What is SmartThings? How does SmartThings work?

Do you want a smart home that can be controlled via an app, but doesn't necessarily require a smart speaker? No problem! What you need is a smart home hub, and the SmartThings Hub is one of the most popular, well-connected devices on the market.

But what is SmartThings and how does it work? This guide will give you answers and suggestions on what you can do with SmartThings, what devices to connect it to, and whether it's right for you.

What is SmartThings?

SmartThings is a brand owned by Samsung. SmartThings is not a device but a name used by Samsung for products. This is a set of standards that ensures all devices can communicate with each other. SmartThings is also the name of the app you use to control all the smart devices and products in your home.

In addition to being a brand, SmartThings is about the cloud-based intelligence that makes the smart home work, as well as the companion app you use to control it all. Samsung has announced that it will soon launch its own smart speaker and assistant, called Galaxy Home and Bixby.

What is SmartThings? How does SmartThings work? Picture 1

To use SmartThings, you need a hub. Currently, there are several SmartThings hubs and kits to choose from.

The most basic is SmartThings Hub (price $69.99/1.6 million VND). This is a physical device that looks like a router. You connect all your compatible smart home devices to it and control them via the SmartThings app on Android or iOS. You can also buy SmartThings Wi-Fi (priced at $119.99/2.8 million VND), which includes a WiFi router and hub together.

What can you do with SmartThings?

Once you have a hub, you'll set it up using the mobile app. You connect the hub to other compatible devices, such as light bulbs, plugs, thermostats, and door locks.

You can then use the app to remotely program the devices. For example, you can create rules, such as if the door is closed for 60 seconds, it will automatically lock, or if the front door is open, the lights will automatically turn on.

You can also create routines, or sequences of multiple actions, that trigger at set times during the day. In the morning, you can have the coffee maker start at 7 a.m., news podcasts play on the smart speaker, and the security alarm goes off automatically.

What is SmartThings? How does SmartThings work? Picture 2

What devices work with SmartThings?

Connecting to a smart speaker can seem a bit confusing. If you already have a Google Home or Amazon Echo, why do you need SmartThings? Maybe it's because Samsung has been making hardware for a long time, and many of those devices are now compatible with SmartThings, like refrigerators, TVs, and clothes dryers.

SmartThings also got involved early with sensors, so the company supports hundreds of different types of sensors, such as water sensors, door sensors, motion sensors, smoke and fire detection sensors. Depending on what you have or want to install, SmartThings can support more than a smart speaker.

Here are some of the best gadgets you can connect to SmartThings:

Bulbs and lamps from Philips Hue, Sengled, LiFi, Sylvania and IKEA
Switches and dimmers from Ecobee, Ecolink, Belkin, Lutron, Leviton, Zooz, GE and Enerwave
by Sylvania, Sengled, Honeywell and Eaton
Iris smart water sensor
First Alert smoke detector
SmartThings water leak detection sensor
BeSense Z-Wave Plus Wall PIR Motion Detector motion detector
Ecolink ZigBee water overflow detection sensor
Arlo Camera
and Ring cameras
Smart lock August Smart Lock Pro
Yale touch screen lock
Kwikset lock
Schlage lock
Thermostats from Ecobee, Honeywell, Stelpro, American Standard and Iris
Speakers and sound systems from Bose and Sonos
FortrezZ water valve
Aeotec Home Energy Meter home energy meter
SmartThings Siren siren
Samsung clothes dryer
Samsung TVs
OSO Technologies PlantLink soil moisture sensor
Rachio WiFi smart sprinkler system controller
Apple Watch
Garmin smart watch
Tesla cars via EVEConnect

Samuel Daniel

Update 13 October 2023

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What is SmartThings? How does SmartThings work?