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... ;)

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,

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,

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.

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,

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.

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,

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.

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.

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,

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.

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.

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 a

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,

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.

Samsung SmartThings Starter Kit - Reviews

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