How do I learn if an integration is local or not?

Devices & Integrations
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Hi! I’ve been using Smartthings to control my Philips hue stuff (and some other small devices) for the past few years. I’ve been using the cloud integration since I don’t have a ST/aeotec hub yet.

However, I’m moving to a new apartments soon and I’m looking to make it much smarter than my current one. I’m planning on getting the Aeotec hub (because I’m in Europe) but I can’t find out which integrations will be local and which will be cloud ones.

For instance, I know that I can configure the Philips hue integration to run locally (there are several threads on this topic). But I can’t find information about other stuff. I want to get smart blinds, and I can see that there are many supported “Window Treatment” brands and devices. But how do I know in advance if an integration is local or not?

I was specifically looking into Somfy and Ikea blinds, but they use their own hubs. If I get these hubs, will the ST hub talk to them over the LAN? Or will it also go through the cloud (like my current HUE integration). Is there database or some list where I can see which brands/devices work locally? Is it more likely that an integration that requires another proprietary hub is cloud to cloud or is it more likely to be local?

I’m also looking into getting the Samsung air purifiers, which connect to the WiFi network. Will I be able to control those locally, as long as they are on the same LAN as the hub? I can’t find any information about this from Samsung, which leads me to think that it’s a cloud integration as well

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Once we get through the current transition, all hub connected devices will use Edge Drivers and all will run local, including zwave, zigbee, and thread devices.

Some WiFi devices using the local LAN will be able to run local, like the Philips Hue bridge you mentioned, but you just have to research each individual one you are interested in, there’s no list or database that I am aware of with that information.

Anything that requires a proprietary cloud will not run local, because it Has to be able to talk to its own cloud.

Most matter-compatible devices should have the option to run local, but that integration path might have fewer features than a cloud to cloud path. Again, you will just have to research the individual models.

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Also, be aware that whether the device communicates with the hub locally or not, you always need an Internet connection in order to use the Smartthings app, even if your phone is on the same Wi-Fi network as your hub. You can see that in the schematic in my previous post. They didn’t have to design it that way, but they did.

Last time I looked, all Samsung smart appliances and smart televisions required an active connection to the SmartThings cloud as well. :thinking:

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Oh, so even with Matter/Thread, I won’t be able to control my stuff using Smartthings when there is no internet (like you can with Hue)? I hope there is a plan to fix this (even if it requires having a hub).

Also, how am I supposed to research this? Either Samsung or the manufacturer of the gadget will have to say “Yes, we support local LAN connection with Matter”? I haven’t seen anyone mention anything. I feel like most brands are focusing on the fact that they are compatible with Matter, but they don’t say much about how they are compatible with different systems

Also, the fact that I need internet for SmartThings to work, does it mean that I can only have my saved automations running locally without controlling anything live? Or will automations not work as well (they should work from what I’ve read and understood)

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I’m not 100% sure I understand what you’re asking. :thinking:

The smartthings app requires an active Internet connection to work.

Routines which are stored on your hub can run without an active Internet connection, but the question is what will trigger them? If it’s a physical action on another device, and that device also runs local, you should be fine.

For example, a thread motion sensor that triggers a zwave light switch to come on should work. But you would not be able to turn that same light on or off from the app without the Internet.

Anything based on presence changes will not work without an active Internet connection.

I believe some time-based routine triggers will work, but I’m not 100% sure of those details, they have changed a couple of times.

Right now, December 2022, you don’t use IKEA devices with their own hub. You connect them directly to a smartthings/Aeotec hub. That includes the shades.

Sometime in 2023 the plan is for IKEA to use matter to connect its hub to another platform. So at that point, you would probably have a choice, use the shades locally with a direct Zigbee connection to a smartthings/Aeotec hub, or connect the shades to their own hub, and then add the hub to your smartthings account and use matter to bring in the shades.

Using matter should still work locally, but we just don’t know for sure. It will depend on the smartthings implementation.

Smartthings is still largely a cloud-based architecture, even after the transition to edge drivers and the introduction of matter. The hub expects to connect to the cloud on a regular basis. Again, they didn’t have to do it that way, but they did. (Both Apple HomeKit and Ikea Dirigera, for example, only need the cloud for initial setup and voice control, their apps work fine without an active Internet connection after the initial setup.)

So, from the point of view of a device manufacturer, if their device is compatible with matter, it will run locally with any platform that supports that kind of local operation. They won’t be able to tell you anything specific to smartthings in that regard. You will just have to ask smartthings support or come to this forum to research further.

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There are many different kinds of automations that can run with smartthings.

Routines created in the Smartthings app will probably run locally. There are a few exceptions, like the ones that depend on presence.

Rules created using the smartthings API currently do not run locally, they run in the smartthings cloud. The intention is to move more of those to local operation in the future, but no specific timeline has been given.

Third-party smart apps using the REST API will not run locally. A good example is the third-party dashboard, SharpTools. It works with the new architecture, but it’s a cloud to cloud integration.

Some of the Samsung provided “services” also require the cloud, including smartthings energy and SmartThings Home Monitor.

So there’s no one answer for automations, because there are a lot of different kinds of automations. Some require a cloud connection and some don’t.

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