Samsung SmartThings Hub

I could not add any of the following to my SmartThings Hub:
Aeotec MultiSensor 6
Aeotec Color Bulb
Fibaro Motion Sensor FGMS-001

None of these could be included into my home Z-Wave network even though some of these items are shown to be compatible with my hub. I wish there was a way to have it verified as I believe that old versions of the Hub used to support the Aeotec Color bulb.

Also, the Hub now sends me online and offline messages although my internet remains steady and online.

Seems nice at first but then after using it, I find that it is not very good.

A couple of weeks ago I became a product tester for The Insiders. I was chosen to test the Samsung SmartThings Starter Kit.

The Kit arrived about a week of being notified that I was selected via UPS. It couldn't be delivered to my home and had to be sent to a UPS Collection point. This, while secure, was a little inconvenient as I don't have any near where I live so had to take 4 buses to get to the collection point. Whether this was Samsung's doing or The Insiders I'm not sure.

When getting home I unpacked the product. The boxing was of excellent quality and really felt as if I had purchased a premium piece of equipment. It was very apple'esk. Sleek white box, with the product and its sensors nestled on top of the cables and manuals.

The product colour is a brush white, whilst this is great for the sensors (what with everything I'm attaching them to being white), all my other electronics are black, so the bright white hub sitting next to my black router and home server does stick out like a sore thumb! The choice of it being black or white would be great. Also, the supplied Ethernet cable is very very short. I had to place it next to my router rather then being able to place it away. The hub also doesn't have wifi built in. Whilst I understand that it needs a reliable constant connection to the internet... I've never known a wifi to be that unreliable these days.

Installation was pretty easy, with the entire process going through Samsungs SmartThings mobile app. Available both for Android and iOS. You pair the hub to the app, the hub downloads any firmware updates and take about 5 mins to set itself up. After this, you follow the instructions to pair all your sensors to the hub. For me this was a MultiSensor, Plug Socket, Presence Sensor and Motion Sensor. Everytime I paired a device I was asked to select a room it was placed in. Then I'd install the device.

This review is going to be very long if I describe all the actions, so I'll leave it to you to do - don't worry I found it very easy! But basically this is what I have set up:

Kitchen - Plug Socket controlling a floor lamp
Kitchen - Motion Sensor - this controls the lamp and also notifies me of motion if I'm away (the presence sensor detects if I'm away or not) It also tells me the temperature and turns a Philips hue bulb blue if its too cold.

Hallway - MultiSensor - detects if my apartments door is open or closed and alerts me if its open and i'm away. Also detects the temperature and again notifies me if its too cold.
Hallway - Philips Hue Bulb. Because the SmartThings Hub is open source, it can connect to many other smart devices. Good Z Wave devices and you'll see there is a wide range, many of these can connect to smartthings.

The app has allowed me to completely automate things. I knows when I leave the house and sets the alarm, it knows when i'm back and un-sets the alarm and turns lights on if its dark. It also knows when I get up and turns the lights on.

The possibilities are endless. You can make the bulb do certain things when something happens in the house. You can let the app notify you of problems. All sorts.

Overall, I give this a Very Good rating. You can't add users to the system yet. Short Ethernet cable. Maybe a bit too technical for some people. And not many sensors come with the starter pack. But the system is brilliant... And I can see a lot of potential. Plus it can integrate into many other brands smart devices!!

#ThinkSmartThings read more

I've owned the Samsung SmartThings Hub for roughly six months now. Not only is the software difficult to navigate, it fails regularly. At this point nothing is working, everything has failed apparently due to some software changes on Samsung's part. (I received an email from Samsung apologizing for the problems but offering no solutions.) I am unable to get the hub to recognize anything, I can't add anything, and I can't seem to remove anything which I thought might allow me to re-add and get things working again.

Support is only through email which is sporadic and unreliable at best. You're much better off to research your problems on the internet to find suggestions to fix your problems.

I would not buy this product again and I am considering replacing my entire setup with Insteon now that it is also compatible with the Amazon Echo. read more