Hi Guys just started playing with home automation and smart things. I have successfully managed to get the samsung devices and hive up and running using this community. What i am not clear on is the following - say i now want to integrate other devices - do i need to buy the relevant hubs? As an example - thinking of going Fibaro dimmers to control lights? so do i also need to purchase the hub or can smarting act as the hub?
Same question for Energenie MiHome - to use their devices - do i need to have their hubs? i am hoping that the answer is no- as going to need a large collection of hubs to integrate a full house
@noumanr
Most devices dont need an extra hub but some (like Philips Hue bulbs) appear to work better with the hub e.g. More features.
I have about 90 devices and only use a Hue hub and a Harmony hub. Everything else uses direct connection
I use the Harmony hub to control infra red devices like to TV, Sky box etc.
The best way to find out if a specific device is compatible with Smartthings either with or without a hub is to do a search of the forum for the make/model
If someone has connected it to smartthings they normally share the details and any device driver they have created. We are all very sharing!
Thanks guys - good news on the fibaro. Did do a search before posting but could find no clear answer.
Would be good if we can get a table of all the devices that work with Smarthings and what needs a gateway and what doesn’t would help many with buying decisions
As @Cobra mentioned, it just varies device by device. There are four types of integrations that are possible:
One) direct connection to the smartthings hub. This is limited to certified Z wave devices and zigbee devices that use the zigbee home automation profile (ZHA 1.2)
official LAN integration. This is only available for a few devices, such as the Phillips hue bridge, google home, and Amazon echo. It may require an additional device or it may not, it just depends on the specific model.
cloud to cloud connection. These devices need to have their own Internet connection, which is often through their own bridge device. For example, the official integration with Lutron Caseta devices requires that you have the Lutron SmartBridge.
integrations which would normally be cloud to cloud or LAN, but which you can set up using a local server such as a raspberry pi as a “man in the middle.” This requires some technical skill, so most SmartThings customers won’t do it, but some do.
Sometimes you will have a choice between methods for a specific device. For example, the only officially supported method for using Phillips hue bulbs is option two, using the Phillips hue bridge. But some community members do connect a Phillips hue bulb directly to the smartthings hub using method one. (There are some potential downsides to that, which is why it is not officially supported.)
in other cases, using option 4, a local server, can add functionality that you don’t get from one of the official integrations. For example, there is a community created server integration for Lutron Caseta which let you use a wider range of devices. But does require technical skill to set up.
Your specific questions
The Fibaro Z wave devices fall under option one, and can be directly connected to the smart things hub. You don’t need the Fibaro hub to use those.
The Energie Devices fall under option three, a cloud to cloud integration, so you will need their gateway to get to their devices.
As far as a table of everything, The problem is the openness of the SmartThings platform means that there are literally thousands of devices that can be made to work with it. There’s no one definitive list.
If only they worked Option 2 (local LAN), would allow operation with internet down…
But they don’t seem to be interested in developing/sharing local APIs
