Tag: #SmartThings

SmartThings Revolutionizes Home Visualization with Introduction of Map View

At CES 2024, SmartThings is unveiling its highly anticipated Map View feature, designed to streamline home management by integrating actual floor plans into its interface. This first-of-its-kind innovation elevates smart home control by visually representing devices within the layout of a home – leading to easier and more convenient smart home management.

Today, the average U.S. home has 16 connected devices, and that number is increasing rapidly. As the number of connected devices people have in their home increases, so does the effort in managing them.

Map View simplifies device management across the smart home. It allows users to see their entire home at a glance, and all the devices in it, right where they are in the real world, whether via mobile or household device.

Users can choose to have the Map View feature activated on their TVs or mobiles, granting immediate access to important home status information. This includes real-time monitoring of cameras, temperature, remaining laundry time, and other essential data. It also provides energy usage data so users can manage their energy consumption from a birds eye view.

Previously, managing devices required navigating and scrolling to find individual devices. Now, users can easily generate a 3D map populated with all of their devices, reflecting their real positions within the home. Users can also customize by adding furniture, enabling easy device monitoring and control directly from the map interface.

Another exciting feature are the new AI characters that users can create in Map View. These characters can mimic the family members and even pets in the home, and provide an intuitive and fun way to monitor your smart living. For example, if your home is too warm, then your AI characters will appear to be sweating. Not only has Map View made managing your smart home easier, but also more delightful too!

Anyone can easily create a 3D layout of their home in Map View using AI technology. For homes with internet available floor plans, users can input their address to automatically create their layout. If they only have a physical copy or image of a floor plan, they can simply take a photo of it and SmartThings will automatically convert it to a 3D layout. Users can even sketch their floor plan in the app to generate the layout.  

Samsung’s LiDAR enabled devices, including the Jet Bot vacuum or the Ballie AI robot demonstrated at CES 2024, can be used to scan the home, generating a floor plan automatically, and in the case of Ballie, even placing devices in the right position. The Map View, created by mobile phone or tablet, can be used to check or control the status of each space and smart devices with a synchronized Map View across mobile phones, tablets, TVs and refrigerators – enabling easier, more convenient connectedness throughout your entire space and providing users with the same map view experience on all devices.

In 2024, Samsung’s focus on SmartThings emphasizes a more immersive and user-centered experience, with easier, more intuitive features. With seamless integration of the SmartThings Hub into TVs and soundbars, it’s even easier for users to start and grow their smart home journey, with the need for a separate smart home hub eliminated. Map View makes the smart home even more friendly and more familiar, and is a great tool for both beginners and power users to manage their smart homes. We’re excited to see how users incorporate the feature to create easier, more connected living experiences. 

Learn more about Map View at partners.smartthings.com/map-view.

Homeowner Sustainability Gets Powered Up With Loop EV Chargers, Joining “Works With SmartThings” Ecosystem

With the rapid surge in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, we’re excited that Loop Global, a leading provider of EV chargers, is now available via the SmartThings app, allowing homeowners to seamlessly integrate Loop chargers within the SmartThings ecosystem.

With this integration, homeowners gain the ability to effortlessly control their Loop chargers, such as the EV-FlexTM, through the SmartThings app or voice commands. This empowers users to start/stop and monitor charge sessions, view their charging history, and track energy consumption. The result is a more comprehensive home energy profile that not only supports sustainable living but also provides valuable insights into energy usage patterns.

Loop stands out as the first EV charging company within the SmartThings network, reflecting both company’s commitments to quality, user satisfaction, and innovation.

Loop and SmartThings continue to lead the way in driving innovative, user-centric solutions for a more sustainable future. Thanks to SmartThings Energy, a comprehensive energy management solution within the SmartThings app, users can connect their EV chargers to make smarter energy decisions that could reduce their carbon footprint. 

At the same time, Loop is dedicated to providing homeowners with the most advanced and user-friendly charging solutions, furthering its vision of a superior charging experience for the sustainable future of transportation.

This partnership amplifies the accessibility and convenience of Loop chargers, while also highlighting SmartThings’ commitment to sustainable partnerships, setting new benchmarks in quality and user satisfaction.

For more about Loop Global and Works With SmartThings (WWST) certified products, please visit https://www.smartthings.com/supported-devices

For more information on Loop EV charging solutions please visit loopglobal.com

Developers Are Building the Next Era of Smart Homes and Buildings with new SmartThings APIs

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

SmartThings Energy: New Partnerships and Enhanced User Experience Features 

In today’s fast-paced world, where energy consumption is a pressing concern, we’re leading the charge in revolutionizing energy management—and are excited to introduce a range of new features for our SmartThings Energy service.

These enhancements are designed to give you greater control over your energy usage and redefine the way you interact with your smart home, all while ensuring convenience and efficiency. Read on to learn what’s new with SmartThings Energy.

Electricity Maps Partnership

We’ve teamed up with Electricity Maps, a renowned service that provides visual representations of electricity sources and associated carbon dioxide emissions. Through the integration of Electricity Maps within the SmartThings app, you can learn about your electricity’s origin and carbon footprint with ease, and use this data to make informed decisions about your energy usage. Start taking the next step towards more eco-conscious living.

Expansion of Supported Devices

In addition to supporting connected Samsung appliances, TVs, and third-party devices, SmartThings Energy is now also compatible with most smart plugs, thermostats, and lights. With this expansion, we’ve made it easy for users to connect a broader range of energy-consuming devices with their “Away” mode. Rest assured that your devices are automatically turned off when not in use, reducing unnecessary energy consumption.

Enhanced Automatic Demand Response (DR) Functionality

Our SmartThings Energy update comes with advanced automatic Demand Response (DR) features, allowing users enrolled in energy savings programs to manage their devices more intelligently. Before, users would receive notifications of a DR event and manually adjust their devices or set up automations. 

Now, with the latest update, you can set up your smart devices and SmartThings Energy will automatically adjust them, turning off lights or plugs, and activating more economical modes for thermostats or Samsung appliances that feature AI Energy Mode.

Partnership with Resideo to Unlock Energy Savings

If you live in California, you’re in luck. SmartThings Energy users in The Golden State can now enroll their homes with Resideo’s energy program to enjoy cash rewards. By participating in the program, you can receive up to $100 via gift card when you’re approved for the program. Energy costs are at their highest, however, our partnership with Resideo lets you earn rewards for reducing energy use when the grid needs it most, helping your community’s grid reliability.

Enhanced User Experience and Energy Savings

With a dedication to innovation and a greener future, we’re taking energy management to the next level. Our SmartThings Energy updates and partnerships were designed to give you greater flexibility and convenience when it comes to managing your smart home devices, ultimately leading to significant energy (and financial) savings. And this is just the beginning.

To unlock the full suite of energy management capabilities, activate SmartThings Energy in the SmartThings App, or visit https://www.smartthings.com/smartthings-energy to learn more.