Samsung's Entire 2016 Smart TV Lineup Will Support SmartThings IoT Platform
It's been a pretty big year for the Internet of Things (IoT) movement and it's posed to grow even bigger in 2016. With that in mind, Samsung has decided to make its entire 2016 lineup of smart TVs IoT ready with support for SmartThings, an open platform that allows users to connect and control smart devices.
All of Samsung's upcoming smart TVs will feature IoT hub technology, allowing the TVs to act as the sort of control center for the entire smart home. It's not a just a matter of mashing technologies together and hoping for cohesiveness, either -- Samsung developed its own IoT hub technology in collaboration with SmartThings for its 2016 smart TV roll out.
The upcoming TVs will be able to control Samsung devices and SmartThings sensors, along with hundreds of devices compatible with the SmartThings platform. It's a wide range of products that users can integrate -- lights, locks, thermostats, cameras, and the list goes on. The only caveat -- and it's a minor one -- is that full support for SmartThings compatible devices will require a SmartThings Extend USB adapter.
"With Samsung Smart TVs working with the SmartThings technology, we have an opportunity to reach millions of households," said Alex Hawkinson, CEO and Co-founder of SmartThings. "Applying this technology into current household devices is a major step forwards that will make it much easier for everyone to experience the benefits of a smart home."
It might seem unwieldy to use a TV as a control center for a smart home, though the SmartThings platform also allows access to devices from smartphones. Where the TV might come in handy is when viewing outdoor cameras. If something triggers a motion sensor, an alert can be configured to pop up directly on the screen.
All of Samsung's upcoming smart TVs will feature IoT hub technology, allowing the TVs to act as the sort of control center for the entire smart home. It's not a just a matter of mashing technologies together and hoping for cohesiveness, either -- Samsung developed its own IoT hub technology in collaboration with SmartThings for its 2016 smart TV roll out.
The upcoming TVs will be able to control Samsung devices and SmartThings sensors, along with hundreds of devices compatible with the SmartThings platform. It's a wide range of products that users can integrate -- lights, locks, thermostats, cameras, and the list goes on. The only caveat -- and it's a minor one -- is that full support for SmartThings compatible devices will require a SmartThings Extend USB adapter.
"With Samsung Smart TVs working with the SmartThings technology, we have an opportunity to reach millions of households," said Alex Hawkinson, CEO and Co-founder of SmartThings. "Applying this technology into current household devices is a major step forwards that will make it much easier for everyone to experience the benefits of a smart home."
It might seem unwieldy to use a TV as a control center for a smart home, though the SmartThings platform also allows access to devices from smartphones. Where the TV might come in handy is when viewing outdoor cameras. If something triggers a motion sensor, an alert can be configured to pop up directly on the screen.
