If your home has multiple Samsung devices, Smartthings can connect everything but the kitchen sink HEY BIXBY!

Samsung’s Smartthings doesn’t get the attention that the Amazon, Google and Apple ecosystems get, but it’s a very powerful and flexible platform. Although the number of available devices is smaller than you’ll find for Alexa or Google Home, there are still plenty of big brands here including Arlo, Bose, Sonos, Nest, Hue, Innr, Lifx, Belkin and Ring.

Smartthings is actually two entities: it’s a smart home platform, but it’s also Samsung’s label for its own compatible devices – so it’s baked into the company’s phones and laptops… and even some of its fridges.

HUB PARADISE

Smartthings is based around a hub, which also works with Zigbee and Z-wave so you can link up third-party devices such as Hue bulbs. The Smartthings phone app is available for both IOS and Android, and devices are controllable via Google Assistant and Alexa as well as Samsung’s own Bixby. That’s great for choice, but means you might wonder why you’d pick Smartthings over Amazon or Google’s systems, which include many more devices.

One reason is that Samsung’s Smartthings range includes some devices you might not find on other platforms, including Blu-ray players and household appliances.

YOU AUTO KNOW

The automation section of the Smartthings app is great, letting you create ‘if x then y’ actions such as activating an automation at a particular time of day when a person is in a particular place. And because it includes so many kinds of device, you can use it to set up all sorts of diverse functions – like alarms when a water leak sensor detects a problem or a motion sensor is triggered.

Smartthings isn’t the most widely supported platform, but it’s extremely polished and works really well – especially if you’ve got multiple Samsung devices.