SmartThings
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Samsung delays its next-gen home automation devices
It'll take a while longer to see how Samsung's acquisition has improved SmartThings' Hub and sensors. The company was supposed to release its next-gen home automation devices this April, but now it's pushing back the launch date. SmartThings isn't even 100 percent sure when it will be able to release the new devices, but it says it will "most likely [happen in] Q3" 2015. Version 2 of its Hub and sensors just aren't ready for launch yet, as the company's announcement says it's working non-stop "to get the experience to the point where it needs to be."
Logitech wants to link the living room with the rest of your smart home
You might've written off the idea of a connected home up to this point, and if so, Logitech wants you to give it a second chance. Together with Harmony (its living room wing), the outfit's working on an API that allows developers to link all of the connected devices in your home so they work in concert. The example the firm gives is, say, once you started watching a movie on your Samsung flatscreen via Apple TV, the Philips Hue lights in your living room would dim accordingly. Harmony claims this programming tool is the first of its kind and gives developers access to over 270,000 home entertainment and automation devices, creating a platform of sorts for smart home experiences that haven't been seen up to this point.
Samsung unveils next-gen smart home hub and monitoring service
Looks like you didn't have to wait long to see what Samsung would do in the smart home world after acquiring SmartThings -- it just unveiled a new version of the SmartThings Hub that automates your household with fewer hiccups. The new version is faster, and can run apps locally instead of farming them out to other devices. It also has a battery backup and more cellular data options, so your intricate network of lights and security systems won't fall into disarray just because of a momentary power outage.
SmartThings brings its home automation app to Windows Phone
Samsung promised an open platform when it purchased SmartThings, a startup that aims to make every household more intelligent with its products. So, despite the automation service already being present on iOS and Android, the most popular mobile operating systems, SmartThings is opening its doors to a fresh audience: Windows Phone 8. The SmartThings app is great for people looking to upgrade their home but that were, perhaps, hesitant to do so because of the ecosystem's lack of support for Windows Phone handsets. Most home automations platforms have some sort of integration with iOS or Android from the get-go, leaving Windows Phone users out of options. As such, this is a great move by the Samsung-owned SmartThings. Once you download the app, you'll be able to control SmartThings devices with ease -- and if you haven't invested yet, maybe now it's the time to start thinking about creating your own Smart Home.
Samsung's 'Smart Home' dreams get bigger with $200 million SmartThings buy
Count Samsung in -- it's officially purchasing home automation startup SmartThings, a move that should help it keep up with the Joneses, aka Apple and Google. TechCrunch has sources confirming a $200 million pricetag, matching the amount it heard last month when rumors of the deal leaked out. In a blog post, SmartThings CEO Alex Hawkinson said the team would continue to be run independently, but that it's moving home base to Palo Alto, where Samsung has one of its Innovation Centers. He says Samsung is ready to get behind its vision of an open smart home platform that works for third party devs as well as different hardware manufacturers, and already has support from some 8,000 apps. SmartThings has gone from Kickstarter to playing with the big boys, now we'll see if its Hub device and wide-open strategy can get your doorknob, stove, drapes and lightbulb all on the same page.
TechCrunch: Samsung eyeing home automation startup SmartThings
We know that Samsung isn't one to let any potential market segment pass it by, and according to TechCrunch, it's considering an acquisition that would put it in play in the suddenly expanding home automation business. The target? SmartThings, which would follow a recent theme of former Kickstarter projects being acquired by behemoths, and pump up Samsung's Smart Home efforts to match Google/Nest and Apple/Homekit. In case you've forgotten, SmartThings is the company that figures it can connect everything in your house to the internet through its Hub device and make them controllable from pretty much any mobile app -- if you're ready to handle that kind of responsibility. TC's sources put the proposed price at $200 million but caution that the deal may not be done yet, and we don't know where the just-announced Thread industry partnership would fit in with this. SmartThings' PR declined to comment on the rumor, but we'll go ahead and pencil in "Galaxy Lightbulbs/Door Knobs/Thermostats" for Samsung's next big unveiling just in case.
SmartThings brings a truly connected home closer to reality
The connected home is an inevitable reality, but it's a market still in its infancy. SmartThings wants to be at the forefront of this expanding realm and today it's announcing a number of updates and initiatives that it thinks will give it an unquestionable lead. The first piece of the puzzle is an updated app with a streamlined UI that exposes more functions and simplifies the setup process. For the company the new apps is about trying to polish the rough edges further and remove the last few obstacles to adoption. It will also give more exposure to third-party developers by making Labs, which was debuted at CES, far more visible. The new app is available today on iOS, but Android users will sadly have to wait until early June to enjoy it. But this is just a small part of a much bigger effort that marks the official launch of the "SmartThings Platform."
Revolv Smart Home Hub and app eases home automation setup
As noted in my Macworld/iWorld 2014 talk on using Siri to control the "Internet of Things", there's one big problem in the home automation world right now -- too many standards! Now I know that sounds like a contradiction in terms, but there are a number of competing standards available: Z-Wave, Zigbee, Insteon, Sonos, Belkin WeMo and more. Several manufacturers are attempting to corral this stampeding herd of standards with smart hubs. We've already reviewed one here at TUAW (the US$99 SmartThings Hub) and now it's time to take a look at the $299 Revolv Smart Home Hub and the companion app that controls it. Over the past few years I've been building up my home automation world by purchasing bits and pieces as I've had a chance. As a result, I have a number of Belkin WeMo switches, wall switches, and motion sensors, some SmartThings sensors (moisture, motion), and some other Z-Wave devices that I've picked up along the way. In this review, I'll tell you about how the Revolv hub is set up, how it recognizes and controls the various devices, and how the free Revolv iPhone app works to tie all of your home automation devices together. Setup The Revolv Smart Home Hub is incredibly simple to install. You just plug in the included AC adapter and plug the other end into the red teardrop-shaped hub. There's no need to run an Ethernet cable to the Revolv hub, which is quite different from competing hubs. Instead, you launch the Revolv app and tap a button to begin the new hub setup. That basically requires you to identify the network that your iPhone and the Revolv hub will be on, and then enter the password for that network. Once that's done, you're asked to put the camera flash from your iPhone right over the top center of the hub, and the fireworks begin. What kind of fireworks? Well, all sorts of rapid-fire flashing takes place as your iPhone communicates to the hub via light. Wait a short while and then the hub is up and running. At that point, you can have it begin to search for connected devices on your network. This is where things got a little interesting. At this time, I have a number of devices on my home automation network, including some door/window switches, moisture sensors, and a number of Belkin WeMo devices. Well, the Revolv hub found a few (but not all) of the WeMo switches and a WeMo motion sensor, but couldn't find the other devices that communicate on the Z-Wave protocol. Revolv has a list of compatible devices online, and even has links to those products on Amazon. But if you have devices that just aren't compatible, your only choice is to let the company know through a "suggestion box" and then hope that others vote for that device to be added. In comparison with the SmartThings hub, the Revolv hub doesn't appear to me to have as much range or as much compatibility with a wide variety of sensors and switches. I initially started out with the Revolv hub in nearly the same spot as the SmartThings hub was during its testing, and it couldn't detect many of the devices that the SmartThings hub picked up immediately. Even moving the Revolv hub to other locations didn't seem to help. Actions Rather than use IFTTT to allow mashups in an almost-infinite variety, Revolv's app has the ability to create actions. One of my first tests was to do something that took me no time to accomplish with WeMo's own rules and that's to have a specific light in the house turned on when someone trips the sensor, then turn off the light after a certain amount of time has elapsed. When I tried using Revolv's actions to do this, I could get the light to turn on, but then it turned off immediately. As far as I could tell, there was no way to get that to turn off after a set period of time. What I finally ended up doing was something that's supposed to be resolved with a hub: using an app specific to the problem at hand, in this case the WeMo app. That's not to say that Revolv's actions and app aren't useful -- they just weren't in this particular case. Some of the other actions include having lights go on as you get near your home, as the hub determines its location during setup and the app uses iOS 7's Location Services to figure out where you are at any particular time. Along with location-driven actions, the Revolv app also provides actions based on the status of a device (on or off) and on time. Design Although the Revolv hub costs about three times the amount of the SmartThings hub, it looks cheaper. The red, plasticky exterior of the Revolv hub might be attractive to some home automation fans, but to me the sleek white exterior of the SmartThings hub is preferable and blends into a lot more homes. On the other hand, not having to plug in an Ethernet cable makes it possible to place the Revolv hub in a lot more locations. Conclusion The Revolv Smart Home Hub wins kudos from me for its simple setup process. However, the lack of breadth of sensors that can be controlled (moisture sensors, for example), the inability to create mashups with IFTTT, and the relatively high price are three sticking points for me. IFTTT integration vastly expands the abilities of the competing SmartThings hub, making it possible to do such bizarre things as receive a phone call from your house when a plumbing leak is detected or activate an alarm when severe weather is approaching. I won't count Revolv out of the picture yet -- the company says they still have three more radio standards to implement in the device, and it appears to be moving forward on adding support for new devices all the time. Rating: 2-1/2 stars out of 4 stars possible
My connected home turned me into a spy and an addict
Like any responsible New Yorker, I've entrusted a copy of my apartment keys to a close friend. This is done mostly to ensure that, should I die home alone, my body won't be left to rot undiscovered for days. It's also primarily done so that my mail is collected and my "children" (what you would call plants) are watered and sung to every other day when I'm travelling for work. And I travel often. My apartment is also wired to the gills with SmartThings. These little, white, swappable sensors monitor temperature, motion, moisture, power and presence, and relay that data to me via an app -- a crucial fact I'd neglected to tell my house-sitting friend many months ago. A small, yet ultimately fortunate, oversight that led me to uncover my house sitter's true comings and goings. Or, should I say, the lack thereof.
SmartThings shows off the ridiculous possibilities of its connected home system
Sure, we had to hop in a cab and take a rather expensive ride out into the boonies. But we had no option -- SmartThings had no official presence on the CES floor. Thankfully, the 45 minutes we spent in transit were not wasted. The company rented a rather opulent McMansion far from the strip and tricked it out with sensors, connected light bulbs, smart locks and cameras. It looked like the sort of place that was probably used as the set in a porn at some point, but on this day it was the location of a rather impressive connected home demo meant to showcase its new Labs program. SmartThings announced Labs during CES, which gives users early access to third party apps and devices. Philips Hue, Belkin WeMo, and Sonos are the first three partners to join, and many of the demos in the home revolved around those products. For example, they built a "wake up" routine triggered by a Jawbone Up24. When the wearable is taken out of sleep mode, it tells SmartThings to turn on the lights in the kitchen, start brewing a pot of coffee and fires up NPR news on a Sonos Play1. In other examples the Sonos was used as an alarm or virtual guard dogs. A more fun example had a motion sensor attached to a hammer inside a piano. When that particular key is hit, it tells a Sonos to playback a file, allowing founder and CEO Alex Hawkinson to mime his way through a rather challenging classical piece. Obviously, there isn't much practical purpose to rigging up your piano with sensors (at least not that we can think of) but it shows just how versatile the young ecosystem already is. We don't want to ruin all the surprises, so just check out the video after the break, in which Mr. Hawkinson gives you tour of SmarthThings' CES headquarters.
Smart Power Strip now works with SmartThings WiFi hub to keep your home always connected
If you couldn't tell by its name alone, the Smart Power Strip's a card-carrying member of the 'internet of things' or, for those of you without jargon translators, 'connected devices.' The current Kickstarter project (and recent Insert Coin semifinalist) is nearing the final throes of its funding goal and to sweeten the pot for potential backers, its creators have announced SmartThings compatibility. We know... that's a lot of 'smart' being thrown around. Allow us to explain. SmartThings is essentially a remote-controlled WiFi hub that monitors and governs all of the (wait for it) smart things, like the thermostat or lighting, around your house. The Smart Power Strip does just the same, granting users access to plugged in objects via a smartphone app. It's easy to see why the two would want to link up in an happily ever internetted world. But buyer beware: you'll have to specifically elect to receive a SmartThings compatible Smart Power Strip when you back the project, otherwise you're in for a plain 'ol intelligent power strip. How very common, we know.
SmartThings opens up its home automation platform to developers
To say SmartThings' Kickstarter campaign was a success is an understatement: the Internet of Things outfit, which offers a clever array of home automation sensors, routers and smartphone apps, raised more than $1.2 million (over four times the company's original goal), nabbed over 6,000 backers and quickly sold out of its first batch of kits. Naturally, the company isn't stopping there -- it's making good on its goal of providing an open-source platform for developers, as it announced the availability of its Developer and Inventor Toolkit. Now, interested parties can create and develop their own SmartThings, and can collaborate with like-minded folks to come up with even more ways to take advantage of the platform. Additionally, it supports several types of wireless standards, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee and Z-Wave, giving it interoperability with various home automation systems. As a refresher, SmartThings connects a large number of household items -- appliances, automatic door locks, thermostats, humidity sensors, presence sensors, power outlet switches, IR remotes, secret bookcase doors and plenty more -- to a central router which then can be controlled through a smartphone app. Thanks to the openness of the platform, the number of use-case scenarios is rather significant, which certainly makes it more appealing to users. If you're interested in learning how to get started, head below to the press release and go here to get the whole enchilada of information.
Insert Coin: SmartThings wants to connect your dog, mailbox and kitchen cabinets to the internet
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Sometimes you just can't remember if you turned off the toaster oven before leaving the house. Sitting at work, you might wonder, "is my house burning down?" or "should I go home and check?" You could run home, of course, or you could just link that croissant cooker up to the internet and switch it off from your phone. SmartThings promises to let you do just that, offering a system that connects everyday physical objects to a cloud-based control center. The project aims to provide users with a bevy of end-devices -- automatic door locks, thermostats, humidity sensors, presence sensors, power outlet switches and more -- that connect to a router-like SmartThings hub. From here the user can easily see and control these devices on the SmartThings mobile app. That alone would be pretty handy -- but the SmartThings team decided to take it a step further by building SmartApps, that is, applications for further customizing how SmartThings devices (and the user) interact with the every day objects they're attached to. The platform is going to remain open, too, allowing owners and developers to build custom applications to fit their needs. Better still, the project is on a tight time line, and aims to put its product in backer hands by December -- of course, it'll have to reach its $250,000 Kickstarter goal first. Check out the team's pitch after the break, or hit up the source link below for more details.
