Any cool projects with just the Starter Kit?

Wiki Projects & Stories
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Hey all!

I wondered if any of you have done anything cool & creative with just the SmartThings Starter Kit? I’m considering going and buying it for something to play around with this weekend.

Are there any other cheap devices I could get to go with it?

I aim to buy Hue, Nest + Sonos items but not until next month, as I’ve just paid a flat deposit.

Cheers :slightly_smiling:

Marty

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if you are wanting ot do cool stuff with ST dont get a nest. Look at Ecobee if you want some fun but if you want great integration with ST get either a CT100/Iris CT101 or the direct supported Honeywell.

Nest is flaky at best and not just ST they have had several cloud outages that have left people in the cold/heat

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I like the Nest because it never failed me (yeah, I am aware of the incident last year with Nest but I was not impacted). Also, the user interface is very nice. Smartthings is great but it is not reliable enough for me to trust it to fully control my thermostat.At this time thermostat control with Smartthing is a “nice to have” that I don’t rely on. I can set temperature and home/away through the Smartthings integration as well as read temperature and humidity.

Other devices to get: Lots of in-wall light switches to replace your existing ones. I recommend the GE z-wave switches but there are many other nice that work well, too based on your preference.

Cool first project suggestions with the starter kit:

  • The multipurpose sensor has acceleration capabilities built in. If you put it on the front door you can get a notification on your phone or turn the outlet on if someone knocks on the door (search forum for “door knocker”). You can also set up an alert if someone left the door open for X number of minutes (“notify me when” app)

Based on what you want the Sonos for, you may want to read this before buying. If you are only looking for text notifications, this is a much cheaper alternative…

1 Like
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This is so helpful, thanks mate!

Will definitely look into the cheaper speakers.