What are Samsung Smart-Things and what are the best devices for it?
Samsung Smart- Things are the things that you can manage with your Samsung device. Also this is a name given to a system to provide a single, unified point of control for all your smart home devices. Samsung does so with not only its own devices, but by supporting an impressive number of third-party products that can all be managed with the Smart-Things app. Samsung also makes it very easy to sort through and find the best smart devices for you.
Your smart home journey can begin with something as simple as buying a few smart bulbs and changing the ambiance of a room, and go to a point where you can control everything in your house without physically interacting with anything. Samsung provides a singular point of control for all your smart home products with Samsung Smart-Things.
Best Samsung Smart-Things devices
Samsung has quite a few devices on offer that come under the Smart-Things brand, but the biggest selling point of Smart-Things is its compatibility with a slew of third-party products. Apart from ensuring that you won’t get locked into a single ecosystem, this wide compatibility also means that you won’t have a hard time trying to find devices that suit your needs.
There are over 350 products currently listed as “Works with SmartThings.” These include everything from smart lights and switches, security cameras, doorbells, outlets, door locks, thermostats, and speakers, to smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, water valve controls, vents, garage doors, irrigation systems, and so much more.
Samsung Smart-Things Hub and Smart-Thing Wi-Fi
The Samsung SmartThings Hub is now in its third iteration, and serves as the foundation of the smart home system that you’re building. This is also the one device that is essential for you to build a Samsung SmartThings system. It connects wirelessly to all your smart home devices and lets you monitor and control them using a single app. You need a WIFI or internet to work with The Hub.
Also if you don’t want to deal with the inconvenience of a separate hub and Wi-Fi router, Samsung has you covered with the aptly named Samsung Smart-Things Wi-Fi. This is an AC1300 mesh Wi-Fi router that doubles as a hub. A single router provides coverage for a 1,500 sq. ft. area, but you can add more for larger homes.
The Samsung Smart-Things Hub will cost $67.99 while a single Smart-Things Wi-Fi router is priced at $117.99. You can also pick up a three-pack of Wi-Fi routers for $249.94.
Click here to visit Smart- Things Hub
Best Samsung Smart- Things Sensors
With the Samsung Smart things Sensor you can connect to the Smart-Things Hub to create your smart home. With these you will receive alerts when there’s unexpected activity in your home. You can set connected lights to turn on and off as people come and go, also monitor moisture and temperature. There are a few different types of Samsung Smart-Things sensors that Samsung has available to help you get started on your home automation journey. Like the Samsung Smart-Things Multipurpose Sensor is an all-in-one sensor that can detect vibration, orientation, tilt, temperature, and when something opens and closes.
You can place it on doors, drawers, windows, cabinets, and more. The fact that it senses vibration allows the sensor to differentiate between when a door is being opened and if there is a knock on the door. You can set up alerts for all these activities, and anything else you can come up with. Another example is the use of the Samsung Smart-Things Motion where you can set it up to receive alerts if there is any unexpected movement in your house or in a particular room. You can also connect it to smart lights to have them turn on or off when there is any movement.
The Smart- Things app
Samsung introduced the Smart-Things app last year, that consolidates over 40 of Samsung’s various smart home and smart device apps into one. Apart from controlling your Smart-Things products, the new app also lets you manage other devices like Smart TVs, smart refrigerators, smart washers, and every other smart product that Samsung currently offers.
The Smart-Things app has improved a lot since it was first released and is a lot more capable now. If you’re new to the Smart-Things world, getting acquainted with the new app from the start. But if you’ve been using Smart-Things for a while, you probably have everything set up with the Smart-Things Classic app already. It’s completely right to continue using the older app in this case. In fact, the Classic app still has a few features that haven’t made it over to the new app yet.
First you download the app from the Google Play Store, you will have to sign in with a Samsung account. If you have a Samsung smartphone, smart TV, or other smart devices from the company, you should have an account already. If not, all you need is an email address and a password to create one.
Setting up the Samsung Smart-Things Hub
Connect the Hub to the Wi-Fi router using the ethernet cable that is provided. If you get the new third generation hub, you can also wirelessly connect to the router. If you are using Smart- Things WIFI then the above step is not required.
- Launch the app and tap on the large plus icon (Add device button) to get started. You will see a list of compatible Samsung devices and another section that houses third-party brands.
- In the Samsung section, tap on “Wi-Fi/Hub.”
- A list of hubs will pop up. Tap on your device type and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Adding a device you need to Plug in and turn on the smart devices that you want to connect to the SmartThings hub.
- Launch the app and tap on the large plus icon (Add device button).
- You can tap on the “Auto detect” button to let the app quickly find compatible devices. Keep in mind though that this doesn’t always work as expected. Until the app gets the required software improvements, the manual route may be the better way to go.
- On the devices page, find the brand of your product and tap on it. For example, to connect the Ring video doorbell, tap on “Ring,” then tap on “Doorbell,” and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Rinse and repeat for all the smart products you want to add.
How to set up voice control?
Samsung Smart-Things is fully compatible with Amazon Alexa and you need to get an Echo device for voice control. All you have to do is go to Alexa’s Skills store, search for Smart-Things, and enable it. Then go to the Smart Home screen in the Alexa app and tap on Discover, which will show you all the devices that can be controlled using Alexa.
You can use the Google Assistant via your smartphone or Google Home. In the Google Home app, go to Home Control -> Devices, tap on the plus sign at the bottom right and tap on SmartThings. Log in to your Samsung account and tap on Authorize.
How to set up scenes and automation?
Launch the app and open the menu (three horizontal lines icon on the left side). Tap on the relevant section and follow the on-screen instructions.
Scenes lets you set up multiple devices to function together with a simple tap on your phone or a voice command. For instance, you can set up a scene where all the lights and your smart TV turn on in the living room.
Automation takes the concept of scenes one step further. This lets you create “if this then that” scenarios. So, with a motion sensor on a bedroom door, you can have the lights turn on automatically in the room every time the door is open. You can set up conditions based on time, device status, user location, and more.
How to set up Smart-Things classic app?
First launch the Smart-Things Classic app. You will need to sign in with your Samsung account if you haven’t done so already. Routines can be difficult and confusing to set up if you’re a beginner. This is where SmartApps prove to be a big help. These are common tasks that the smart devices are capable of that you can enable with a tap.
Assuming you have the right sensors, there are numerous SmartApps options created by Smart-Things as well as third-party developers. Go to the Smart Apps section, find the devices you have, and you’ll be able to find all the Smart Apps that are available for it.
Click here to know more about Smart Things
Points to note
Though Samsung has done a great job with trying to simplify the setup process so that everyone can do it but note that some amount of technical knowhow is recommended, especially when you have to face troubleshoot problems.
Also having multiple devices perform various functions at the touch of a button setting everything up can be a long and tedious process.
Now add your devices and have the ease of things with Samsung Smart- Things.