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.

"Our family lives in a full house with a lot going on: There are two parents, two kids, one cat, and one dog. We have been using SmartThings for about a year now to help keep our girls safe and keep our family on track. (more…)

When Sid and Kokil first moved to their new neighborhood, they heard some strange noises from the surrounding hills late at night. They turned to SmartThings to help monitor and secure their home from unwanted visitors–including the wild coyotes in the area (eek!). (more…)

See how Rob and his family are using SmartThings to secure their home, save energy, and kick back after dark. (more…)

As Alison and her boyfriend Jeff have increased their living space, they've also enhanced their SmartThings setup. While they use SmartThings each day to secure their home and save them money on energy bills, the most memorable time they've relied on SmartThings has come on a night when they least expected to need it. (more…)

The team at Loom & Mill shows how they're using SmartThings to enhance their business' efficiency, security, safety, and fun. (more…)

Nicole writes in to describe how she and her husband use SmartThings to stay connected to their two children, secure their home from anywhere, keep an eye on their four-legged pets, and control and automate their lights. (more…)

Bryan purchased SmartThings to help automate his lights, save energy, and control the temperature in his home from anywhere. But over time, the greatest benefit of SmartThings has been one that he never expected: helping he and his busy wife with their two young children. (more…)

Today, we meet Dani and her husband, Josh–he's a software test engineer, she's a social media specialist who also runs a blog and an Etsy shop. When they aren't nerding out over the latest technology, they're probably playing with their wire-haired Jack Russell Terrier or training him to pick up their laundry. (more…)

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…)