk to LG’s AI voice assistant, so you can use it to look up information, as well as to control your smart devices with spoken commands. LG says its technology can “understand the context of conversations” and can determine your preference for a specific device. It could, perhaps, tell your preferred temperature for the thermostat or the washer cycle you typically use. And it can notify you when a task is done, such as when the dryer cycle is finished.

The ThinQ ON hub is Matter-certified and can use Wi-Fi or Thread — a low-power wireless protocol — to connect to smart home devices and appliances. In addition, LG’s acquisition of smart home platform company Athom and its smart hub Homey Pro earlier this year gives the device’s compatibility a huge boost. Apparently, the Homey App Store contains over 1,000 applications that will give the hub that capability to control products from a wide number of brands around the world.

LG has yet to reveal the ThinQ ON’s pricing and availability, but it’s showcasing the hub at IFA 2024 in Berlin, Germany, which will take place from September 6 to 10.