Oh how I wish SmartThings was what it was before Samsung… I can no longer use devices that I once used and loved. I no longer can use code to control things like I could pre Samsung. I no longer can use my Samsung cameras with with Samsung hub, this was the last straw for me. I even replaced my hub with a new model to try to fix the issue. I contacted support and was basically told “too damn bad” sorry you have 5 Samsung Smartcams you can no longer use with a Samsung automation system. You should by another brand like Ring to use with Samsung hubs, WTF Samsung! We have a house full of Samsung devices and appliances and this has officially burnt me from buying ANYMORE! I am switching over to people with better customer care and support.
Well, that depends on what you mean. Chances are good Smartthings would have failed long ago if Samsung didn’t jump in. Even if other companies might have bought it, a lot of tech dudes would just take what they could intellectually and killed it off. As far as Samsung dropping the ball on development, well, maybe they just figure it’s a dead end, bad fit or have chosen a new path. I think Amazon was a wake-up slap that people want voice control. Not apps, not hubs. Voice with AI (of a sort) is the future as of now. Just my 0 cents.
Too soon to tell. It’s like seeing a house addition that has only been framed and calling it rubbish.
My 2 cents. I am still using the Classic App and everything that I am using (devices and automations) are still working as of today. As far as I am concerned all is well.
This… 
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While SmartThings certainly had many potential stories, the only survivable paths required acquisition.
Could there have been a better purchaser? Sure, but just as many worse ones:
- Google bought Revolv and killed it. After a $3.2 billion acquisition, Nest as a division was full of turmoil and now is rolled into Google Home.
- Home Depot considered purchasing, but the failure of Lowes Iris sure indicates that would have been a likely dead end.
- Best Buy considered purchasing SmartThings, but they subsequently failed to make any inroads with their exclusive deal selling the PEQ line (with a $10/month fee). Best Buy continues to teeter on the brink of failure, since physical tech retailers aren’t thriving.
- Ditto for Sears.
- Comcast acquired Stringify and surely is trying to expand Xfinity product line, but I doubt anyone here would love to deal with Comcast Customer Service?
- Amazon is doing great with Alexa, though it took them a while. Their acquisition of Ring shows they would have been a viable candidate to purchase SmartThings too. Amazon knows how to court developers (Alexa Skills?), but has plenty of failed products (Amazon phone dead, and Appstore is insignificant…?).
- ADT is much smaller than most people realize. I doubt they would have wanted or been able to bring sufficient resources to the table.
- Microsoft…? Dunno. They might have gotten somewhere, actually.
I think Samsung continues to offer SmartThings tremendous potential to be the top platform in this category. They are like rich parents with bright children, but are unfortunately not necessarily the most skilled at parenting: both technically and in terms of “love”.
Bad parents certainly can ruin the future potential of their children.
I have been a loyal SmartThings user since 2013. I, along with many others, have Samsung Smartcams that were purchased to use with our SmartThings hub. I spent almost $1000 on these cameras less than two years ago. Many companies continue to support their products for years after they decide to stop selling them. A good example would be if you had a two year old iPhone that no longer could install apps from the iTunes Store or get updates because Apple is no longer producing that 2 year old model phone. We have become a society where we think it is acceptable for a manufacturer to not stand behind their product. We are supposed to throw it away and replace it with a new one even though the other was still functioning just not supported.
I too was burned by their cameras. I have 4 and they are as I type this boxed up after factory reset to go to Goodwill next week. I’ve been off ST since October. I went to Hubitat but got bored with it. Good platform though. I’m on Apple Homekit/Lutron/Hue/MyQ now. Happy as a clam. Between my Apple Watch, Homepods, ipads and iphones, I just speak into the ether and my home obeys flawlessly. My automations click with atomic-clock precision. My garage opens by iPhone presence as I roll up to my driveway 100% of the time.
If Smartthings sucked, no one would care if it died.
But it doesn’t suck. Rather, when it is working it’s terrific. So much so that, even though it might not have a long future, I’m betting a few new dimmers that it does. lol
I get they’re trying to connect and control more things, however, you can’t forget to maintain the logic behind routines.
Logic for automations in the new app lack the many options and versatility of the classic routines. So much so I have tried but not completed a switchover.
This is an automation platform. How can you remove automation options in a new version?
This is like Windows Vista. It may have made some under the hood changes that were good but user experience is lacking.
I have been with SmartThings from the beginning. I got one word for all of you Hubitat. Not one thing has been fixed since Samsung has taken over I can see what they’re trying to do but it’s too late for Samsung. Bixby is never going to be what Samsung thinks it’s going to be give it up don’t try to integrate it with SmartThings. And if you want to get into more detailed stuff use home assistant just integrate your SmartThings to control Z-Wave or zigbee devices. Or you use a dongle to control Z-Wave and zigbee devices. But I can rest assure your socks will get blown off when you try either of these platforms home assistant or habitat.
Me too, even from the Kickstarter days. To be honest, my ST environment has been the best ever. Given the new mobile app still has it’s issues, the platform has been extremely stable for me, especially since I’m almost all Zigbee devices (~240 out of my 264 device total). Even my remaining zwave devices have been great (once I got below 30).
Who needs Bixby when the other voice apps work great, like Alexa?
What hasn’t been fixed that you were expecting to be fixed?
Ask anyone that wants use there phone as a presence sensor, all the time one of our devices in my house hold would say present or away and just locked( yes all my phone settings are correct and even checked on Google maps on device to make sure it was logging correct address. Tryed logging in and out of the app)… Samsung phone with Samsung SmartThings go figure… instantly fixed as soon as installing Hubitat or home assistant I have done both. SmartThings app locks up on the my home tab that forces you to change back to dashboard then back to my home. Customer support isn’t there anymore you just get some person that doesn’t have a clue, other than what they read on the screen. I could go on all day what’s up with SmartThings. I would not recommend SmartThings to anyone. It only half ass works compared to keeping all the actions on your own network. It’s over twice as fast and 100% more reliable.
It’s just my opinion and experiences with smarthings.
Both my Android phones (Samsung phones too, including a super old S4) and my daughter’s iPhone have been working great so far, especially with the new app. With Classic, they were bullet proof for years.
That’s fair.
Mine have been the complete opposite, but it’s not to say I’ve not had issues. I’ve had my fair share, especially with more zwave devices. I’ve recommended ST many times, and a few times I’ve almost regretted it, but in almost every case where there were issues, I’ve been able to trace it to failing devices, poor mesh configs or interference, and/or incorrect DTH’s/SmartApps. My 80+ year old parents have been using it for a while now, and they’re 3 hours away. Luckily the only things I’ve needed to help with were creating new automations for them.
How do you make a visitor button so no actions happen when everyone leaves the system. (No using virtual switches) normal users won’t know how to make a virtual switch. So ridiculous that this is so complicated to do. All these years later still no visitor option in security end.
Typically when we have a visitor they’re usually with us the whole time where ever we go; but when the scenario exists with visiting parents or other relatives, we have a guest ST presence device they use. It includes a key to our doors so they can go and leave as they please.
In those scenarios, I add the guest sensor to my welcome home and goodbye routines (now Scenes in the new app). STHM (in the new app mind you) no longer arms when I leave for work, but as soon as the guest leaves, it arms. If my guest leaves for good while I’m away at work, they arm my house with an Iris keypad, which arms STHM and my Honeywell security panel via integration I have between ST and EyezOn’s EV3 module.
If we have a cleaning person show up, they use the Iris keypad and Honeywell panel with their own special code that disarms the house but still monitors secure locations that I want to monitor.
All of that is done with no virtual devices. In fact, out of the ~265 devices I have, only 3 are virtual and that’s for IFTTT integration for my Blink cameras and an Automations rule in the new app that can’t handle and/or structures in the IF section.
See what you all had write to explain to me and extra hardware.
Another thing I want people to know when reading this is. That is assuming you created a mesh network with what you have going on, as I do as well using some old routers I have. But with that being said to do this it is another cost and to do it the way I did it isn’t just an average user kind of thing. The Samsung router and pods aren’t cheap. I’m In Canada so you are up around 500 bucks to make SmartThings work. Exactly why it’s integrated into there router.
Hubitat or home assistant doesn’t require any such thing. Z-Wave works fine all the time also being repeaters making your network stronger every piece you add…in most cases. Zigbee has not even half the range as well why having a mesh network is so important.
This is how I do it on my system.
I have a visitor button on dashboard. Done
You’re right, but there are cheaper alternatives to Samsung’s products, and they work really well. The outlet and the repeater specifically: (I think this is the site for Canada)
I’m not going to debate the zwave vs. zigbee mesh assumptions in this discussion because it’s discussed in depth elsewhere, nor which HA system is better. Just know that you need a good and healthy mesh, regardless of the protocol or HA hub anyone uses.
You’re worried about a ST user learning to create a virtual switch or Visitor Mode, but you recommended Home Assistant?
Samsung has just stopped smarthings in its tracks. All the posts and examples are from 3 years go, the documentation is pathetic compared to the classic version. I’m off to a different hardware supplier. Such a shame great software ruined by a great hardware supplier
In the new app, have you clicked on menu (3 bars in the upper left of the screen) and checked out How to use?