As Samsung pushes further into the smart home industry, it has announced all of its 2016 smart TVs will be compatible with the SmartThings platform. Furthermore, all SUHD TVs will be equipped with the SmartThings Hub, enabling them to act as a controller for the entire smart home.
SmartThings is the company’s smart home division — acquired in the middle of last year for $200 million — that acts as a single platform for a wide range of Samsung-branded and third-party smart home devices. The idea behind the platform is to allow different types of smart home devices to be controlled by a single app, rather than hassle with individually controlling each device with separate apps.
While all 2016 Samsung smart TVs will be able to be part of a Smart Things system, only SUHD TVs equipped with a hub will actually act as a control device. The hub itself is available for $99 on its own. .
There will be a SmartThings hub app on the supported TVs, letting you access all of the controls for each device in the house. Users will be able to stream footage from connected cameras, and unlock doors for visitors. Cinema Mood will also be available on Smart TVs, letting users set the tone for a film or TV series. The app is able to change the color of LED lights, close blinds, and set a smartphone to ‘do not disturb’ for the perfect experience.
Around 200 connected devices are supported by SmartThings, including devices from GE, Philips, Yale, and Sonos. That is a large quantity of devices, more than HomeKit and Works with Nest, which may be due to the fact that SmartThings maintains a more open platform.
The smart home battle should heat up next year, as more devices begin to tap into the Internet of Things. We are still waiting for Apple’s first product in this sector, which might further propel the craze for smart home appliances, similar to the surge in interest in contactless payments and wearables that arose after the launch of Apple Pay and the Apple Watch.
