The SmartThings Blog

Welcome to our latest installment of “Hello, Smart Home,” a video series where we head inside customers’ houses and apartments to see how they’re using SmartThings to secure their homes, gain peace of mind, and complement their preferences and patterns. (more…)

We’ve just released a new version of the SmartThings iOS app that’s available for free download in the iTunes store! In addition, we also recently released a new feature that's designed to improve the temperature readings for SmartSense Multi sensors. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s what: • iOS version 1.6.5 includes several minor UI enhancements and updates to improve the general stability and overall performance of the app • In addition, we've also updated and improved icon pickers to help people customize and identify their different connected devices We’ve also just released a new feature for both Android and iOS to help improve the quality of the readings on your SmartThings devices that record temperature (the new SmartSense Moisture, SmartSense Open/Closed, and SmartSense Motion sensors; and the SmartSense Multi sensor). Since some customers have reported that their sensors often record temperatures that are consistently a few degrees off from other thermometers, we’ve enabled a Temperature Calibration feature that allows you to select a consistent offset. As an example, if your Multi consistently reports a temperature that is 4 degrees warmer than nearby thermometers, you’d enter in “-4″ in this field. If it’s 3 degrees colder, you’d enter “3.” This way, your Multi will always report the correct temperature. 

SmartThings CEO Alex Hawkinson and Samsung Electronics' President and CEO, BK Yoon, outlined an ambitious vision of the future of smart homes at today's IFA 2014 event. Yoon expressed that someone's home is generally the center of their life, and as such, homes should be personalized to meet each individual's needs. He emphasized that a one-size-fits-all solution to delivering smart home technology would never work, and the home of the future should be one that's proactive, flexible, and responsive. After calling on the consumer electronics industry to agree on open industry standards so that the home of the future can meet the demands of people and adapt to their unique needs and lifestyles, Yoon invited Hawkinson on stage. (Hawkinson appears at 37:40) Hawkinson discussed how a busted water pipe caused more than $80,000 to his family's home inspired he and a small group of founders to create SmartThings a little more than two years ago. “It’s staggering that I knew what my friends were doing on Facebook but I didn't know what was even happening in my own home," he said. Hawkinson discussed how SmartThings' core vision has always been to be the easiest way for people to turn their home into a smart home, and that he believes that together with Samsung, SmartThings will be able to turn every home into a smart home. “We are thrilled to work together with Samsung,” he said. “With the scale of resources and support from Samsung, we’ll be able to expand our platform to even more partners and devices. We’ve come so far, in such a short time, and are really excited for what’s ahead.”

We’ve just released an updated version of the SmartThings Android app, and it’s now available for free download in the Google Play store. In addition to several minor UI enhancements and updates to improve stability and overall performance, we’ve also included a few new features. (more…)

On Sunday morning, many residents the San Francisco Bay Area awoke to the dramatic effects of a 6.0-magnitude earthquake. As we begin the cleanup process, a lot of our friends, colleagues, and customers in the affected region let us know of an interesting finding: their smart homes registered the earthquake's vibration at the exact minute that it shook. (more…)

Hello! We've got some good news for anyone looking to enhance their smart home: We've just updated a few items in the SmartThings Shop (and will soon on Amazon.com) to include several new and updated products and Kits. The new SmartThings devices have an improved industrial look and design, are ZigBee-based, and several come with mounting plates to offer customers more installation options. Here's a look at what's new: SmartSense Open/Closed sensor This small and versatile ZigBee device is $45 and can help secure your home, offer you peace of mind, and add convenience to your daily life by letting you know when doors, windows, drawers, or cabinets open and close. It can detect temperature and comes with both adhesive tape as well as a mounting plate and screws for easy installation. This device is different from the SmartSense Multi Sensor in that it does not contain an accelerometer. You Can:  Receive immediate alerts if windows, doors, or drawers open unexpectedly  Trigger lights to turn on or an alarm to sound if there’s unwanted or unexpected home entry or access to items  Monitor and secure dangerous, valuable, or off-limit areas inside your home  Trigger smart lights to automatically turn on when you open the front door, and off when you close it behind you  Monitor temperature in any room or area of your home in Fahrenheit or Celsius and receive alerts if there is extreme temperature  Trigger your smart thermostat, or an A/C unit or portable heater, to automatically adjust if temperatures fluctuate SmartSense Moisture sensor Our brand-new SmartSense Moisture sensor is $49 and is our first-ever ZigBee-based moisture sensor. In addition to letting you know as soon as water is detected in areas where it doesn’t belong, it can also measure temperature. You Can:  Get an immediate alert on your smartphone as soon as water is detected where it doesn't belong  Protect your home and belongings from water damage and flooding  Trigger a light or siren to immediately alert you if there's a leak SmartSense Motion sensor We've updated the SmartSense Motion sensor to include a few new features and lowered its price to $49. This newest version can detect temperature as well as movement, and comes with a mounting plate and screws for those who wish to attach it to a wall. It also includes a CR123 battery which allows for a longer battery life than our previous version–and if you do need to change the battery, you can do so without needing a screwdriver. You Can:  Trigger lights to automatically turn on when you enter a room  Receive an immediate alert if unexpected motion is detected while you’re away or asleep  Save energy by automatically turning off lights and electronics in areas that aren’t being used  Set up a flood light to turn on when your car enters the driveway  Automatically turn on a night-light when your child gets out of bed  Know the temperature in any area of your home in Celsius or Fahrenheit  Trigger your smart thermostat, A/C unit, or portable heater to automatically adjust when people come and go Smart Home Starter Kit We’re also introducing two new Starter Kits: Smart Home Starter Kit and Smarter Home Starter Kit. The Smart Home Starter Kit is priced at $199 and is the most affordable way to easily see what’s happening at home from wherever you are. The Smart Home Starter Kit allows you to secure your home, protect family and property; stay connected to loved ones by getting notifications when people, pets, and cars come and go; and create a safer, smarter home in the palm of your hand. This Kit contains a SmartThings Hub, the brand-new SmartSense Open/Closed sensor, a SmartSense Presence sensor, the brand-new SmartSense Motion sensor, and accompanying Ethernet cable, mounting plates, and batteries. You Can:  Secure your home for a fraction of the cost of a traditional home security system  Stay connected to family members by getting notifications when people, pets, and cars come and go  Get immediate alerts if doors or windows open unexpectedly  Secure dangerous, off-limit, or valuable areas of your home  Easily find where you left your keys in the house  Be notified if movement is detected at home while you’re away or asleep Smarter Home Starter Kit Our Smarter Smart Home Starter Kit contains two additional items–a Smart Power Outlet and a second SmartSense Open/Closed sensor–and is priced at $299. This Kit transforms your smartphone into a remote that allows you to both monitor and control what's happening at home by powering lights, locks, electronics, and more. This Kit contains a SmartThings Hub, two brand-new SmartSense Open/Closed sensors, a SmartSense Presence sensor, a SmartPower Outlet, the brand-new SmartSense Motion sensor, and accompanying Ethernet cable, mounting plates, and batteries. You can do everything that you can do with the Smart Home Starter Kit, as well as:  Control and automate lights, electronics, and small appliances from anywhere using your smartphone  Save energy by triggering lights and appliances to turn off when you leave  Be notified if movement is detected at home while you’re away or asleep  Trigger window A/C or space heaters to turn on when you leave work Turn on a light or stereo to turn on in response to motion at night In addition to the new and updated products listed above, all SmartThings Kits that contained the previous version of the SmartSense Motion sensor will now include the updated version. In addition, Kits containing the SmartSense Multi will now include the SmartSense Open/Closed sensor.

Providing security, convenience, and energy savings, the SmartSense Motion sensor is a triple-threat and a key part of any smart home. By placing these on shelves or mounting them to walls, SmartSense Motion sensors will let you know when movement is detected in a certain area of your home and can trigger different actions in response to that movement. (more…)

We're very excited to announce the newest additions to SmartThings Labs: the Netatmo Indoor and Outdoor Weather Stations. This latest SmartThings Labs integration represents the power of the open SmartThings Platform, and was created by a developer from the SmartThings community: Brian Steere. By combining the powers of SmartThings with Netatmo, your safer, smarter home can also be a healthier home. (more…)

Friends, Today is a big day for SmartThings. I’m excited to announce that SmartThings has been acquired by Samsung and will operate as an independent company within Samsung’s Open Innovation Center group. It has always been our goal to create a totally open smart home platform that brings together third-party developers, device makers, and consumers. We’re thrilled that Samsung fully supports this vision. We will continue to run SmartThings the way we always have: by embracing our community of customers, developers, and device makers and championing the creation of the leading open platform for the smart home. Our growing team will remain fully intact and will relocate to a new headquarters in Palo Alto, CA. In short: SmartThings will remain SmartThings. (more…)

Whether you're looking to create a smart home or enhance your existing smart home, it's important to understand the basics of wireless range and network repeaters. This guide, written by the SmartThings engineering team, is full of useful tips to help ensure that your smart home network is as reliable and powerful as possible. (more…)