The Switchbot Hub is the control centre for all Switchbot devices in relation to the internet and other Smarthome devices such as Alexa. So yes, I have about 10 Switchbots, a few thermometers, motion detectors, a curtain and all attached to the same Switchbot Hub (you only have to activate the "Cloud Service" per device in the APP, the rest happens automatically. Or, when setting up a new device, it already asks you during the setup if you want to connect to the hub, if it already sees a hub nearby). All in all, this is by far the best working solution of all smarthome ecosystems (and I have a few like myStrom, Ikea, Amazon Alexa etc.). I recently connected a Switchbot & a Switchbot motion detector to the hub at home, set everything up & tested it, then drove to my parents' house, but there's no hub there. With other manufacturers I would have had to reset everything to factory settings (if at all possible, part of it is extremely tedious, just configuring a new WLAN). And then teach it all over again and set everything up. With the Switchbot app, on the other hand, briefly deactivate "Cloud Service" on both devices and then set the motion detector as the trigger on the Switchbot (the app already suggested it automatically because it noticed that only these two devices are within Bluetooth range). And voila, everything works with the old config! I was really surprised how brilliantly it works.

What exactly are you planning to do? The hub communicates with the Switchbot via Bluetooth and connects to your network via Wi-Fi. Control via Alexa or Google is possible (with the link via app) if you have something more complex in mind, you can also use the IFTTT service. The Zigbee protocol is not supported, e.g. the switchbots are not visible in the HUE app (HUB mode).

Essential for wifi operation of switchbot devices alexa is not a dedicated hub

It is still a Bluetooth connection. Depending on the condition and environment, you may only get a few metres. 30-40 m definitely won't work, you'll have to work with several hubs. Try to establish a Bluetooth connection to a headset and see how far you get.

AppleTV can switch on your TV via HDMI, can't it? This works wonderfully for us as long as the TV is in standby. I didn't bring the SwitchBot into the Home App - it only works with shortcuts and then you can store voice commands for it. My use case: Hey Siri, open the garage door... This goes via shortcut to the hub and then to the Switchbot and it presses the switch on the garage door motor with its little fingers. I hope this helps you...