SmartThings is Smart, Simple, and Popular with Konnected Users

There are tons of smart home platforms, some of which are more recognizable than others. SmartThings is an American home automation company founded in 2012 that, in just two years, got acquired by Samsung and became a worldwide smart home brand. It’s also the most popular home monitoring app amongst Konnected users, so let’s dive into it!

Welcome to SmartThings 

The beginning of almost anyone’s home automation journey calls for simple-yet-proven solutions - and SmartThings seems to be that perfect starting point. Their completely free app is available on iOS, Android, and even Windows (!) as of late. In addition to that, you can also log into the system on your computer via any internet browser. The sign-in process is simple and takes only a couple of minutes.

For those of you who are used to iOS devices (like iPhones or iPads) and are uncertain about working with a platform owned by Samsung, a company famous for Android phones and tablets - there’s nothing to worry about! The interface of SmartThings is clean, user-friendly, and even resembles Apple’s own Home app, making it an excellent experience for users across all operating systems.

There’s a valid reason for SmartThings’ popularity within the Konnected community - the built-in home monitoring. SmartThings Home Monitor is free and key for maximizing Konnected’s potential. We love how it compliments our mission of no required fees, which are unfortunately still popular in the world of home security. Konnected’s integration with SmartThings is a perfect gateway for you to redefine how you protect what matters most and what self-monitoring really means today.

One of the basic premises of a smart home is connecting all of your eligible devices and letting them communicate with each other, and SmartThings, like other smart home platforms, does just that. So what makes it stand out from the crowd? The app's parent company. Samsung's vast array of electronics & appliances (TVs, lightbulbs, robot vacuums, washers, and even smart fridges) works great with SmartThings!

Another notable feature of Samsung’s native app is the ease of building the “if x then y” automations and routines, a crucial option for everyone at the outset of their smart home exploration. A good example of “if x then y” automation is “if the motion is detected at night, then turn on the lights.” and many others available after introducing Konnected panels to your home, which we’ll get to in the next section of this article.

SmartThings & Konnected - a Great Match  

Easy integration process

Picture this - you've completed the installation of the physical Konnected alarm panel in your home, and now you're prepared to sync it via the Konnected app. You establish the internet network connection, identify the zones, and now... what? Well, the next step couldn’t be easier with SmartThings. Samsung’s platform is cloud-based, so it doesn’t require any additional hardware. That being said, it’s important to know that SmartThings Edge capability that enables local control is also coming soon to Konnected! On top of that, the Konnected app features a dedicated click-through that takes you straight to SmartThings.

 

If you don't have an account, that's when you'll create one and download the app; if you already do, even better! Once in SmartThings, look for a "+" icon in the top right corner and choose "device." After that, tap on the magnifier and search for Konnected. And just like that, you're ready to welcome your wired sensors to the twenty-first century by introducing them to the limitless possibilities of a smart home.

Free built-in home monitoring

It’s no secret that one of Konnected’s key missions is to allow millions of people around the world to opt for home monitoring that doesn’t require fees and offers fully remote access to your alarm system by making it smart. And as mentioned before, the idea behind SmartThings Home Monitor is very similar to ours.

The built-in monitoring is divided in three sections: 

• Security - monitor for intrusions; 

• Smoke - monitor for smoke and carbon monoxide;

• Leaks - monitor for water leaks.

Undoubtedly, the Security feature is the one our customers use the most. From there, you’re able to choose which sensors to use to monitor for intrusion while you’re away from home (“Armed away”) and while you’re at home (“Armed stay”). The difference between the two is that you probably wouldn’t want the motion sensors to be on while you’re at home, so you don’t trigger them, i.e., when getting a glass of water in the middle of the night. In contrast, when you’re away - those will be useful for additional protection. Nevertheless, if your motion sensors are in the rooms where they can stay on in both modes, so be it! It’s all up to you - that’s the beauty of self-monitoring. 

SmartThings Home Monitor supports all of the typical sensor types from your wired alarm system including door sensors, window sensors, and motion sensors, as well as your alarm system siren.

SmartThings also allows for a quick & easy setup of responses to an intrusion. Choose between many practical automations - from the basic push notifications & text messages through “lights on” when the alarm is triggered to a sound siren going off, and more! The way it all works is quite simple - all wired sensors become smart devices once attached to any Konnected alarm panels. 

Please note, that although Konnected alarm panels are not fire or life safety devices, we offer a connection with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for informational purposes only. You can learn more about how to link them to Konnected here. If you choose to do so, you can add them later in SmartThings under “Smoke”.

Automated Arming & Disarming

We've already covered the potential of SmartThings Home Monitoring, but one extra feature makes it even more worthwhile. Imagine if you never had to think again about arming or disarming your alarm system, and your smart home knows when your family is home or away. Yes, SmartThings can do that! 

SmartThings allows multiple household members to share access to the home with separate logins on their smartphones. Every household member’s smartphone can act as a "presence sensor", informing SmartThings when somebody is home.

Define your home’s location and geofence in your SmartThings location settings, then create an "Automation" to arm SmartThings Home Monitor when everybody in the household leaves and disarm it when somebody arrives home. How cool is that? 

Endless Lifestyle Automations

You already know how to set up your Konnected panel with SmartThings and how to use it for home monitoring, so now it’s time to get to the really fun part! 

Let’s start with the definitions of some important words used within the app and the smart home world in general: 

• automation - automatic control of electronic devices in your home;

• routine - makes your devices respond automatically to different circumstances;

• scene - links several devices together and controls them with a single tap or voice command.

All noted? Let’s continue! 

Making your alarm system smart means that all the wired sensors you have are no longer “just” security-oriented. Konnected allows you to use them for any of your lifestyle automations. Remember when we mentioned the “if x then y” earlier in this article? It relates exactly to that! 

Here are a couple of possible routines to put Konnected’s flexibility into perspective:

• If the front door is open after sunset, then turn on the hallway lights;

• If the windows are open and the rain is approaching, then alert residents; 

• If a member is at home, then turn off all the motion detectors. 
  
  

Apart from routines, SmartThings also lets users create scenes. A great example of a scene that involves Konnected is a “goodnight” scene that, once activated, will check if all of your windows and doors are closed, and if not, you’ll receive a notification about it. What’s great about scenes is that they don’t limit you to using only one smart device at a time. A scene can involve many of them that relate to a given scenario. 

Explore the “Automations” section of SmartThings to view the most common routines, build custom ones, and create scenes. We invite you to try them all! 

That’s a wrap! 

After reading this article, we hope you’re as excited as we are that Konnected alarm panels are one of the many great devices that operate with SmartThings. The potential, power, and functionality of combining both are endless. The numbers behind it confirm that. After all, SmartThings is still the number one smart home platform that our customers choose.

If you’re starting with the idea of a smart home or want a SmartThings alarm system, this is the app for you!

... and as you explore the possibilities of home automation, remember that our alarm panels work with multiple cloud and local solutions. With Konnected, you’re always free to shake things up!