The Samsung SmartThings Sensor is currently available on Amazon for about $40. That is a pretty decent price, but you might be wondering what you get for that price. Well, if you’re in the market for a product that helps you monitor your home, alerts you to activity, and connects to other smart products in your home, then this is a device worth learning more about.
Here is what you need to know about the Samsung SmartThings Sensor before you decide if you want to purchase it:
It’s Not a Stand-Alone Device
This might be the most important thing to know about this device. You aren’t going to be spending just the $40 it costs to get the sensor. You are also going to need to buy the Samsung SmartThings Hub so that you can control and get access to the sensor. Samsung wants you to make all your smart home devices Samsung devices, so it makes a hub that will control them all based on triggers and allow them to work together. If you have smart home devices from other brands, you’re going to have a harder time setting up IFTTT automation. The Samsung hub will operate with other brands’ devices, but in some cases you may have to use a third-party hub to connect your devices.
There is a Free App
This isn’t revolutionary – pretty much every smart device these days offers a free app so that users have a dashboard to access and control the device. This Samsung device, like most devices, offers an app for Apple and Android devices. The app is also the communication vehicle used for sending activity alerts. The app requires iOS (7.0 or later), Android (4.0 or later), and Windows Phone (8.1 or later).
For Advanced Technology, It’s Pretty Basic
This isn’t a device that requires a ton of smart home knowledge. It uses all the generally accepted forms of communication and set-up. It monitors basic motion, so it can alert you to unexpected movement, access to restricted areas (such as by children or pets), and turn lights on and off.
It Monitors Temperature
This is a cool feature of the sensor, because it can essentially alert you to other problems in your house. The most obvious would be that a window or door was broken, and cold or hot air drastically changed the temperature of your house; in this case you could be alerted to a possible burglary. But, it could also alert you if your air breaks down and the house gets really hot – this is an invaluable feature for those that have pets that are home all day.
It Comes Alone or in a Kit
You can purchase just the sensor, and you’ll get the device and a quick-start guide in the box. Also available is a Home Monitoring Kit from Samsung which includes a hub, two multipurpose sensors, one motion sensor, and one smart outlet, and runs about $250 per kit.
Photo by: Samsung
