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For Samsung SmartThings Hub (2016), 403 customer reviews collected from 2 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 3.4.

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29.12.2016

I've given this 4 stars rather than 5 because, although I love it, in many ways it's still a bundle of potentials rather than the fulfilment of them (which in truth applies to most home automation stuff).First of all, you wouldn't (shouldn't) even be looking at this kit unless you already have some home automation. You need to check carefully whther it works with your stuff out of the box. So, for example, it supports Hue lights - but not scenes, dimming etc. It doesn't work natively with Nest thermostats. It DOES work very well with the Amazon Echo, which is the killer device you'd really want to go with this kit if you don't have one - most especially if there are other family members.So the kit comes with the Hub itself, a movement sensor (which I've discovered actually also reads temperature), a door/window sensor, a smart plug (probably the most useful item in getting something done right away) and a presence tag (useful if there's a family member who doesn't have/want to use a smartphone. Or for being alerted if the dog got out of the garden....)So having sounded that warning, there's a massive ST community dedicated to making stuff work together. Lots of stuff. For instance, an entire (free) app to get Hue bulbs working fully. But you need to be willing to get your "hands dirty". This, it turns out once you start looking into it, isn't as complicated as it sounds. With no coding-type experience, or real desire to dig around the depths of the Hub when I started, I actually created a 'virtual device' to solve a problem within a few days of unpacking things.So another hub, then, which must be plugged into your router (powerline network is fine - probably essential if you're accumulating smart home hubs). In essence, the strength of SmartThings is the ability to set up "Routines" (triggered either automatically by sensors or by choice using the smartphone app or Amazon Echo). This allows you to pull things together to make several things happen with a single command. A very simple example might be a routine for bedtime which turns off lights downstairs, turns off plug sockets and turns on a landing light and a bedside light. An automatic routine my be a sensor turning a kitchen light on when you enter and the ambient light is low, and off again when you leave. Your imagination soon starts to work overtime (if it doesn't, you're probably better off waiting til the whole home automation thing is further advanced) as you think of things to try out and that you could maybe do.I thought I'd include a few tips that I have learned through experience.1. The first, and most vital, is don't go attaching sensors to walls with screws! You may get to this point when you're satisfied you've got things exactly as you want. My starting point was to use Blu-Tack, which made life much easier as I found out Plan A didn't quite work as expected, or I just came up with a better idea altogether. The sensors are extremely light, and Blu-Tack works fine. When I'm more confident I plan to move to sticky-backed Velcro. In truth, I doubt I'll ever screw anything down because home automation is a field moving fast and changing all the time.2. Sensors and pets. Arrghh! Especially cats, which operate in 3 dimensions. Like all inexpensive sensors, this is your biggest headache as a pet owner. I've solved it (using Blu-Tack again!) by masking the bottom of the sensor so it doesn't pick up anything at floor level to about chest height. If you have kids as well as pets, more thought will be needed, depending what you're wanting to use the sensor for.3. Best way to check whether the sensor is positioned right, is to have it do nothing except send a notification to your phone. Then you can monitor for a while whether it's triggering when you want it to, and not triggering when you don't. Then you can add an action when you're happy (eg turn on the light).4. Amazon Echo won't work with any security devices. Things have to happen from your phone. (This makes sense or a burglar could walk in and say "Alexa, turn off the alarm"!) If you're planning on integrating home security, what happens if your phone is out of battery etc? For me, this is an area to leave alone until automation products are much more advanced.5. Plugs (you may well want more than the one included) will only work with on/off things, not stuff that needs extra action, or selection (eg a lamp which turns on 'off' and is operated by touch). But great to not to have to crawl behind the sofa to turn Christmas tree lights on and off, or to start off the coffee maker from bed while you shower! :)I could probably go on, but this review is already an essay. :P If you want this kit, you already know you want it I suspect. But before you buy it, check how/whether smart home things you have already will work. If they don't, are you willing to browse forums and learn how to extend its capabilites (which is most times learning how to install the work of enthusiastic volunteers who've already created it)? It's Geek Heaven - but what about other family members? Yeah, buy the Amazon Echo as well if you haven't got one - the grumpiest spouse can usually be won around by the fact s/he can verbally speak what they want to happen. Otherwise there are the arguments (good ones in truth) "Why can't I just press the light switch?? It's MUCH easier!!" But then, they already know they hitched up with a geek... ;)
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22.12.2016

I initially wanted to give it to my geeky husband as his Christmas present but I just couldn't wait for him to see it, so we opened it a couple of weeks ago.The box is SO big and I didn't know quite what to expect, but once we opened it I understood why it was that size. The box opens up by the middle and you effectively end up with two boxes joined together. One side holds the SmartThings Hub and manuals, and the other side holds the rest of the bits (Motion Sensor, Multi-Sensor, Power Outlet and Presence Sensor) and it feels like such a treat to open up.While my husband plugged and set up the hub on our Amazon Dot, I placed the multi-sensor on the front door,plugged our Christmas tree to the Power Outlet and placed the motion sensor. We were ready to go in about 10 minutes! Impressive!Our favourite accessory is, by far, the Power Outlet. We had been using a cheap timer plug to make sure the Christmas tree would switch on and off on time, but it had stopped working properly a few days back so the SmartThings Power Outlet was ideal. Switching it on and off has barely any lag either using the app or via the Amazon Dot, which we thought is really impressive (And a little bit magical when you can say "Alexa, switch on the Christmas tree" and it just happens!)After playing with the app for a while we set up a couple of routines to manage when the tree comes on and goes off and it hasn't failed once. We are not sure what we are going to use it for after Christmas, but I'm sure it will come in handy and become essential.All the sensors come with batteries, all you need to do is remove a little plastic tab and put them in place.The sensor on the door is great! It sends a notification via the app when the door has been opened and closed which, at first, I wasn't finding particularly useful, but my husband works nights so now he gets a notification when I get home from dropping him off and the presence sensor on my car keys, lets him know I'm home.I also find myself using the motion sensor to see if he's awake during the day in case I need to call him or message him. It might seem a bit stalkerish, but it is so useful and I can avoid waking him up soon after he went to bed!We have been playing with IFTTT, creating recipes to make the most out of it and it is great to trigger other apps/products using our SmartThing. Really cool stuff!I cannot recommend this starter kit enough. It is great value and it includes anything you need to get started. It is so easy to set up and use that I'm sure even non-techy people would enjoy using it.
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21.1.2017

The box opens up like a book and in the left hand side you have the main smart hub, in the right side you have the smart plug, a motion sensor, a door and window senor and a keyring presence sensor.The hub needs to connect to your home internet router, cable length on both the power cable and the Ethernet network cable is around 1 metre, so you will need a spare power socket or power extension lead next to your router.Step 1 - To set up the smart hub, you simple plug it in to the power and connect one end of the network cable in to your home router, you usually have at least 4 spare ports on most home routers,the other end of the network cable plugs in to the network socket on your new smart hub.Step 2 – download the SmartThings App from the Android Play Store or Apple’s App Store. The App is free.Step 3 – Connect the App to the hub. Within the App, just follow the instructions on setting up a SmartThings account. You need your full name, your email address and password. Next the App asks you for Smart hub code, this is located on the back of the booklet that comes with the smart hub in the box. It’s a 6 digit code. Enter this within the app and you should get a successfully connected message.Step 4 – Now all you need to do is add your new smart devices. To connect the smart plug, press Add Device within the SmartThings App, plug in your SmartThings plug and press the connect button on the side of your SmartThings plug. The plug will appear within the app with an option to rename it. We are using our SmartThings plug to control our a lamp, so called it Lounge Lamp. You are now able to control the lamp turning off and on within the app or set routines and automation on the lamp.Step 5 – Connect the other 3 SmartThing devices. The other 3 SmartThing devices are all battery powered and all come with batteries, to add them you also click on the Add Device within the app but with these you just remove the small plastic tab that is sticking out to connect the batteries. The SmartThing sensors have the round disc shape CR2450 batteries. To open the devices up, push the small plastic tabs inwards and the come apart.Back Up Batteries. The SmartThings starter kit also comes with 4 x AA Alkaline Batteries which go in the Powered Smart Hub. These are back up batteries in case the hub loses power.The door and window sensor and the motion detection sensor both come with mounting screws or sticky pads to fix to walls, doors and windows.Love this starter kit and will definitely be adding to it. Setting up is a breeze.
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10.2.2017

This is one of those things that now that I have it, I have no idea how I was living without it.I received this for a gift on Christmas from a friend, and at the time disliked the idea (although grateful for the present!). I've always been wary of home technology but I'm glad I gave this a go. It's surprisingly inconspicuous and blends in quite nicely.It all works through the main Hub which needs to be plugged into the router, it sort of just looks like a small extra router itself. I've included some images so you can see inside the box and get an idea of the size. It was very easy to set up and the instructions were clear, the biggest problem was deciding where to put each sensor.Despite being wary of home tech I do like automating as much as possible to give me more time for other more important things in my life, and I'm a regular user of IFTTT as a result. Essentially this kit does exactly that but for you home, and the more you work with it the more it works with you.For example: Now when I leave the house the location on my phone tells the hub that I have left the premises which switches the light off and activates the motion sensor on the door. If my girlfriend returns home before me then the sensor will switch the light back on (which just means no fumbling in the dark with hands full). What's more (and my favorite part), when my alarm goes off in the morning my phone sends a signal to the smartplug which turns the coffee machine on. So not only do I have more of an incentive to get up and not snooze my alarm, when I do I have a coffee ready for me in the kitchen (providing I have remembered to leave a mug underneath the night before, won't be making that mistake again!).All in all it has made my life easier and I will definitely be slowly expanding the collection, one of the drawbacks of the starter kit is that now I feel like I need more sensors.Initially i thought the price seemed a little steep, however it works incredibly well and most of the price is the main hub itself. Now that I have the hub I can expand the collection for little cost at my own pace.A positive experience that I thoroughly recommend for those thinking about introducing themselves to home technology.Positives: Inconspicuous and blends in well, makes life easier and house more secure, works consistently, ready made coffee in the morning!Negatives: Occasionally the motion sensor has misfired and given me a false alert, I feel like now I need more sensors to cover the other options in the house.
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7.1.2017

I'm by no means a tech expert but I've been exciting to get my hands on this kit for a while. My plan has always been to start automating my house, getting everything just how I like it when me and my family wake up in the morning and get home at night. Light bulbs, boiling the kettle, turning the heating up - everything's possible and this is honestly the start of something really exciting and i can't wait to start building it out.The product is neatly packaged in some beautiful packaging - everything laid out neatly with four main starter products and each with its own individual quick start guide. The home hub itself which although a bit bulky,is easily set up and allows the other parts of the system to connect with a large range that easily covers my 5 bed house. A compact motion sensor which enables some simple automation when someone enters a room. A multi-functionality sensor that i believe is primarily to be used to track a door / window and whether you've left it open, but it's really interesting use is temperature tracking which when linked up to the heating can be used to turn it on and off to keep the heating at a perfect level which in time could end up paying for itself. Finally the plug socket which can be used with any appliance to turn it on and off remotely. All really solidly built products with small circular batteries for easy replacement.Where this product really comes into its own is with the mobile app which is simply stunning. The level of customisation and functionality on this is really impressive with the ability to not only link up the products but your family also. Routines can be easily configured for when you wake up, when your child enters the house or if there are any potential issues - such as someone entering the house who isn't on the tracked system and potentially shouldn't be there. The kit is compatible with a wide range of brands covering so many different areas of your life with a list that is openly available to ensure you know exactly what is going to work and operate correctly.I've been a pleasure to set this up and my only fault is that i would have definitely liked to some more plugs included in the package for the price. Over time i'll be able to built up compatible products but for the moment i'm relying a lot on the wireless plug to give automation to some of my main utilities so I've had to purchase some more. However overall a really impressive product and i'm expecting this to be the start of some really great things
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23.12.2016

I've always wanted to have a smart home but I always assumed that you needed to have hundreds of pounds, along with a degree in electronics to be able to do it! But then I saw the Samsung SmartThings, and I thought for £200 it had to be worth a try. The other reviews were pretty good so I decided that even if it didn't work, it was worth seeing what having a smart home would be like.I love it. I just love it. When the box arrived I really loved the way that it was packaged, there's a cool strip that you get to tear off and it just kind of . . . opens up! Inside the box there's a hub that connects everything together wirelessly, a multi-sensor, a motion sensor, a presence sensor, and an power one.They are all easy to identify so you don't have to worry about using something incorrectly, and the instructions are really simple to follow. I decided to use the motion sensor on my front door as I always get a little nervous about leaving the flat during the day, and the presence sensor for our thermostat. The power thing is perfect for the light in our living room, and I've managed to set up the multi-sensor to turn on the bedroom light when we go in.I know that sounds like a lot, but it didn't take that long, and I didn't get frustrated - just once, when I couldn't work out how to connect one of them to the hub, but that ended up being my fault! The instructions were simple to follow, and within about an hour I had a fully functioning smart home. The app was easy to find and get synced up, and I've spent the last few weeks trying it out while at home and at work. I honestly don't know what we did before having this SmartThings set! It's so empowering to have complete control over your home, even if you're not there, and I'm thinking about getting a few more of the motion sensors and the power socket adaptor things. It would be great to be able to turn the TV on at will, or the kettle, or loads of things!I think these are compatible with pretty much everything, and everything is so easy to use, it's so impressive what they've managed to do with the technology. It wouldn't surprise me if this sort of thing started to become standard in every home, and that's definitely a step in the right direction. I've never used any other kind of smart home thing, but I can't imagine that anything is as good as this. I would definitely recommend this starter kit, it's got everything you need to try it out, and then
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24.3.2017

One of the coolest and engaging DYI kits I have! I am amazed of the broad range of possible uses for this little kit!The first thing to do is installing the Samsung SmartThings app on your device (it works with Adnroid, iOS and Windows mobile). It includes a very easy to follow step by step guide.The next step is to connect the Samsung SmartHub – this is the central hub for all the smart sensors included in the kit. You have to connect this to your WiFi router using the included ethernet cable. The app will try to discover the different sensors – but you can always do this at a later stage. You can add the sensors one by one,as you need to test/use those.The StarterKit includes 3 sensors and one power outlet and I will briefly explain what each does:- The SmartPower Outlet is probably the easiest to find uses for: you can turn it on and off from your phone, you can schedule it, or you can trigger it by other sensors.- SmartSense Multi can do several things: detect if a door/window is closed or open, detect vibrations and temperature. It has built-in acceleaccelerometer.- SmartSense Motion detects movement and temperature- SmartSense Presence sensor – SmartHub will detect if the sensor is in it’s proximity. Thus, you can receive messages if someone leaves/comes home. The sensors also beep so you can use it to locate keys/items.Another benefit is the Open Smart Home Platform: Because this is designed as an open platform, it will connect with lots of wi-fi enabled products like philips hue bulbs, lifx smart bulbs, wireless speakers, smart locks, door sensors, thermostats, smart TVs. Looking at the list above, there are countless possibilities.Another advantage of the open architecture is its extensible nature. The app will output event logs and you can see debug information from your hub online. If you are tech savvy, you can develop your own custom apps and integrations. There is a growing community where you can ask for help and find custom written apps.To conclude, Samsung SmartThings is bringing the Smart Home concept withing reach to budget-minded consumers. I would definitely recommend Samsung SmartThings for its reliability and wide usability.
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1.12.2017

It took me a long time to decide if I should finally plunge into the world of home automation and if Smartthings was the way to go but I finally decided I should and ordered my starter pack.The kit itself contains the main hub that you will need to connect to your wifi router and one of each of the official smartthings sensors. It's very unlikely that this will be enough and you will probably end up having / wanting to buy many more sensors as you begin to understand what smartthings can do for you and your house.Setting up Smartthings is a relatively straightforward process. Just follow the instructions to set up your hub, download the app on your phone and from there you can add all of the sensors.You can then begin playing around with all of the smartapps to set up rules to control the sensors and how they should behave in certain situations e.g. turn on the TV (plugged into the Smartthings socket) when motion is detected in the living room.Smartthings is an open source platform, which is both a good and bad thing. There are a wide variety of different sensors, switches, lights, speakers etc... from many different manufacturers that are compatible. Some of these are officially endorsed by Smartthings (look out for the 'Works with Smartthings' logo) and are easy to set up and get working. Alternatively, if your product is not officially supported, you will be reliant on the smartthings user community to have developed smartapps that you can freely use. Whilst the smartthings user community is very active and incredibly helpful and constantly working together to improve smartthings their work comes with no guarantees. If you are going to go down this route you will need to have a certain level of technical ability. Its not beyond most people, but there will be an element of learning involved. If that's not for you, stick with the Smartthings approved products and you should be just fine.In conclusion, Smartthings is a great home automation platform that lets you get as technical (or not) as you want. After a while you will be thinking of all sorts of different ways to utilise it to make your home smarter - it can become addictive!
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26.12.2016

Well, we got this a couple weeks ago and so far it's great!The kit was well packaged and is really easy to install. It comes with everything you need to get started and includes the main hub that you connect to your home network via a network cable (included) that you can then plug into any switch or router in your house. There isnt any real configuring to do and once the hub is connected, it connects to the internet automatically and you can then control everything using the app.Once the hub is connected, you can then fix all the other smart things around the house and connect them to the hub by pressing the pair button. This process is the same on all the different sensors as well.The device will then pair with the hub. Once paired, you can then add them to the app and control them with your phone! We ended up putting the motion sensor opposite the front door using the two sided tape that comes with the kit to fix it to the wall. We then repeated this process with magnetic sensors for the back door. The power adapter plugs straight into the mains and once paired to the hub, allows us to control all the power in the lounge remotely.We are both really impressed with everything in this kit and we ended up buying some additional sensors to put around the house. One for the sliding rear patio door and another power plug so we could turn on the upstairs light when we are away from the house for any period of time. We setup automatic schedules to power things on when the hub detects we have returned home and to turn things off automatically when we leave the house. It's really intelligent and intuitive.You can set up to receive security notifications via the app or by a text message if you want. We are going to buy a camera and few more bits to put around the house in the new year. This package is a great way to get started in making your home smarter, safer and more secure.Plus - it's always a good party trick to be able to control the lighting or whatever else you hook up with your phone! In short, we highly recommend it and knowing that the doors are now alarmed as well gives us great piece of mind.
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21.12.2016

Smart Homes have grown from their infancy in 2016, stepping for the first time more into the mainstream. With a wide range of products now available, ways to aggregate them and bring together the diverse range of functionality offered are becoming increasingly popular. Smart Things aims to do just that – being the link between your devices as well as adding additional items into the mix.Set up was relatively straightforward, you plug the hub into both the power socket and the router using the supplied cables, put the code from the documentation into the app then you’re away - so called “things” can start being added. Adding things allows you to do a number of things,the main one being ability to connect them together similar to what you get from IFTTT – for example alert me if the door is left open or turn the heating up if it’s cold in the other room and I see movement. There’s also a security and safety focus, so when it’s all packaged together it really is quite neat.The starter pack though doesn’t just have the hub, which let’s face it wouldn’t be the most useful thing all on it’s own. Also included are a number of small sensors, which probably represent the company’s smartphone sensors just packaged up separately. Installation is very easy for these too and being much smaller than I expected can go subtly in different places. The motion sensor also measures temperature as does the door sensor while the presence sensor easily fits on your keys to tell people who is home. This all collects in data which can be used to trigger lights or the included socket to turn on and off.Overall therefore, the system is quite neat – it’s well packaged with a good app and plenty of data to be collected. Though with just the package, it’s pretty useless – yes you’ll know things and what’s going on but there’s nothing beyond the socket that can be triggered as a result. If you’ve got some Hue light, a connected washing machine or a webcam therefore and are looking to expand the functionality then this is a good call but if it’s starting your Smart Home you’re after then this should be further down your list.
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24.2.2017

This was bought as my first experiment into smart home technology, and overall I am very impressed.On receiving the starter kit, the packaging and design looked great. And I loved the whole unboxing experience as the box folded in half to reveal the goodies inside. For me, the contents were perfect for wanting to learn and try out the different types of sensors etc, including all the wall fixings etc so there was no need to have to buy extra bits to install.The hub isn't the biggest in the world, but can't help feel that it is mostly air inside based on it's weight. I have no desire to have a white square box to sit in the living room, so would have preferred something smaller and more discreet.The starter kit includes the ethanet cable required to connect the hub to your broadband router. I currently have the hub plugged into the mains, but you can use the provided batteries to mount the hub away from a power source (but you will still need to be wired to the router).as for the other sensors, these were really easy to connect via the downloaded app. Each one takes just a minute or two to add to your ecosystem of products, so it was all up and running in less than 30mins.The one issue I have is that there are not really any instructions or examples of how to set up different scenarios using the 'If This Then That' method. The Quick Start guides only show you how to connect the device, not how to use it. When going through the app, there are a list of actions available for each product, whereby some are intuitive as to what that action does, where as others are not so obvious. And so when trying to set up certain scenarios (eg when me or my girlfriend arrive home, the plug turns on the lamp, but only want this to happen Monday to Friday), this takes a lot of playing around and practicing with it. Maybe others have gotten to grips with this straight away, or have previous experience/purchased smart home products before, but for a first-timer like me, I would have appreciated some help on this.Would recommend to anyone looking to branch into the world of home automation.
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3.1.2017

This set is great as part of a broader system; if you already have hue lights or Amazon echo this system will enhance your smart home system, without it the hub and sensors included can do little more than alert you of motion, temperature or a door opening or allow you to turn on the included power outlet remotely - with some limitations where this latter is included; I can't get it to work at any great distance from the hub.The good news about this system is that set up is easy and pretty seamless. When I did have issues support sent back a full and personalised reply in minutes. The app it comes with is quite intuitive and all the sensors work in my experience of using it for a while.All the sensors come with batteries installed and with a template if you wish to drill holes to fit them. You can also install with sticky pads, also included. I chose to do this for an easy life.So what, exactly can you use it for in reality? I've found the experience greatly enhanced by linking my account to my echo and hue lights, through the IFFT app. Currently I have my smart home system as powered through smart things to set various lights on when it senses I'm home with the presence sensor, turn everything off when I leave and I've used the plug to switch on non smart appliances with voice command. The motion sensor tells me the temperature of where it is placed and again can be linked to my nest thermostat, via IFFT to switch on the heating if it gets too cold. Security wise I could get an alert if the door where it is installed or to let me know if there is unexpected movement. There are multiple ways of using this - it's only as limited as your imagination and the smart devices you own.This does what it is billed to do - it's a way in to a smarter home. It's well made and supported. I'm only really disappointed with the plug which isn't as useful as I thought and has limited range away from the hub. I think this really could be the future as more products are added. I love being able to configure my lights through it. It's a good system.
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22.1.2017

I've found this very much a parsons egg of a system. It's extremely flexible, comprehensive and very powerful but on the other hand it's slightly frustrating to set up, not that reliable and the user experience isn't that great. From requiring a wired connection to the house router to the somewhat buggy app it's more of a battle to set things up than an easy journey.In the box you get the previously mentioned hub with back up batteries, power supply and ethernet cable to link to your home router. You also get four "things" which are the smart socket power outlet, the motion sensor, the smart sense "multi" which detects when a door or drawer is open or closed and the "presence" which is aslightly creepy "hi honey i'm home" smart sensor which you can discretely attach to things to tell you and the hub when something is home and trigger an action.This is very much a starter kit, you have a small collection of things to play with. You set up by installing the app first, then wire up and plug and enter the code (which is on the front of the document wallet) into the app. Once connected you can add things and start linking actions like "turn on socket A when someone enters the room" etc. It's fun but not that reliable. it's pseudo home automation because you can't guarantee it will work. Slightest whiff of something which isn't quite right and the system falls apart and needs to be reset. I await further updates to make this system more trustworthy but for the moment its a bit of a curio not a banker.Edit: After a several weeks of play i've come to the conclusion that I really like the system. The latest upgrade has really improved stability and the hub/motion sensor/smart plug is an excellent combo for my office at home. I don't' get much use from the door sensor or the "presence" sensor but the set up is excellent. My last remaining concern is the price. I'd buy a lot more of this set if it was cheaper, at over £40 for a smart plug it's too pricey to really roll out.
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22.12.2016

This is a great starter kit if you want to automate your home. It includes the Samsung hub which needs to be connected to your broadband router with the enclosed ethernet cable, as well as 4 smart devices to give you some idea about what the kit can be used for. There's a plug so you can turn any socket into a smart socket, a motion sensor (which can also monitor temperature), an open-close sensor (handy for checking whether the front door is open or if you've got people raiding the kitchen cupboards), and a presence sensor which I've attached to my keys because it makes a noise which helps me locate them when they are lost. Three of these four items require batteries,as does the hub (for back up purposes in case of power cuts) and these are included. The great thing about this kit is that it just worked straight out of the box. I soon had my hall lamp plugged in to the smart socket, and with the Smart Things app it was easy to control it or to create routines which would turn it on either trigged by the motion sensor, or the presence sensor. The app is very easy to use if you are at all familiar with a modern smart phone. It was also very easy to use Alexa for voice control of the system. You need to activate the SmartThings skill on your Alexa (via the website or app), log in to your SmartThings account, and then you are good to go. If I have a slight criticism, it's that the items feel a bit plasticky and I'm not sure how robust they will be. This comment applies particularly to the presence sensor which is on my keys. You also get a sense of a slightly cheap build quality when changing the batteries and I was concerned that the plastic might crack. However, that aside, this is a really nice entry into home automation via the internet. Set up was very easy, the app works well, and the integration with Alexa just works. I will be adding some more SmartThings to automate a few other parts of my home in due course.
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27.12.2016

I have had Hue lights for a few years now and have loved the automation available by setting up routines in the app or setting them to come on when I get home. A few months ago I added an Amazon Echo and they became voice controllable, which was really cool and saves me routing around for my phone whenever I need to adjust the lights. Now I have added this system into the chain.I plugged the hub into my router, downloaded the app and I was ready to go. A very simple setup procedure using the serial number written on the instructions paired the device with my house. A minute or so more and I had discovered my Hue lights through the app - the Hue hub and individual spotlights can be controlled independently.Then I moved across to the Alexa app and added the required skill for the SmartThings and I could then set up groups of items to voice control. It all took less than ten minutes.I like the functionality. Being able to group smart devices together is handy - you can have lights and sockets powering up together. I like the fact that by using the sensors you can create automatic rules such as, if it is below a certain temperature and I am home then switch on my electric blanket. I don't like the fact that it is another box plugged in to my router - I now have a real birds nest behind the TV! It would also have been nice to get more than a socket to automate with this kit - if I didn't already have the Hue set it would have been quite a disappointment to spend time setting this all up for a voice or motion controlled socket.The bottom line is that this was easy to set up, is flexible and very powerful. I am now saving up for a central heating controller that will Integrate, a lord more light bulbs and some more sockets. The only limit is your imagination!
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