Today the next-generation of Samsung’s SmartThings home hub has gone on sale, and unlike a lot of products, it actually ships to Canada.
Last year SmartThings, a company focused on creating a hub to manage internet-connected home devices, was purchased by Samsung for an amount reportedly falling in the US$200-million range. A lengthy delay held back the release of SmartThings’ latest internet hub, but the product is finally available for purchase online.
This new version of Samsung’s router-like device improves a number of aspects of SmartThings previous home hub. For example, an internet-enabled cloud connection is no longer necessary for some devices to function with SmartThings’ Home Hub thanks to a more powerful processor. The device can also run for 10 hours on a built-in battery if its power cuts out.
The Home Hub’s improved hardware has also allowed Samsung to add a new “Smart Home Monitor” feature, giving users the ability to view a constant video live stream via compatible products, as well as launch pre-programmed events activated by SmartThings’ smoke detectors, as well as other devices.
Samsung’s open home smart platform is compatible with the company’s own products like the Smartcam HD Pro and the Samsung Radiant-360 R7 Speaker, but also smart device’s manufactured by Bose and ecobee — the Ecobee3 Thermostat and Bose SoundTouch 20 Series II Speaker, for example. For a full list of compatible devices, check out this list.
The smart home product sector continues to grow with many major tech companies adopting some form of the technology. Last year Google purchased Nest for US$3-billion, and Apple unveiled its plans for the connected home with HomeKit.
Along with the latest version of SmartThings, Samsung also recently showed off its new sleep tracker, SleepSense, and the company also pushed out a user-interface redesign to its Android app earlier today, making it significantly easier to access Home Hub’s controls from one location.
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