Smart devices connect to the Internet through a specific network communications protocol, of which there are several. These include but are not limited to Zigbee, Z-wave, wifi, and Bluetooth. Networking protocols are important because, with some network protocols, a hub is required to communicate with the existing wireless network to access the internet. For example, the Philips Hue devices leverage a Zigbee network, and therefore, you need a Zigbee hub (think modem but for your smart devices) to connect to the wireless network.