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Currently the Samsung SmartThings Hub relies on executing many of its commands in the cloud. This means that at the time of this article, automations will not execute absent an internet connection. Even with an internet connection, carry out commands in the cloud sometimes results in latency issues. When this happens, smart home devices are slow to respond. However, Samsung is evolving its SmartThings platform with a new SmartThings Edge framework. This new framework will allow smart devices to work faster, more securely, and more reliably by taking the Internet out of the equation. SmartThings Edge is a new architecture development framework for developers of smart home products. It is being implemented to take advantage of the new edge computing movement. It will allow all automations to be executed locally, within the SmartThings Hub, rather than sending commands to the cloud. This will result in faster processing of commands for devices on your home network. This means that smart homes can function even when there’s no Internet connection available. Developers are beginning to create automations that will work on local networks only, or connect via local wireless communication protocols. When launched, SmartThings Edge will support ZigBee, Z-Wave, and LAN-based integrations. There are also plans to support Matter, previously known as Project CHIP. Matter is the name of a unifying connectivity standard that will be supported by a majority of smart home devices in the near future. According to the Matter website created by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, Matter is essentially a "seal of approval" that means smart devices work reliably together.

Some of you may have voice assistants in your home, either Amazon Echo or Google Nest devices. You may also have a number of smart bulbs and smart plugs. You likely have the ability to control these smart devices with a phone app. But, despite the ability to setup home automation schedules or use voice commands to control your smart devices, this system does not fulfill the definition of a true smart home. What you have is an ordinary home that contains some smart devices. So what is the difference between an ordinary home with smart devices and an extraordinary home that is genuinely smart? Today I’ll review the five main attributes that make a home genuinely smart. In the process, I will you show you some of my devices and automations that demonstrate these critical smart home traits. Let’s get started! The First Attribute: Seamless Automations Devoid of Human Intervention Let’s suppose for a moment that you have wireless switches or light bulbs that are compatible with your Amazon Echo or Google Nest device. The apps that connect to these smart devices provide you with some capability to setup various smart home routines. To automate your lamp you connect the power supply to a smart plug or you may add a wireless smart bulb to the lamp. You then create a routine in your app to instruct the smart plug or smart bulb to turn on after dark, let’s say at 5:00 pm and turn off at 10:00 pm prior to your bedtime. Cool right! ...perhaps not. The most glaring issue with this automation is the routine has the lamp remain on for five hours, burning needless energy, regardless of whether anyone is in the room. An additional problem can arise if someone enters a room, notices that the light is on while the room is vacant, and then decides to turn the lamp off via the manual switch. By physically disconnecting power to the lamp they have single handedly disabled your home automation. Your smart light automation will no longer execute during the intended schedule, nor will you be able to control the light with your voice assistant. Your smart lamp automation is flawed. It has been rendered useless with the turn of a switch. The first trait of a smart home is that its automations operate seamlessly without the home’s occupants opening a smart app or having knowledge of specific voice commands. Homes that are truly smart have automations that are managed and executed by an intelligent smart hub. They are equipped with smart sensors which help the smart home hub to discern various environmental factors. Examples of these factors include whether or not a room is occupied or has sufficient lighting. Many of today’s smart sensors have the ability to determine luminance levels, motion and presence. Other smart sensors, such a contact sensors, are used to determine the open or closed status of a window or a door. In a true smart home, a lighting automation is not accomplished by turning on a light according to a schedule, but by the smart hub’s evaluation of a combination of environmental factors conveyed by smart sensors. The hub therefore determines to turn on a smart plug or wall switch only when the room lacks sufficient light or when an occupant’s presence is detected. The smart hub also evaluates sensor data to determine when the room has been sufficiently vacant and it turns off the room lighting or adjusts the room’s temperature thereby avoiding the needless expenditure of electricity. Likewise, a closet light is only activated when the door’s contact sensor is open or when motion is detected. In other words, smart homes have smart hubs and smart sensors that evaluate environmental conditions and operate automatically to make cost saving energy decisions to efficiently manage the home without the need for occupant intervention. The Second Attribute: Smart Devices Can Be Controlled Manually A second trait of a genuine smart home platform is that its smart devices can be controlled manually without breaking the smart home automations. Smart home must be equipped with manual switches for guests who are not familiar with your automations. Manual switches are also important if particular automation fails. You cannot expect guests to know what commands to give to your echo voice assistant in order to turn on lights. People are accustomed to using physical switches to control lights. Furthermore, you do not want your automations to become disabled just because someone turns off one of your manual light switches. All of my smart home wall switches and dimmers have the ability to be controlled manually. If a switch is turned off manually, that status is noted by the smart hub. Then if a guest enters the room and decides that the level of light is insufficient, they have the ability control the switch manually. Homes that are truly smart are controlled by smart hubs that monitor the status of the home, to include the status of smart switches. If a smart wall switch is left on when a guest leaves a room, the room’s sensor can notify the hub of lack of human presence or motion so that hub can extinguish the light after a given time. The hub is then able to turn lights back on once motion or presence is again detected. A true smart home has smart devices can be controlled manually without breaking smart home automations. The Third Attribute: Automations Respond Seamlessly To Member Departure & Arrival One of the reasons I started my smart home journey was because there had been a couple of home related thefts in our community and I had the desire to enhance our home’s security. There is nothing quite like the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your home is actively monitored and protected while you are away. Monitoring automatically begins upon our departure using the SmartThings Home Monitor. During the Armed Away mode, the smart hub is capable of sending smart phone notification to all registered members when certain events occur, as when an exterior door is breached. Additionally, our Amazon Echo devices are activated start the echo guard feature upon our departure. Each echo device actively listens for alarms or breaking glass. Furthermore, our SmartThings camera, which has people detection capability, is also turned on ready to record and report any live activity. Finally, my exterior lights are automated to turn on when our absence extends past sunset. Thanks to home monitoring, if a water line ruptures in my laundry room or beneath one of my sinks I am immediately notified via my smart phone. We also receive a notice when a smoke or carbon monoxide detector detects a problem. If an intrusion occurs while we are away an alarm is sounded and notifications are sent to our smart phones. Our automations also provide elements of convenience. If we leave an exterior door open or agar the SmartThings Home Monitor will notify us of the door’s open status. If we forget to close the garage door, the hub will sense the open door following our departure and automatically close it and then send us a confirmation notice. If we leave interior lights on during a daytime departure they will be shut off. And if a smart door lock is unsecured, it will be locked automatically. When we return, the hub detects the presence of our smart devices. The home monitoring system is then automatically set to Disarm and the Echo guard mode is disabled. The SmartThings Cam is turned off as well. The garage door is automatically opened and if our arrival is after dark, the appropriate lighting is turned on to accommodate our arrival. The hub is also capable of identifying each specific member arrival and it can instruct our echo voice assistant to a give that member a personal greeting. A true smart home has the ability to seamlessly respond to each member’s departure and arrival. The Fourth Attribute: One Smart Hub, Many Devices, Single App Control Smart homes are equipped with a central brain, known as a smart hub, which seamless integrates a vast selection of smart home brands for easy control within a single application. All of the aforementioned automations are possible with the Samsung SmartThings Hub, which was formerly produced by Samsung and is now be manufactured by Aeotec. Aeotec also now produces and markets many of the devices that were previously made by Samsung. Aeotec also has a considerable number of additional devices and sensors all of which are native to the SmartThings environment. But device compatibility does is not exclusive to the Aeotec line of products. As reported by the SmartThings site, the Aeotec/SmartThings hubs are compatible with hundreds of brands, thousands of devices for one magical smart home. As a matter of fact, the SmartThings App provides a searchable database of devices wherein you can source devices by device brand or by device type. As you can see by this extensive device list provided on the SmartThings website there are many brands and devices. More devices brands are natively compatible with SmartThings then with any other platform. Although SmartThings compatibility vast, it is beginning to expand. SmartThings has already announced the implementation of the Matter standard. If you are unfamiliar with Matter, Matter is a new unifying standard that is being developed to help ensure all smart devices will work together seamlessly. Samsung Electronics originally announced the availability of Matter functionality back in October of 2022. SmartThings hubs received an over-the-air update to provide capability to control all Matter-compatible devices. As a result of this update, SmartThings users can now control their Matter devices from the SmartThings application, instead of relying on multiple apps from different device manufacturers. A true smart home has one smart hub which is capable of integrated control of countless smart devices. The Fifth Attribute: Local Control for Faster, Reliable and Secure Automations Smart homes must operate with minimal dependency on the internet, meaning that most automations are executed on the hub rather than in the cloud. With SmartThings migration to the new Lua based environment, it is now operating with local based Edge Drivers. This places the Samsung SmartThings smart home on equal footing with other popular home automation system. SmartThings is in the final stages of the evolutionary change to the Lua based platform. We are nearing the conclusion of the migration of all devices to the new Edge framework. This change has resulted in local automation and routines that work faster, more securely. This change coupled with the fact that the Aeotec/SmartThings ecosystem connects to and controls over 5,000 smart devices from over 230 brands suggests that SmartThings is a very solid platform and a formidable contender in the smart home space. Not to mention the fact that the learning curve for the SmartThings system is far less steep than some of its smart home contenders. The Samsung SmartThings home automation platform checks all the boxes for creating a genuine smart home. Its devices operate automatically without the need for human intervention. Its smart devices can be controlled manually without breaking established automations. Devices, routines and scenes respond seamlessly to each member’s departure and arrival. The hub integrates a vast selection of smart home brands for easy control within a single application and the hub is able to control devices locally and securely without reliance on the cloud. The SmartThings App is free and there are no annual costs or subscriptions. You merely need to purchase a hub, purchase some compatible smart home devices. Connect a compatible voice assistant and you are on your way to building your own true smart home. Let me know if I inspired you to begin your own smart home journey. I am always willing to respond to your comments and questions. Thanks for joining me today. And as always, keep automating and God Bless! Checkout my Amazon Store for the SmartThings Aeotec Smart Hub and SmartThings compatible devices:

Introduction : Transforming your house into a smart home allows for a seamless, connected living experience. With the right hub and devices, you can control and automate various aspects of your home, enhancing convenience, comfort, and energy efficiency. In this guide, we'll explore the step-by-step process of creating a smart home using either the SmartThings V2/V3 hubs or the Aeotec hub. By following these instructions, you'll be well on your way to enjoying the benefits of a smart, interconnected living space. Step 1: Determine Your Smart Home Requirements : Before diving into the setup process, it's essential to identify your smart home needs and goals. Consider the following: 1. Desired Devices: Make a list of the SmartThings compatible devices you want to incorporate into your smart home, such as smart lights , thermostats , door locks , presence and motion sensors , door and window sensors smart plugs , leak sensors , smart switches , temperature and humidity sensors, smart blinds and shades , cameras , and smoke alarms and sirens . 2. Compatibility: Ensure that the devices you choose are compatible with the hub you intend to use. Check the manufacturer's specifications and compatibility lists to ensure seamless integration. The Bud's Smart Home Amazon Store website includes compatibility information links on many of the products listed in the store. Step 2: Acquire the Required Equipment : Once you've determined your smart home needs and selected a hub, gather the necessary equipment: 1. SmartThings V2/V3 Hub or Aeotec Hub: Purchase the hub of your choice based on your requirements and compatibility. 2. Smart Devices: Acquire the desired smart devices compatible with your chosen hub. 3. Ethernet Cable: You'll need an Ethernet cable to connect the hub to your router (if applicable). 4. Power Adapters: Ensure you have the appropriate power adapters for your hub and smart devices. 5. Mobile Device: You'll need a smartphone or tablet running the corresponding app for your chosen hub. Step 3: Hub Setup : Follow these steps to set up your chosen hub: For SmartThings V2/V3 Hub: 1. Connect the hub to your router using the provided Ethernet cable. 2. Plug in the power adapter and connect it to the hub. 3. Wait for the hub to power on and establish a network connection (indicated by LED lights or instructions provided with the hub). 4. Download the SmartThings app from the App Store or Google Play Store and create a Samsung SmartThings account if you don't have one. 5. Open the app, sign in to your SmartThings account, and follow the on-screen instructions to add and configure your hub. For Aeotec Hub: 1. Connect the Aeotec hub to a power outlet using the provided power adapter. 2. Download the appropriate app for the Aeotec hub from the App Store or Google Play Store. 3. Open the app, sign in or create an account if needed, and follow the app's instructions to set up the Aeotec hub. Step 4: Adding Devices and Configuration: Once your hub is set up, it's time to add and configure your smart devices. The exact process may vary depending on the hub and devices used. Follow these general steps: 1. Open the corresponding app (SmartThings or Aeotec) on your mobile device. 2. In the app, navigate to the device pairing section or follow the provided instructions to add each device to your hub. 3. Follow the device-specific instructions to put the device in pairing mode, which usually involves pressing a button or following specific actions. 4. The app should detect the device, and you can proceed with the pairing process. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the setup. 5. Once paired, customize each device's settings within the app, such as assigning names, adjusting preferences, and creating automation rules. Step 5: Customize and Automate Your Smart Home : With your devices successfully added to the hub, take advantage of automation and customization features to personalize your smart home experience. Here's how: 1. Explore the app's automation section to create routines, scenes, or schedules for your devices. For example, set up a routine that turns off all lights and adjusts the thermostat when you leave home. 2. Experiment with different automation rules to enhance energy efficiency, security, and convenience. For instance, create a rule that turns on specific lights when motion is detected. 3. Adjust device settings, such as brightness or temperature, based on your preferences. 4. Take advantage of voice assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to control your smart devices using voice commands. Conclusion : Creating a smart home with the SmartThings V2/V3 hubs or the Aeotec hub is an exciting journey that brings convenience, energy efficiency, and enhanced control to your living space. By following the steps outlined in this guide and selecting compatible devices, you can successfully set up and customize your smart home experience. Embrace the future of living and enjoy the countless benefits of a connected, intelligent home.

This instructional video will show how easy it is to pair the Ring Contact Sensor (2nd Gen) to the new SmartThings App. The Ring Alarm Contact Sensor uses the Z-Wave protocol. The set-up requires that go into your SmartThings account to update the Device Type. To access your SmartThings account simply go to https://account.smartthings.com The Ring Contact Sensors are affordable, at under $17 each when you by them in the convenient six pack. They are also very attractive and responsive. This will be one of my go to door/window sensors!

Today I’m presenting the second generation Ring Alarm Motion Detector. This motion sensor's design allows you to easily mount it on flat surfaces or in the corner of a room. It is powered by two AA batteries. It is reported to be capable of ignoring pets, if the device is set to lowest sensitivity settings and is mounted at least 7 ½ feet. Unfortunately, the sensitivity settings are not an accessible option when the device is installed in the SmartThings App. However, the SmartThings App does provide the ability to monitor Motion, Taper Alerts and Battery status. The device has an impressive line of sight of up to 250-foot. You can also adjust the device’s Re-trigger Interval in the device settings. This sensor is designed for indoor use at operational temperatures between 32° and120°F. It is equipped with Z-Wave S2 connectivity which provides enhanced security to all of the nodes to which it is connected, thus making it a powerful protection system for all connected Z-Wave smart devices. Ring advertises their device as compact . I would disagree with this characterization. Placing it side-by-side with the SmartThings Motion Sensor you can see that it is a bit more substantial. However, it is attractive in appearance and if your goal is to make intruders aware that they are being monitored, this will definitely do the job. Watch the following video to see how simple it is to get the Ring Alarm Motion Detector setup in SmartThings. How about Ring’s price point? As of the making this video the Ring motion detector is $10 dollars less than the original SmartThings motion detector, which is now made by Aeotec. Here are additional SmartThings compatible Motion Sensors and Window/Door Sensors that may be of interest. Well that is a rap for today’s episode. Until next time, keep automating and God Bless! NEXT ARTICLE - EDGE DRIVER LINKS AND INSTRUCTIONS!!

Today I am going to present information that I have been able to glean from my latest research about the progress of the conversion of SmartThings Drivers to SmartThings Edge architecture. I’ll provide you will a brief update about the SmartThings Edge Beta Program and the status of the Edge Driver Rollout. I will also talk about which drivers, AKA device handlers that are being converted and also comment about the device handlers may not be converted. I will show you how to check on the status of driver conversion, via a list on the GitHub website that displays converted device drivers as well as those drivers which are still a work in progress. I will also show you how to access a complete list of all current Edge Drivers and explain how to use the driver’s fingerprints to determine if the driver will work with your device. If you watch till the end of today’s episode you will get my recommendation about when to install SmartThings Edge Drivers. Should you install them now or should you wait?

I received a email from a SmartThings Staff Member announcing the end of the SmartThings Goovy IDE interface. The Groovy IDE will be terminated effective September 30, 2022.

Today's article will provide you with step-by-step instruction to customize your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefings. Also, I will show you a Alexa routine using the "Custom" function that will allow have Alexa greet you in with a random good morning greeting and then present any number of automated flash briefings in a specific order. The briefing is played in the morning, within a predefined time frame and it starts to play following on a predetermined device trigger. In my routine, the morning greeting and flash briefings are started when I close my bathroom door, anytime between 6:00 am and 6:35 am. You can edit your flash briefing and add more feeds using the Alexa app for android, iOS and Fire OS devices: How to Customize Alexa Flash Briefings To customize your flash briefings: Open the Alexa app and tap More > Settings . Scroll down to Alexa Preferences and select News , and then tap Flash Briefing . Tap Add Content . Scroll through the options, tap a feed you want to add, and then tap Enable to Use . You can also search for feeds and sort by relevance, customer rating, or date added. Tap Settings . Customize the feed's settings to your liking, then tap Manage Flash Briefings to return to the Alexa app settings. Your feeds will play in the order listed. Tap the toggle switch next to each feed to enable or disable it. To change the order of your feeds, tap Edit in the top-right corner. How to Add Alexa News Flash Briefings If you're only interested in news, you can add flash briefings from the Alexa skills menu: Open the Alexa app and tap More > Skills & Games . Tap the Categories tab, and then select News . You'll see a list of the top trending news skills. Tap See More to view all of the available options. Tap the news flash briefing you want to enable, and then tap Enable to Use . How to Change Your Weather Flash Briefing Alexa's weather reports are based on the address associated with your Echo device. To change your weather location settings: Open the Alexa app and tap Devices , then select Echo & Alexa . Choose your Echo device. Tap Device Location to set the location for your smart speaker.

Meet Astro, the household robot for home monitoring, with Alexa. Amazon Astro uses advanced navigation technology to find its way around your home and go where you need it. When you're not using Astro, it will hang out close by at the ready. Remotely send Astro to check on specific rooms, people, or things. Plus, get alerts if Astro detects an unrecognized person or certain sounds when you're away. Astro can also follow you with entertainment or find you to deliver calls, messages, timers, alarms, or reminders. Unlock even more peace of mind Activate your 6-month free trial of Ring Protect Pro to schedule patrols while you're away, proactively investigate detected events, and automatically save video clips in Ring's cloud storage. The subscription also lets you save and share video clips and review up to 60 days of video history. Link your Amazon and Ring accounts and add Astro to the Ring app to activate your 6-month trial of the Ring Protect Pro subscription. If you are an existing Ring Protect subscriber, your subscription will continue unless canceled. Alexa Together subscription (coming soon) Remotely care for aging loved ones, giving you peace of mind while helping them live independently. Set up reminders, manage shopping lists, receive activity alerts, and more. Designed to protect your privacy Turn off mics, cameras, and motion with one press of a button and use the Astro app to set out of bounds zones to let Astro know where it's not allowed to go. Astro comes with a detachable cup holder and can carry other items (sold separately) like a Ziploc container, the OMRON blood pressure monitor, and a Furbo Dog Camera that tosses treats to your pet. Meet Astro! Available exclusively by invitation on Amazon! Price: $999.99 or 5 monthly payments of $200.00 ( Introductory price). After introductory period, price will be $1,449.99

Alexa can show you even more With a 15.6” Full HD (1080p) smart display and 5 MP camera, family organization and entertainment will look brilliant. You can choose portrait or landscape orientation. At-a-glance organization Use Alexa-powered widgets to keep the family on track with shared calendars, personal sticky notes, to-do lists, shopping lists, and assigned reminders. Alexa can help feed the fam Get daily recipe ideas, cook along hands-free with step-by-step instructions, add ingredients to your shopping cart, or simply order meal kits or takeout. Your smart home at your fingertips Add your most-used smart devices to the home screen for quick access, and see all compatible devices together on one dashboard. So much entertainment Catch up on your favorites with Prime Video, Netflix, and more. Or stream radio stations, podcasts, and audiobooks with Amazon Music, Spotify, and Audible. Your memories in full-screen With the Photo Frame feature, you can use your Echo Show 15 to display your albums from Amazon Photos or Facebook. Your day, your way Family members can create personal profiles and use visual ID and voice ID to see their specific appointments, reminders, recently played music, and more. Designed to protect your privacy Amazon is not in the business of selling your personal information to others. Built with multiple layers of privacy controls including a mic/camera off button and a built-in camera shutter. See it on Amazon! Echo Show 15 works in landscape and portrait orientation. You can mount it on a wall or display it on a compatible stand. Stands will be available when Echo Show 15 is released.

Today we’ll be installing the Ring Alarm Outdoor Contact Sensor in my mailbox so that I can get universal announcements on my Amazon Echo devices anytime the mail is delivered. Demonstrating the Alexa Routine Let’s begin with a brief demonstration of what this routine does. Every time the door on my mailbox is opened, I get the following announcement on all six of my echo devices. Installing the Sensor The Ring Contact Sensor is provided with mounting plates. These mounting plates are supplied with double stick tape adhesive strips. Therefore, mounting the sensor in our mailbox is simple. Just peel and stick. I elected to use a couple of additional 3M Command Strips on the magnet side of the sensor which I attached to the mailbox door. This made the sensor more secure. Don't be too concerned if you cannot perfectly align the magnet side with the sensor. This sensor operates will with up to a one-inch gap between the magnet and sensor. Aeotec Range Extender 7 Before I show you how to write the Miss A routine, let me show you a device that you may use to extend the range of your z-wave signal. If you install your sensor too far from your SmartThings or Aeotec/SmartThings Hub, you may experience connectivity issues due to a weak z-wave signal. The z-wave signal can be easily extended up to 250 percent using the Aeotec Range Extender 7. When the testing the range extender, I found that I was able to extended the range of my signal outside the parameter of my home, from fourteen feet without the Aeotec range extender, to the distance of 29 feet with the extender. This added connectivity range provided me with the distance needed to reach the Ring Contact sensor in my mailbox. The Aeotec family of devices are specifically made for SmartThings so they are reliable and easy to add without the need for installing device handlers. The Aeotec sensor 7 is compatible with both z-wave and z-wave plus protocols and provides 50 percent faster z-wave communication. I'll leave a product link below. The Alexa Routine I’m now going to create a simple Miss A routine so that whenever mail is delivered, I will receive a universal announcement on all Echo devices. To do this, make sure your Miss A is a connected voice assistant in your SmartThings app. Open the Miss A app. click the dash lines on the bottom right corner. Click routines. Click the plus sign to add a routine. Enter a routine name "Mailbox”. Click next. Click when this happens. Choose smart home and you have to look for the mailbox sensor. Click 'Open' I want this routine to run anytime the gate opens, so I will leave this setting as is and click next. Next you must add an action. If you want some or all your echo devices to do the announcement, scroll down and choose messaging. Click send announcement and type in the statement that you want Miss A to announce. And when you click next. You will have an option to choose some or all devices to make the announcement. I trust you found today’s episode helpful. I appreciate your time and hopefully I made good use of it. Until my next episode, keep automating and God Bless. Aeotec Range Extender 7 Ring Alarm Outdoor Contact Sensor Ring Alarm Outdoor Contact Sensor (2 pack)

If your SmartThings App is unable to discover a new device, chances are that you need to exclude the device before attempting to pair it with your App. To exzlude a Z-Wave device in the SmartThings App: Open your SmartThings App and Tap on the "Devices" Tab at the bottom of your screen Tap on the Home Icon in the upper left of your screen Tap on " All devices " near the bottom of the dropdown list Find your SmartThings home Hub in the list of devices and tap on it. Tap on the elispsis (3 dots) in the upper right hand of your App's screen. Tap on " Z-Wave utilities " Then tap on " Z-Wave exclusion " Now follow the manufacture's instructions to delete the Z-Wave device from the current hub's network for from a previous hub's network. Once your device is confirmed as successfully excluded, then follow the manufacture's instructions to pair your new device with the SmartThings Hub.