Before being acquired by Samsung in 2014, SmartThings began as a Kickstarter project in 2012. At the time, it was a large investment and was seen as Samsung’s major entry into the smart home market. Since joining the Samsung fold, SmartThings has become a platform for managing your smart home as well as being incorporated into Samsung products and introducing a variety of hardware devices.
Considering that SmartThings is integrated into Samsung products, particularly its smartphones, a large number of individuals will be familiar with the brand. When engaging with linked devices, SmartThings and the affiliated logo on Samsung phones. The app is a component of the Samsung apps loaded on phones, and you may find it on things such as Samsung appliances.
The SmartThings app is available for both Android and iPhone, and it can be used to operate compatible devices as well as gear that is part of the SmartThings ecosystem, albeit Samsung and non-Samsung devices behave significantly differently. Both the platform that manages them and a line of trademarked smart home gadgets go by the name of Smart Things. The software platform incorporates features such as SmartThings Find, a program only available on Samsung devices, while also supporting other services like Philips Hue. You’ll need to sign in using a Samsung account to use SmartThings.
What kinds of devices does SmartThings provide?
The SmartThings hardware is a smart home firm that consists of a variety of plugs, hubs, and sensors. You will require a SmartThings Hub to link these devices together to utilize the plugs or sensors. The SmartThings Hub has gone through various iterations, with the most recent being V3 (2018), which gives you management over your SmartThings hardware system.
Although it’s often advised to use a Hue Hub and connect the services on the software part for the best results, for example with Philips Hue lamps, the SmartThings Hub still supports Zigbee and Z-Wave, so you may use it to operate smart home hardware utilizing these protocols. Once set up, SmartThings enables you to operate a variety of sensors, which includes leak detectors, intelligent buttons, motion sensors, intelligent lamps, and intelligent plugs, within the SmartThings system. You may find that certain countries have a greater selection of products than others because the global offering varies.
SmartThings basics
Locate your items
You can find objects intelligently using the SmartThings Find feature, which is a part of the iOS and Android versions of the SmartThings app. It cannot be used with non-Samsung devices, however, it may be used to find items such as the extremely prone to lose Galaxy Buds as well as tablets and phones.
Automate all processes
You can automate any task using the SmartThings app for smartphones and tablets or a specific hub device. Samsung is quite popular with products like washing machines and security cameras, while other platforms concentrate on entertainment.
Delegate boring tasks
Even while we adore our smart TVs and speakers, we would much rather contain smart home technology that handled household duties. SmartThings is fantastic for that, allowing you to control gadgets like the Jet Bot from the coziness of your favorite recliner.
Enjoy the program
The Samsung SmartThings application for Android and iOS has a similar interface to Apple’s Home app and allows interaction with wearables and other devices in addition to a consistent user experience across devices. However, we believe it to be more adaptable than Apple’s solution.
Advantages of SmartThings app
The SmartThings app’s automation feature is excellent, allowing you to set “if x, then y” actions like starting an automation at a specific time of day when an individual is in a specific location. Additionally, because it has such a wide variety of devices, you may set up all kinds of unique tasks with it, such as alarms for when a motion sensor or a water leak sensor detects a problem. Although SmartThings isn’t the most popular platform, it is incredibly well-designed and functional, especially if you own several Samsung devices.
For individuals who have chosen to set up a system featuring SmartThings devices, SmartThings is going to be the default option for managing a smart home. Google Home or Amazon Alex will provide a similar experience for individuals who are simply searching for a unified platform, but with the advantage of those physical products such as the Nest or Echo speakers giving readily available voice control.