"without a middleman" means it won't rely on some 3rd party to work. As a contrast, for example, a SmartThings hub requires an internet connection to work becau

"without a middleman" means it won't rely on some 3rd party to work. As a contrast, for example, a SmartThings hub requires an internet connection to work because (almost) everything is sent to Samsung first. Whether you want to connect to your home directly over the internet is up to you, in this case.