The SmartThings app has a decent design and is pretty responsive to your commands, but it's much more confusing than competing platforms (like the Staples Connect) once you start trying to automate your home. I'm fairly well-versed in smart home setups by now, and even I was scratching my head trying to figure out the best way to use SmartThings to automate my various devices. The core of Samsung's SmartThings app centers on three different scenarios: accessing individual devices via the rooms you've previously assigned them to, switching between different "routines" that activate a preset combination of device configurations and using third-party apps to access your various smart devices in new ways. * For interoperarbilitet gjennom SmartThings bør alle enheter være registrert med samme Samsung-konto. I didn't even have to dig deep within Samsung's app to connect to specific devices; I just used the app's general Connect Now catch-all to pull everything in. it works on several wireless protocols to control your smart lights, locks or any device you pair with your hub. Though the app looks easy to use, its logic and automation feel disjointed. Unfortunately, the Discover Devices feature of the SmartThings app didnât work with any of the devices I added, requiring me to look up each device by typing it into the app. The third-generation SmartThings Hub costs $69.99. But don't give up a superior router you might already have just to get a smart home hub. It's a great upgrade that ensures you'll still be able to get some use out of your connected devices — like smart lighting, for example — always assuming that those devices are also connected to some kind of battery backup system. Z-Wave and Zigbee are mesh networks, too, so every smart home device equipped with one of those radios can act as both a client and a repeater. For one, the magnet is a lot stronger than version 2. There's also no indicator to show you logic that's brand new to the app or logic that you've previously installed (in case you have a few favorites).In short, this setup is one of the most confusing ones I've ever used. Visit our corporate site. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. If it's successful, the hub links your gadgets to the app, and off you go to the app's primary dashboard. That's not to say that Samsung won't be doing this pretty soon, however. But if you don’t need a top-shelf router, and not everyone does, the SmartThings Wifi’s price tag and its performance as a smart home hub renders it a good enough value. Spread the three SmartThings Wifi nodes around your home, and you’ll effectively blanket it with coverage for all three networks: Z-Wave, Zigbee, and Wi-Fi. The three pack costs $280 and will cover up to 4,600 square feet. What Samsung calls SmartApps are really just other third-party services or user-created logic you integrate into your existing SmartThings setup —such as logic that turns on a smart power outlet when your door sensor opens. The SmartThings Hub is an essential component of the entire setup. That's it. For me, the Samsung SmartThings Smart Home Hub (hereafter known as the âHubâ) has exceeded my expectations and is working flawlessly with various Z-Wave Plus devices and with Alexa. From there, SmartThings only gets more expensive, depending on how many sensors, plugs and other smart devices you need. Sammenlign modeller etter pris og hvilke funksjoner som er viktige for deg. For one thing, the interface is a bit clearer than before. Samsung's SmartThings has great potential, but I just didn't enjoy my experience with the smart home platform as much as I hoped I would. Samsung's SmartThings Wifi fixes two problems for smart home users - hub clutter and bandwidth congestion. And like SmartThings, it is also dependent on the cloud, but signing up for an optional-but-inexpensive professional monitoring service ($10 per month) activates an LTE module for cellular backup. Tom's Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Though Samsung's platform supports many more devices than the Staples platform, the one from Staples comes with a Web-based configuration page, so you can edit your smart home setup from your desk (versus your smartphone's tiny screen). I en egen portefølje vil Samsung tilby egne produkter som inkluderer ulike sensorer, et kamera, kontakter og flerfunksjonsknapper, samt selve sentrumet i hjemmet, som er SmartThings-huben Smart Hub V3. To add third-party integrations, you have to tap on a sunburstlike icon in the app's lower right corner. If there’s a break-in or a smoke detector goes off in the event of a fire, you’ll need to call the authorities yourself. Samsung's latest attempt at networking is a good one. (Mine does, but I didn’t benchmark the system that way.) You can assign each device on the network to a family member’s profile, so you can control when that device can access the internet and what it’s allowed to do while online. Samsung's app is as disorganized as it is comprehensive. The app's Things section — yes, it's called that — is just a list of all your connected devices. If your home or apartment is small and you don’t need the range that this $280 three-pack promises, you can buy a single SmartThings Wifi for $120—that should be enough to cover 1,500 square feet.