The SmartThings Blog

A new option to share your smart life with family, friends, and guests by providing a QR Code Imagine sharing your smart home devices and routines with family, friends, and guests through a simple QR scan; and tailoring their experience based on their preferences. In the evolving landscape of smart home technology, convenience and personalization have become more important than ever. As reliance on smart devices grows, so does the need for seamless integration and effortless control. Today, SmartThings revealed a groundbreaking feature to transform how we interact with our connected environments. Introducing SmartThings Together, a new way to easily share your smart living through QR customization. The introduction of QR codes as a way to easily share access to devices within the SmartThings ecosystem marks a significant step in automating daily chores and at-home tasks. Issuing home control through QR codes offers a new level of flexibility, enabling each member of a household and any guests to control specific devices and create their own routines. SmartThings QR Codes are all about better connecting your devices and the people you love. This is another meaningful step in removing barriers to enter and expanding the access people have to smart home technology.  Tailored Control for Every Family Member The QR codes make it easy to add new family members or caregivers to your home interface, which will allow them to conveniently control relevant smart home devices for a pre-defined duration. This way, your guests can unlock the door, set the thermostat, and make themselves comfortable. Many homes have one person who is the “smart home” tech aficionado, and the rest of the family has to work around their knowledge and expertise. Now, through SmartThings Together, all users can manage the smart home based on their individual needs and preferences.  For example, parents or homeowners may use their smart home to monitor energy use, check that security features are engaged, or to make sure the coffee goes off at the right time in the morning. A child in that same household might only care about control over the entertainment features - this can be granted by the parent through a QR code, allowing their child to record a TV program or play music through a shared speaker.  Simplified and Secure Guest Access and Management SmartThings Together also allows you to securely share the devices and experiences you want, and control who has access to them and when. This makes it much easier to host guests whether you have a friend visiting, or someone staying at your vacation rental for the weekend. Instead of sharing complex access codes or walking guests through arduous setup processes, a quick QR Code scan grants temporary access and control over designated devices and routines. Whether it's adjusting room temperatures, controlling lighting, or accessing entertainment systems, guests can safely and easily navigate and enjoy the smart home experience without a hassle. Effortless Automation and Device Control With SmartThings Together, users can streamline automation and device configuration. Location owners can designate device lists shared to each member of the household. After scanning a QR code, each family member can trigger an allowed, shared routine among those shared devices. For instance, users may activate a "Goodnight" routine, adjusting lights, thermostats, and security settings according to individual preferences for room temperature, night-lighting, background noise, and more.  It also allows for enhanced security. Each QR code is available to one person only, meaning several people could not scan a QR code at the same time. Additionally, the QR codes are only available for five minutes before they regenerate, creating a reduced window of vulnerability.  Whether you’re creating individualized environments for family members, simplifying guest access, or streamlining automation, SmartThings Together makes sharing the smart home experience with everyone in your home easier and more secure. SmartThings’ QR code sharing will revolutionize how everyday people interact with their smart homes and the people around them, setting a new precedent for more intuitive and controlled homes. Read more about SmartThings products and services at partners.smartthings.com.

During CES 2024, SmartThings unveiled innovative features aimed at creating a more immersive TV experience, allowing for enhanced convenience without interrupting content viewing. The living room serves at the center of many households for families to come together, and SmartThings’ latest enhancements create a more connected living room experience, enabling users to effortlessly monitor and manage all of their smart devices conveniently from their TVs. Unlocking Greater Smart Home Control with TV as a Hub With the TV functioning as a SmartThings Hub, your television turns into a seamless control center for all your connected devices. Your TV can now effortlessly detect your smartphone, turning it into an instant remote, eliminating the hassle of searching for multiple controllers. The SmartThings TV Quick Panel is a non-intrusive interface for quick access to core functions via a remote control, bridging the gap between Samsung TV features and comprehensive connectivity, without compromising content viewing. The TV Quick Panel allows users to manage devices, view cameras, and even ring their phone to locate it within their home. Users will be empowered to oversee their entire smart home without diverting attention from their screens. For instance, as you approach your television, it intuitively turns on, presenting not only your home's entertainment, but also critical information about your devices and appliances. From your television, you can view your home’s camera feed, temperature, and remaining time in your laundry cycle, all at a single glance. Creating Next-Level Entertainment Experiences  Now, users can step into their living room and experience seamless connectivity with the cutting-edge Now+ display – automatically syncing with TVs to effortlessly guide users through switching music sources from their Buds to the TV, speaker, or Sound Bar. Moreover, Now+ offers a comprehensive summary of the home, including insights into security cameras and energy consumption. With TV Hue Sync, users can create an immersive viewing experience through the TV by syncing TV content and ambient lighting – bringing movies, TV shows, and games to life Picture yourself watching a thriller where the room comes alive with vibrant colors matching the on-screen animation, or relaxing at the end of your day in a space filled with calming hues. As technology continues to evolve, televisions will become more than a household device - they will serve as a gateway to more connected, immersive, and dynamic experiences for the whole family. From staying informed about your home’s status to enjoying more captivating movie and TV sessions, SmartThings is introducing users to a lifestyle where entertainment and home efficiency easily coexist.     Learn more at partners.smartthings.com.

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At SmartThings, we believe your smart home should work effortlessly for you. Our innovative "Hub Everywhere" strategy ensures Matter Controllers are more accessible than ever, making it easier for everyone to start and grow their smart home with SmartThings. We take immense pride in offering an extensive range of devices that seamlessly function as Matter Controllers, from our Samsung TVs and Family Hub Refrigerators to Smart Monitors, SmartThings Stations, and our original SmartThings Hubs. This year, we’ve added Samsung Soundbars and Harman speakers to the Hub Everywhere family. Greater Hub Versatility   Our Hub, available in various forms, operates on Hub-Core technology. It serves as the Matter Controller, an OTA-Provider, and the central hub for Edge Drivers that streamline the management of Matter devices. The "Hub Everywhere" approach allows users to incorporate multiple hubs into their home setup, enriching the overall smart home experience.  Creating a Multi-Hub Network  Starting with the SmartThings Station, users can now create a multi-hub network in their home, adding additional hubs to their primary one, which becomes part of the Thread mesh. Doing so allows Matter devices to connect to the most optimal or closest hub, extending the range and reliability of their network. This will allow users to put more devices in more places around their homes while experiencing the reliability and responsiveness of local connectivity.  Introducing Hub Replace  We’re also excited to announce one of our most requested and highly anticipated features, Hub Replace. With SmartThings Hub functionality built into more devices, users may want to upgrade their SmartThings setup to a new hub. Hub Replace enables users to transfer everything from their current hub to a new one while keeping their existing setup intact. With Hub Replace, all devices, the Hub's Matter fabric, Edge Drivers Data, Routines, and other Hub Settings, along with their Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Thread networks if supported by the receiving hub, will be seamlessly transferred and applied to the new hub with just a few quick taps.  With these innovations, SmartThings is simplifying hub upgrades and enabling users to seamlessly continue growing and evolving their smart homes. 

At SmartThings, we believe in living a connected, simple, and efficient life—and we're not alone. Just ask global soccer star Son Heung-min! From entertainment to exercise, Son uses SmartThings to simplify his daily routine and enjoy that much-needed "me-time"—all while saving energy. Check out how below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC2TKerVX34 Learn more at https://www.samsung.com/dothesmartthings/ or try it out for yourself on the SmartThings app. #DoTheSmartThings

We brought “Calm” to CES 2023, with an up-close look at how SmartThings can seamlessly integrate into your daily lives through our latest innovations. While many of our announcements stood out among exhibitors, the new SmartThings Station received the most buzz and excitement from both the media and industry. Want to know more? Read on for all of our highlights and stand-out announcements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwHVc9bzle0&t=2s Bringing Calm to Our Connected World We believe your smart home should work for you — and create a sustainable, safe, convenient (and even fun) living environment. While we have big dreams for what a calm connected world looks like, we demonstrated it at CES through the onboarding experience. In 2023, when you buy a Samsung device, SmartThings will simply ask you if you want to add it to your connected home. Instead of several steps to onboard the device, you only need to answer yes or no, making it more convenient for you to experience connected, smart living. Hub Everywhere Furthering our mission for Hub Everywhere, we introduced two new Matter-capable hubs for 2023: our TVs and the new SmartThings Station, a compact, wireless charger that also doubles as a hub to connect your smart home devices and create routines. Ready for bed? Just program the Station to automatically turn off your lights and TV for a custom night routine. Sustainability Saving energy matters now more than ever, which is why we’re placing sustainability at the core of our user experience. At CES, we announced our initiatives for sustainable living and commitment to making Net Zero Homes a reality with SmartThings Energy — a tool that’ll give you real-time data on your energy, water, and natural gas usage to help you reduce your carbon footprint (and your monthly energy bill). Because of our sustainability efforts, our connected home experience is the first mass-market Smart Home Energy Management System (SHEMS) to earn Energy Star certification. SmartThings in the News With an emphasis on our innovative technology and smart home solution, we received many awards and accolades during CES 2023. One of the most notable is the “Best of CES” award from Engadget for our ability to control connected devices throughout the home seamlessly. We also earned the “CES Innovations” award from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) for making smart home technology more accessible and user-friendly. The accolades didn’t stop there. Cementing our status as the most versatile and comprehensive smart home solution on the market, we were featured across top-tier, tech and consumer media outlets including Bloomberg, The Verge, CNET, TechCrunch, Men’s Journal, and USA Today’s Reviewed. CES 2023 was a success, and we could not have done it without our partners, customers, and employees. Stay tuned for more updates on our latest products and innovations, as we further our commitment to creating one simple home system with a world of possibilities. 

This month marks the 10th anniversary of SmartThings as a company. Through our journey, we have laid the foundation for the next generation of the smart home, and we have made significant shifts all for the benefit of our users.  Since the early days, our goal of making a platform that every human being can use – and making every home a smart home – has remained the same. We’re driven by the idea of accelerating IoT adoption for everyone and helping consumers across the world realize the benefits of a seamless and simple connected life.  Looking Back the Progress We’ve Made  Years ago, the idea of a smart home was more of a novelty than a reality. In 2011, Alex Hawkinson developed the idea for SmartThings after his family's house in Colorado was extensively damaged from a power outage, causing tens of thousands in repairs. While the idea of a “smart home” was depicted in movies and TV shows, there was no real solution that could give consumers an accurate depiction of what was going on inside their home.  This was the basis of the company’s Kickstarter in 2012. The campaign received over $1.2 million from 5,700 backers, due to a simple idea: adding intelligence to everyday things would make life more awesome. The company was committed to changing the mindset about smart home technology, demonstrating that data about how people live and what they do have the power to solve everyday problems.  This caught on, and others began taking notice. In 2013, Wired highlighted SmartThings as a key leader in the emerging smart home automation space, and we launched our first line of commercial products at CES in 2014.  The opportunity to bring SmartThings’ vision to hundreds of millions of customers truly came to life when Samsung acquired SmartThings in August 2014 to accelerate its connected appliance strategy. With the backing of Samsung, making every home a smart home was no longer a pipe dream – it was only a matter of time.  Moving Toward Mass Smart Home Adoption  Driven by the goal of achieving mass smart home adoption through a unified and intelligent home experience, we innovated from a single line of commercial products into one of the largest integrated ecosystems.  Today, SmartThings works with hundreds of compatible devices, including lights, cameras, voice assistants, locks, thermostats and more, through partnerships with leading brands like Amazon, Honeywell, Arlo, and Google Home Assistant. The company has also brought the groundbreaking smart home interoperability standard, Matter, into the SmartThings ecosystem.  In just ten years, we have risen to become the most robust smart home IoT platform in the market. We are proud that SmartThings now has:     200+ global partners and the ability to integrate with thousands of devices 800+ talented employees across Samsung who are dedicated to SmartThings15 categories of supported devices, from voice assistants to window treatment and more9 add-on services in the SmartThings' app today, including Air Care, Clothing Care, Cooking, Energy, Home Care, Pet Care, Smart Lock Guest Access, Find, and Home Monitor 4.5 stars rating in the Google Play Store and a 4.3 rating in the iOS App Store  Looking back on all that we have accomplished, we’re grateful to our wonderful partners and developers. Good things happen when devices talk to one another, and without our strong partnerships, creating meaningful connecting living experiences would not be possible. As we continue the path toward mass smart home adoption, we’re focused on creating experiences with consumers at the center. While solutions like SmartThings enable a more connected living experience, consumers are at the heart of our business – the ones who bring smart homes to life by supporting all their big life moments. We’re excited about the future and the opportunity to make smart home living the norm for consumers in the next ten years and beyond.

Last year at our annual developer conference, we unveiled our new partnership solution designed to help builders, property management companies, and real estate developers create and manage connected living experience across properties and homes at scale, called ‘SmartThings Build.’ Through this solution, SmartThings has continued to work with companies around the world to integrate our technology directly into commercial and residential properties. We’re pleased to share our partnership with ABB, a leading building automation and control technology company in the world. ABB is shaping the future of electrification, delivering technology and digital solutions for customers across utilities, buildings, infrastructure, and mobility. From lighting products to HVAC, solar panels, smart meters, and EV charging stations, ABB has been at the center of innovation for more than 130 years. With ABB, SmartThings technology will be integrated into both residential and commercial buildings to provide joint technologies for energy savings, energy management, and the smart connection of both residential and commercial buildings. Through an open, centralized system controlled by either SmartThings or the ABB-free@home® home automation solution from ABB’s Smart Buildings Division, users will be able to increase their savings with seamless energy consumption monitoring and automation. Residents and owners will be able to monitor and manage the full suite of appliances, gas and smoke sensors, and energy, security, and temperature settings all from anywhere in the world using a single application. For more information about ABB and its products and services, please visit www.abb.com.