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Samsung Wants To Control Your Home With “SmartThings”
The next tech battleground is heating up and heading for your home –– and Samsung wants to be top dog in the IOT race
Make no mistake about it: just as the last ten years saw tech companies battling it out to control mobile, the next ten years will be all about the tech giants trying to win control of your homes. That’s because the mythical “smart home” of the future that many of us were first exposed to in the 1950s with The Jetsons cartoon is actually close to being a reality now thanks to major advances in what’s known as “Internet of Things” technology. This is technology where not only our computers and mobiles are networked together, but every formerly “dumb” device in our home, like kitchen scales, coffee makers, garage door openers, and thermostats.
But in order for all of these forthcoming Internet of Things devices to talk to each other, there needs to be one control center or central hub in your house that lets you easily interact with them. Apple hopes you’ll be using their burgeoning control center–known as HomeKit–which is being pushed out in products from dozens of third-party vendors later this year. But Apple has some MAJOR competition from none other than Samsung and their SmartThings smart home solution. And Samsung has a clear lead as their product is already on the market.
Here’s everything you need to know about Samsung’s SmartThings.
Samsung didn’t actually invent SmartThings
As is usually the case with most major tech companies nowadays, Samsung didn’t actually invent the SmartThings platform. SmartThings was originally its own company, located in Washington DC and created in 2012. The company began as a Kickstarter project, raising $1.2 million in 30 days.
After operating on its own for a few years Samsung, picking up on the fact that the smart home would be the next big battleground in tech, scooped up SmartThings for $200 million in August 2014.
SmartThings is a system composed primarily of three parts
The great thing about SmartThings is that you don’t need to pay a contractor to rewire your house to make it “smart”. SmartThings is a system comprised of three parts that integrates nicely into any existing home or flat.
The first part of the system is the SmartThings Hub. This is a physical device that sits on a shelf in your home. Samsung rightly calls this the “brain” of the smart home. The hub connects all the different smart devices and sensors in your home. It acts as a central communications point between them so each one can know what the other is doing. It also acts as the command center for your smart home.
The second part of the system is the SmartThings mobile app. This app–unlike Apple’s HomeKit solution–is available for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone–making SmartThings a truly cross platform system. Using the app you can monitor every devices in your smart home–from your door locks, to thermostat to wireless speakers. Better yet, the app allows you to control all your connected devices right from your smartphone. This is not only great while you’re in your house. If you left your home and left the radio on, the app will allow you to turn it off from anywhere.
The third and final part of the SmartThings system are the individual device components. These are a virtually unlimited amount of devices–anything that a manufacturer can turn into an Internet of Things device you can bet they will. What’s really great about the way SmartThings handles these devices is that they don’t need to be official Samsung products. Dozens of third-party smart home devices already work with the SmartThings system including the popular Nest thermostat, Sonos speakers, Dropcam cameras, Philips smart lights and many, many more.
How do I get started with SmartThings?
First you need to make sure you have an iPhone, Android phone, or Windows Phone. This will be your remote control for your SmartThings hub. You can download your device’s SmartThings app here.
Next you need to buy the SmartThings hub and at least one SmartThings compatible device. Samsung has wisely chosen to offer starter packs at a reduced cost to rope people into their smart home ecosystem. You can pick up the Smart Home Starter Kit for only $199. It includes a hub and one presence sensor, motion sensor, and open/closed sensor. Samsung also offers other start kits tailored to individual needs, like the Smart Home Security Kit for $389 or the Smart Home Water Detection Kit for $189.
Alternately you can buy a lone SmartThings Hub for $99 and then add sensors ala carte. Sensors range from electrical outlets to water and proximity sensors. Most range in price from $45-55. Finally, you can start buying individual third-party SmartThings-compatible devices. We’ve listed some above, but the full list of SmartThings-compatible devices can be found here.
Michael Grothaus
15:49, 2 Jul 2015