SmartThings!! I absolutely love SmartThings. I was introduced to this about a year ago, and it has made my life so much easier. Remember The House of Tomorrow from the cartoons? Where they could open doors by pressing a button, or see and talk to their wives from the office? Well that was just a fantasy cartoon from the 70s right? Well now it’s here. Smartthings has kicked the door in on home automation.
Most people think a couple of things when you say home automation:
- I don’t have that kind of money
- I would not even know how to operate that stuff
Well to answer the first one. If you have an alarm system and pay the monthly service fee then you can afford a Smartthing home. The hub (brains) is only $99.00. From there you can pick and choose what you want to add to the system. If you want to add a light switch cool. What about a door sensor? No problem. The Smartthing starter kit is $149.00 This comes with the Hub, outlet socket, motion sensor, door sensor, and presence tag.
- The Hub runs the show
- The Outlet Socket allows you to plug in an existing lamp, coffeemaker or whatever you want to be able to turn off and on.
- The Motion Sensor lets you know if any motion is detected in a particular zone. It also acts as a temperature and humidity monitor.
- The Door Sensor lets you know if a door is opened, or when it was last opened and closed. It also has a temperature and humidity monitor built in.
- The Presence Sensor is a key fob you can attach to your kids’ backpack or dog, so you can know when they are in and outside of the house.
With just these 4 additional items, the configurations are endless. All you need is a wireless network.
And you can add devices as your needs grow.
As for question 2 well, there’s an app for that. The incredibly friendly user interface can be use from any smartphone. Smartthings supports Android and iOS.
I know I know.. But what about security? The encryption on the Hub is one of the highest standards around, so you can feel safe knowing the likelihood of someone breaking your encryption and turning off your lights is remote. Not saying it couldn’t happen, but hey.
Smartthings interfaces with tons of other items like: Sonos Speakers, DropCam cameras, thermostats like the Nest, and more are joining the list each day.
IF you are interested shoot me an email or leave a comment, and I will give you some ideas on how you can have the home of the future.
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