Is there a 'Here's some easy, cool, beginner stuff you can do with SmartThings" post/section?

[munkimatt (Matt Jones)]

Sorry if this has been asked before (it probably has, I’m useless at searching forums) but I’m basically just looking for some easy, first steps into what’s possible. I’ve had a SmartThings kit for about 2 months now, and pretty much the only thing it’s used for is when the front door opens and my keys arrive home, both of which I know because, well, I’ve opened it and my keys are in my hand.

I’ve got a few Amazon vouchers stored away if there’s any extra stuff I can pick up to make it a more useful experience.

Cheers for any advice.

[Mbhforum (Marc)]

Get an Amazon echo and some lights to start with. Also, consider adding a Harmony Hub. The Echo-ST-Harmony integration is the best and most fun thing to do.

[Suprcharg (James)]

I’m wondering this too! Like a newbie’s guide to Smartthings link.
For example, I want to make sure my hub has the latest firmware and can’t find where to check for that or some do’s and don’ts

[JDRoberts]

The Projects section of the forums is a good place to browse for inspiration.

https://community.smartthings.com/c/projects-stories/none

You might also find the scheduling FAQ of interest:

A Short Intro to Scheduling/Device Control/Rules in SmartThings

You’ve got your hub. You’ve got some devices. Now how do you schedule what happens when? SmartThings doesn’t have a rules engine/scheduler, so there’s no one tutorial for how to do this. But it’s an open platform, and there are about 12 different ways to set up various kinds of schedules. Some require custom code, some don’t. A “scheduler” in this context is anything that causes a networked device to perform an action, even if it’s just to toggle on or off immediately. (Network engineering definition, forgive me. :blush:) (Note: as of April 2017, the original author of this FAQ lost the ability to add updated screenshots as VoiceOver capability was broken in the official SmartThings mobile app and has not yet been fixed. Anyone who wants to update the screenshots or any out of date i…