Australian backers

General Discussion
1

I wonder how many of us are out there?

is it realistic to expect our kits in Q3 of 2013?

2

I didn’t hear about it in time to back on kickstarter but have been in contact with the team and am keen to buy lots of things when they are ready for an Australian release.  I guess now that they are getting the kits out, that should provide for more resources to work on the various certification etc needed for the different international version.

Can’t wait to get smartthings and hopefully have it working with, LIFX, UBI, DoorBot, Lockitron, UBE.

3

Hey Aussies,

Though perhaps one day they will be fierce competitors with SmartThings, at the moment, I still think “the more, the merrier” and openness and connectivity is a good thing.

Along that line:  Consider the NinjaBlocks project, which I believe is based in your country (Australia):  http://ninjablocks.com/

I’ve just supported them, even though I’m a Yank and if you search the Forums, I’ve created another Topic to discuss further integration.

…Terry.

4

I’m over in Adelaide and am eagerly awaiting smart things. I have lots of lifx blubs backed through the kickstarter campaign and also backed doorbot on Christie street.

i have made a list of things in my house I await to automate like roller shutters and blinds etc but I’m going to wait untill I get the hub before going crazy on ordering Australian compatible devices and solutions.

5

Thanks for the heads up CosmicPuppy.

6

To Update Australian backers. We just finished initial prototype to submit for certification process. We should know more when we hear back from the ACMA.

1 Like
7

Thanks for the update Andrew.

Just looking for guesstimates here, but do you have any idea on how long it is likely to take for the certification process and hear back from the ACMA?

Then, if approval is given, how long after that is it likely to take before you are ready to ship?

Thanks again for the update.

8

Really depends. It’s hard thing to estimate. Odds are we have to make some tweaks to manufacturing and shipping. Also getting a solid date and approval for a government is hard :stuck_out_tongue: if everything goes well, I’d put my estimate at around 1-2 months. Leaning on the shorter end. We found the pairing the frequencies used in Australia and New Zealand no problem to deal with :). Just a matter of certification and lots of paperwork! We will keep lots of updates coming!

9

Thanks for the estimate Andrew.  That type of delivery/availability time frame isn’t too bad at all (for me at least).  That probably will fit in with the timing for the other projects I am supporting (or plan to support).  LIFX, Ubi, Ube, Lockitron, DoorBot, PlantLink.  In the mean time I am enjoying reading the comments, updates, this blog etc getting ideas for how I can set my house up when it all arrives.

Keep up the good work and thanks for responding so quickly.

10

Are there any updates on when SmartThings might be available to ship to Australia?

11

Last I read, was that we should be getting “Select your Things” email and then after that we should receive our perks. Good thing is that Smart Things is paying for postage :slight_smile:

12

Very happy to have stumbled onto this thread… Uber keen to get the goods coming into Australia if there is an official way of doing it soon that would be great

13

smarthome.com.au is just so expensive for locks (448 usual price!) so it would be great to get international things available from smartthings including Schlage locks etc.

14

I think the problem is that ZWave frequencies for Australia are different to USA. So manufacturers can charge whatever they want for the devices. In fact the Australian frequency is also different to Europe.

I think for international roll out of SmartThings - ZWave was a bad choice. I believe ZigBee was a better alternative at least its backed by IEEE.

15

A lot of new devices (especially locks, for some reason…) on Kickstarter and elsewhere, are using Bluetooth or WiFi.

Currently, SmartHub has neither. But there are other ecosystems coming soon (WigWag, Ninja Sphere…).

16

I have lockitron coming, but to be honest I don’t like not having the option to enter a pin on it like you can do on the schlage lock (incase your phone is dead which happens a lot for me).

I mean other than integration with something like doorbot (which is cool for Lockitron) having lockitron has no other advantage really…

That’s why I was hoping Smartthings can go international on their locks and other thingsetc… which I believe is the plan but the timeframes are hurting the Aussie backers (I’m not a backer but pre ordered ages ago).

17

I note that it is now possible to order SmartThings hubs and devices on amazon.com and have them delivered to Australia at quite low shipping cost.

Has anyone given this a go?

regards
paddy

18

paddy123a,

I’m waiting for my Smartthings starter pack purchased from Amazon to arrive in the mail either today or tomorrow. I will let you know how I go with it.

I opted for the starter pack simply because I do not want to invest heavily without some extensive testing…

Regards,
Ed

19

Hey, I am from Singapore and have just received my starter kit from amazon as well! Setup was a breeze and now the kit is up and running ! (Except the smart power plug which is rated 110V. Singapore is 240V)

20

Hi All,

Any chance we can please hear back from those that have ordered off Amazon if they have a minute? How have you found it?

Has your cellphone interfered in any way with your sensors etc?

I only ask because US Z-Wave frequencies are 900Mhz and so are the core frequencies for mobiles in AU & NZ (as well as 850/1800/2100).

Really keen to get Smartthings but it’s more risky if it’s impacted/suppressed by the mobile networks.

Cheers!