You may be interested in smart home technology, but with so many options, where do you start? Do you want to save on your heating bill with smart central heating? How about smart lights to save on your energy bill? And what about those smart kettles and fridges? Are they really necessary in a smart home?
Samsung has supported the idea of the smart home. What is a smart home? What is a smart home? We recently launched a Smart Home category on MakeUseOf, but what is a smart home? Read More They have made numerous entries into the smart home market and have a dedicated smart home line called SmartThings. But how do you know if Samsung SmartThings are the right fit for your smart home? And does this system represent a smart option for the future? Let's see.
Samsung proudly states that they have “everything you need to create and monitor your own smart home in no time.” To get started, you'll need the SmartThings app, a SmartThings hub, and a few smart devices to get connected. Common devices include surveillance cameras 3 Ways to Protect Your Family and Home with SmartThings Presence 3 Ways to Protect Your Family and Home with SmartThings Presence Do you want to use technology to keep your loved ones closer and safer? See what a SmartThings Presence can do to keep an eye on your home. Learn More:Thermostats, Motion Sensors, Multi-Sensors, Door Locks, and Power Outlets, as well as other specific smart devices. The coolest smart devices are supported by a SmartThings hub. The coolest smart devices support a smart zone hub. of compatible smart devices, allowing you to monitor, control and secure your home from anywhere in the world. Read more.
Samsung's smart environment starts with the SmartThings hub. The hub works with a wide range of smart home devices and protocols, including:IFTTT, Z-Wave, ZigBee, WiFi, Bluetooth, Nest, and Amazon Echo. The hub currently retails for $100 and is a great starting point for any smart home. 5 Smart Home Gadgets that are Easy to Install for the First Time. 5 smart home gadgets that are easy to set up for the first time. Smart home automation sounds amazing in theory, but many people are hesitant to try it because the learning curve seems steep. If that describes you:it's easier than you think! Read more owner, beginner or not.
The Samsung SmartThings Hub is well received and well reviewed. The smart home industry is still in its infancy, creating confusion as to which device will work with which hub. But right now, the SmartThings hub does an excellent job of connecting to the widest range of devices.
In many areas, the SmartThings hub is significantly better than its direct competitors. Which Smart Hub for Home Automation is Best for You? Which Smart Hub for Home Automation is Best for You? For a while, people thought the idea was nothing more than a gimmick, but recent product launches have shown that smart home automation is starting to deliver on its promises. Read more . This is not to say that those competitors are bad choices. All of them have specific features that make them worthy competitors, but none have the integration range of the SmartThings hub.
Currently, the closest competitor to SmartThings is the Wink Hub 2. Wink's second-generation smart home hub connects to more devices than its predecessors, including Zigbee, Z-Wave, Lutron Clear, Kidde, and Thread. Wink has also packed in a faster processor with 512MB of RAM, plus much-needed auto-discovery and a guided setup feature.
The Wink Hub 2 currently retails for around $99.
During March 2016, Amazon created quite a stir with the launch of the Echo Dot (UK). The second-generation Echo Dot offered a lower price, better voice recognition, and more functionality for smart home devices. Echo Dot can control the standard range of smart devices (lights, fans, thermostats, etc.) and integrates with other smart hubs like Samsung SmartThings.
The Echo Dot retails for $50, making it an attractive deal for those who want to get in without too much money.
Is it sensible to make a smart home investment right now? Will the devices and system you choose be future? I think the answer lies in the time frame.
In the very immediate future, Samsung SmartThings is an excellent option. Samsung continues to update and expand its range of connectable devices, and its position as the industry leader should keep them invested moving forward.
For example, the latest generation of Samsung Smart TVs comes with SmartThings integration built in. The TV doesn't have the full range of the actual SmartThings hub, but it's more than capable of powering a smart home. Smart TV also has other cool features like streaming your security cameras directly to the screen. Fun But Fun Surveillance Ideas With SmartThings Fun But Fun Surveillance Ideas With SmartThings With a set of Smart Home devices like the SmartThings suite, you can spy on your content. Here are some ways to use SmartThings devices to keep an eye on your surroundings. Read more.
While the smart home hub may be obsolete, the devices connected to it won't, at least for the very near future. Many of the devices are built to last. Take a Philips Hue connected bulb. They are rated for around 15,000 hours of operation. Assuming a bulb is used for eight hours per day (which is a relatively high estimate), it will be on for 1,875 days of light (over five years).
The biggest threat to your investment that I can imagine right now is the potential for entire businesses to fail. In 2015, Quirky, the then developer of Wink, filed for bankruptcy, casting doubt on how its existing products would continue to function. Fortunately, the hub's original manufacturer, Flextronics (now known as Flex), stepped in with a $15 million offer. They continue to develop Wink's smart home environment to this day.
In early 2016, Google announced that it would shut down the cloud service used to power communications between Revolv's hub and its connected devices. Nest, a unit of Google's parent company Alphabet, stopped supporting Revolv's technology on May 15, 2016. $300 paperweights were suddenly all the rage .
Some refunds were issued. Some compensation was claimed. But the anger towards Nest and Alphabet continues. Plus, it was one of the first clear cases against investing in a budding smart home. Should you buy a Smart Hub now or wait a few years? Should you buy a Smart Hub now or wait a few years? Read more industry.
Despite these incidents, the demand for smart home technology has made it clear that the smart home industry is here to stay. Due to Samsung's position in the market, it is quite safe to assume that Samsung SmartThings technology represents a sound investment.
That said, Samsung's SmartThings ecosystem hasn't been without controversy. In May 2016, security researchers at the University of Michigan discovered a series of design flaws in the SmartThings platform. The Samsung SmartThings Security Flaw:What You Need to Know. The Samsung SmartThings Security Flaw:What You Need to Know. Number of design flaws in Samsung's SmartThings platform. The flaws potentially undermine the security of any smart home setup that uses the SmartThings ecosystem. Read more.
The flaw allowed malicious apps to unlock doors, falsely set off alarms, reset home access codes, wake devices from vacation mode, and more. The attack vectors created a massive potential vulnerability for any SmartThings user. Fortunately, the vulnerability could only be exploited through a malicious application downloaded through the SmartThings store.
These security issues are now fully resolved. It's also worth noting that Samsung isn't the first smart home company to experience security issues. 5 security issues to consider when creating your smart home. 5 security issues to consider when creating your smart home. Many people try to connect as many aspects of their lives as the Internet as possible, but many people have expressed genuine concerns about how secure these automated living spaces are. Read More
Samsung SmartThings is a great option for your smart home. Its many device pairings, powerful core, and continued development at the forefront of the smart home market make SmartThings a solid investment for years to come.
Plus, SmartThings has enough in the locker for a power user, yet is open and friendly enough for any newcomer. Start this system with the basics, then let it progress in complexity as your vision for your smart home changes and grows.
Is your smart home powered by SmartThings? Did you make the switch from another smart hub? What devices would you like to connect, but can't? Let us know your thoughts below!
