The SmartThings Blog

Do you have cool ideas for SmartThings? Or perhaps you have a driver you’ve been working on that you want to share? We have an exciting challenge for you! The best part? The winners take home a Samsung 55” Frame TV!   We’re launching our first-ever SmartThings Innovation Challenge alongside the 10th Annual Samsung Developer Conference (SDC) taking place on Thursday, October 3, 2024, at the San Jose Convention Center.   Our ecosystem thrives on the brilliance of our developer community and this challenge is designed to push the boundaries of innovation. This is your chance to showcase your creativity and potentially shape the future of SmartThings.    Here’s how it works: there are two challenge themes and you can choose one of both to present your idea for a new SmartThings feature, enhancement, or driver. Once we’ve reviewed all submissions, we’ll invite the top 3 finalists from each theme to present their idea to a panel of judges at SDC24. The winners will be announced at the SDC24 after party.      Why Should You Participate in the SmartThings Innovation Challenge? Visibility: Gain visibility for your innovative ideas within Samsung, SmartThings, and our partner ecosystem  Community: Connect with fellow innovators  Support: Potentially secure resources to bring your ideas to life     Win A Samsung Frame TV! The first-place winner in each theme will be awarded a Samsung 55” Frame TV!  Additionally, winners will be celebrated at the SmartThings Partner Reception during SDC24.      SmartThings Innovation Challenge Themes Please review the following themes and directions below to participate.   Propose a new feature or ways to enrich an existing SmartThings feature → Share Your Idea Here  Develop a new driver that enhances user’s abilities and the overall SmartThings experience → Share Your Idea Here    Are you interested in submitting something but feel stuck on what we are looking for? We provided some examples of what a good submission could look like at the end of this post.       How to Participate in the SmartThings Innovation Challenge Submit the SmartThings Innovation Challenge form for your chosen theme by Friday, August 30. Attend the Pre-SDC24 Webinar on Thursday, September 12 to see if you’re a finalist.  Finalists will be invited to present their idea to a panel of judges at the Samsung Developer Conference on Thursday, October 3.   While it’s not mandatory, we strongly encourage you to attend the Pre-SDC24 Webinar. Additionally, all finalists must be onsite at SDC24 to present their idea. Don’t worry, our team will work closely with you to get you ready for your debut.    Send your questions about the SmartThings Innovation Challenge to marketing@smartthings.com.    We look forward to seeing your creative solutions and wish you luck in the challenge!  Challenge Examples Example 1 (after entering your name, company, job title, and email in the form)  Propose a new feature or enhancements to an existing SmartThings feature. A way to gamify SmartThings Map View.  This feature builds off of Map View, the way to visualize your home and all the devices in it. The idea for this enhancement to Map View is to gamify it to encourage more users to see the value in it.  The proposal is to allow users to get points for usage. SmartThings would then give encouraging feedback to SmartThings users for various actions taken, grant badges, and a leaderboard for the community.    What problem does your idea solve? This helps encourage adoption and usage of Map View which enables smart home users to easily see their devices and manage them, and provides a visual overview of their home and devices.  It continues to enhance the SmartThings experience.   Who is the target audience? Users who want to view a map of the devices within their home Prospective smart home users who may not know how to get started.  How does your idea make smart homes more accessible? By increasing usage of Map View through gamification, this ultimately makes it easier for current smart home users to see all of their smart devices at a glance. It also encourages them to purchase additional devices and see the opportunities in smart home living Gamifying Map View can make managing a smart home more enjoyable and appeals to users who are more visually inclined. What technical requirements would be needed to implement your idea? Some technical requirements include: The need for the SmartThings platform to recognize and assign events to user behavior like uploading a user’s floor plan, a hand-drawn sketch, and device usage data. Some kind of point system based on user behavior events An ability to assign badges when a SmartThings user reaches a certain point threshold A way for the SmartThings platform to compare points between users in the community The need for the SmartThings platform to know which room each device is in Ability to detect status of each device Ability to handle events from each device  Example 2 Note: This example is of an official SmartThings driver we have in our main driver channel.  This one exists already, but serves as an example of a driver submission.   (after entering your name, company, job title, and email in the form)  Introduce your new driver. This is a driver to connect Zigbee water leak sensors to the SmartThings platform.  This driver provides supported capabilities including a water sensor, temperature alarm, temperature measurement, and battery indicator.  Upon a water leak, the driver will trigger an alert.  It also reports the current temperature and can trigger an alarm on excessive heat or water freeze if the device supports it.  What problem does your driver solve? It expands the SmartThings ecosystem by connecting Zigbee water leak sensors across multiple brands. Who is the target audience? SmartThings users who want to detect water leaks with a Zigbee device.  How does your driver make smart homes more accessible? It adds an additional device category to smart homes and helps people who need the ability to monitor water leaks.   Share the channel to your driver.  Channel Link → (https://bestow-regional.api.smartthings.com/invite/eGM6w1AGNm2A) Github Repository → (https://github.com/SmartThingsCommunity/SmartThingsEdgeDrivers/tree/main/drivers/SmartThings/zigbee-water-leak-sensor)

Curious about all the ways you can integrate with SmartThings? Or looking to connect with other developers in the Samsung and SmartThings ecosystem? We can help with that! We are thrilled to announce the 10th Annual Samsung Developer Conference (SDC), taking place on Thursday, October 3, 2024, at the San Jose Convention Center. This year's conference promises to be an incredible event filled with SmartThings latest technology, networking, and learning opportunities. Join us, be inspired, and get excited—register here today!  What You Can Expect at SDC24 An exciting Keynote with announcements from Samsung & SmartThings Technical sessions diving deeper into main developer topics Interactive exhibits to try out new technology Networking opportunities with other developers and the SmartThings team Code Labs  …all across the platforms of SmartThings, Bixby, Knox, and Tizen.   Why should you attend SDC24? Learn How to Get the Most out of SmartThings Developer Center – We’ll announce the latest updates to our Developer Center and other areas of the SmartThings platform. Plus, dive deeper into developer topics at our informative tech sessions.  Engage in Powerful Networking – Connect with colleagues and industry leaders during meetups and networking events to foster collaboration.  Discover What’s Ahead – Indulge in a variety of impactful topics, including Samsung’s latest advancements in AI and cutting-edge technology. Delve into interactive exhibits and innovative keynotes that highlight the future of tech and how it shapes our world. Want to know more? Click here to view highlights from last year’s SDC.    Important Dates to Remember  Innovation Challenge Submissions Deadline: Friday, August 30 (More details to come on Thursday, August 9.) - Challenge 1 | Challenge 2 Pre-SDC24 Webinar: Thursday, September 12  Samsung Developer Conference 2024: Thursday, October 3 Registration is Now Open Lock in your spot for SDC24 by registering here! After registering, please remember to book a hotel room if needed. Stay tuned for more updates and announcements as we get closer to the event. We look forward to seeing you there! Have questions? We’ve got answers. Send your SDC24 inquiries to marketing@smartthings.com. 

At the 2023 Samsung Developer Conference, Samsung unveiled a suite of cutting-edge tools and features for SmartThings, Samsung’s global connected living platform. Designed to reimagine the experience for SmartThings Ecosystem Developers, these advancements not only create new opportunities for innovation and growth, but also seamlessly integrate Samsung's Technology experiences across its diverse portfolio of products. Building on the success of the 2022 Matter launch, SmartThings is poised to usher in a new era of possibilities as the market prepares to welcome millions of new smart home devices. As a pioneer in the smart home industry and one of the first to receive Matter certification, Samsung is proud to introduce a range of user-centric solutions designed to streamline device registration, expedite Works With SmartThings (WWST) Certification, and elevate the integration experience within the Samsung ecosystem. The enhancements will include an all-new Developer Center, a one-stop shop with resources and education for device integration. As part of this, Samsung is introducing a ‘No Code Wizard’ for Edge Drivers - including Matter devices - that helps match devices with the correct device UI in under 15 minutes, creating a more seamless process. Navigating the developer landscape is further simplified through the new Certification Console, which is tailored for Hub and Cloud-Connected devices. “Samsung has always valued input from its developer ecosystem and as a result, SmartThings has invested heavily in enhancements for device creators seeking Works with SmartThings Certification,” said Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President at Samsung Electronics and Head of SmartThings. "These innovative tools underscore our commitment to providing developers with a dynamic platform that encourages creativity, fosters business growth, and ultimately enhances user experiences.” In addition to technical and certification benefits, the Certification Console will allow device makers to easily submit product images, descriptions, information, and preferred retail links. These assets will both help users set up their devices in Quick Pair on Galaxy phones, and populate the device Catalog on both SmartThings.com and in the app, where consumers can seamlessly browse for and purchase certified devices. Additionally, developers can update retail links and access an analytics dashboard to gain insights into customer engagement. For more information on these dynamic developer tools, visit developer.smartthings.com.

At SDC2023, SmartThings announced three new APIs, empowering developers of all kinds to leverage SmartThings’ robust infrastructure as a platform for their innovative solutions. The SmartThings APIs serve as the foundation for building solutions that interact with SmartThings infrastructure effortlessly. Whether building an app, device, or platform, SmartThings APIs streamline the process, making building connected solutions more efficient and accessible. The new SmartThings APIs announced are: The SmartThings Home API  — With the Home API, developers’ apps can directly interface with devices connected to SmartThings hubs, letting you create applications that offer seamless device management whether users are local or remote.The Home API eliminates the demands of building and maintaining your own cloud or Matter Controller by using SmartThings’ hub and cloud infrastructure as your own. And you don’t have to make tradeoffs between efficiency and innovation. The Home API allows you to pass custom features to your app using "Manufacturer Specific Clusters". The SmartThings Context API — This powerful tool unlocks the benefit of SmartThings’ new Intelligence Platform, and an exciting new level of automations for users. Harnessing AI, sensing, and connected devices to infer context-like presence and frequent activities allows SmartThings to recommend new and helpful experiences that increase engagement with your devices.The Context API allows developers to receive inference results in real time, and use them to help their devices respond more intelligently. Intelligence Platform features and developer access is always subject to user consent, and developer terms and conditions. The SmartThings Enterprise API — The Enterprise API enables developers building solutions for multi-family, rental, and hospitality environments, to leverage SmartThings’ infrastructure and ecosystem, including Samsung appliances, to cost-effectively build and deploy scalable solutions. Enhancing SmartThings Build, the Enterprise API offers full programmatic access so you can build your own platform and app, without requiring individual SmartThings accounts. And your platform can be more flexible than ever, with role-based policies defining access from the device level up, allowing you to adapt to the needs of different customers. Location groups and large-scale access tokens further enhance scalability of your solutions and the businesses you support. The new SmartThings APIs represent a significant step forward in the smart home ecosystem. Developers of consumer smart home devices and apps, as well as smart building and MDU solutions providers, now have access to a robust infrastructure that simplifies development, enhances user and property manager experiences, and saves valuable resources. Whether looking to control devices locally or remotely, leverage AI to make your devices behave more intelligently, SmartThings enables you to build smarter, scalable products, while letting you invest more in doing what you do best — developing innovative solutions for smart homes. Developers interested in gaining early access to these new SmartThings APIs can contact partners@smartthings.com

Join us at #SmartThingsSDC: Everything you need to know about SmartThings at the Samsung Developer Conference — including a $100 discount on registration! (more…)

In what has to be one of the most creative explanations of the Internet of Things to date, Alpha-ville Studio has created this interactive project showcasing how the IoT will affect how we live, work, and interact with the environment around us. Check it out...

From smart switches to smart personal assistants, the software company Aria takes a look back at the first connected homes, and imagines how they might change in ten years. (more…)

At SmartThings, we're busy building a totally open platform that brings together consumers, device makers, and developers–and we'd like you to build it with us. (more…)

After delivering a speech at this year's Web Summit in Dublin, SmartThings CTO, Jeff Hagins, shows CNN how he's integrated more than 100 connected devices with his SmartThings Hub, and explains why he hates the term "Internet of Things."

Whether you're a developer, a total tech novice, or someone who's just curious about what this whole "connected living" concept is all about, you're going to want to be sure to check out this year's Samsung Developer Conference from November 11 to 13 in downtown San Francisco. Not only will this year's SDC feature more than 200 speakers and 108 workshops on everything ranging from wearables to the IoT to gaming and virtual reality, but it will also showcase a fully built glass-enclosed smart home that's powered by SmartThings. You can learn more about this year's SDC and register here. After registering, be sure to download the free Samsung Developer Conference app for iOS, which is chock-full of great info, including these highlights, featuring some speakers you may recognize: SmartThings Workshop: Extending the SmartThings Platform Led by SmartThings founder and VP of engineering, Scott Vlaminck; and senior software engineer, Matt Nohr Tuesday, November 11 (9 a.m. - 12 p.m.; 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.) Dig deeper into the SmartThings open platform by learning how to create new ways to use SmartThings ("SmartApps"). Introduction to the SmartThings Platform Led by SmartThings CTO, Jeff Hagins Thursday, November 13 (9 a.m. - 10 a.m.) Learn all about how SmartThings is propelling the Internet of Things by fostering a community of developers to build an open platform for the smart home, and beyond. Creating and Adding New Devices onto the SmartThings Platform A session led by SmartThings founder and VP of engineering, Scott Vlaminck Thursday, November 13 (1 p.m. - 2 p.m.) Learn how to add new device types to the SmartThings Platform, and what kinds of devices can be integrated with SmartThings. Smart Home of the Future: Dreaming of Tomorrow A panel featuring SmartThings' founder and SVP of product, James Stolp Thursday, November 13, 3 pm - 4 pm There is a lot of buzz about the Smart Home, but where is it going? Where will this technology lead us? Come and listen to a panel of speakers discuss where we will be in the not-too-distant future, where the smart home will begin to interact naturally with us. Introduction to SmartApps Led by SmartThings senior software engineer, Matt Nohr Thursday, November 13, 10 am - 11 am This session will be a look at what it takes to write code that runs inside SmartThings and what is possible and accessible for every SmartThings customer and partner. You will learn: What are SmartApps, how do we use them in the SmartThings platform and what can they do; Getting started creating SmartApps; example SmartApp code. And last but certainly not least, don't leave without checking out the SmartThings-powered Samsung Smart Home. Come by for a 15-minute demo to see how SmartThings and Samsung are propelling the smart home forward. Guided demos will be offered on a first come, first served basis. You can schedule your tour in the SDC app for one of these timeframes: • Tuesday, November 11 from noon - 4:30 p.m. (every 30 minutes) • Wednesday, November 12 from 11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (every 30 minutes) • Thursday, November 13 from 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (every 30 minutes)