I’m considering purchasing a Samsung SmartThings Hub v3. My computer and wireless hotspot are connected by a switch. I want to install the smart hub in a central location, which is about 30 feet from my computer. Since I do not want to run an Ethernet cable from the computer to the hub, I want to manage it by Wi-Fi. I also do not want to use a cell phone to manage the hub. I see there is some chatter about “Smartthings Web” but I don’t know if that is what I need.
Question: Is there an application I install on my computer that can remotely manage the hub over Wi-Fi?
SmartThings is primarily managed by the mobile app. (read this as - you NEED THE MOBILE APP to get any meaningful configuration done) all other ways to access a hub are secondary. That new web app is a VERY limited web interface for turning on / off switches and scenes and things. Looks promising - but FAR from fully functional.
The v.3 / Aeotec hubs can connect to your local LAN through wifi if neccessary, I always recommend wired if possible.
Thanks for the quick response. That’s disheartening to hear. I’m not willing to enable more and more apps on my telephone (which is a Samsung). Sadly, I will look elsewhere for a product that can be managed using Wi-Fi… which is proving difficult to find.
Looking at Aeotec Smart Home Hub now. Thanks for the suggestion.
The Aeotec “works as a SmartThings hub” is just a rebadged model of the SmartThings hub, same app and cloud, so no joy there.
What country are you in? And what do you mean by “manage the hub“? There should be some options.
Homeseer can be managed via a web interface, you don’t need an app at all. The same is true for Hubitat. So those might be options for you, depending on exactly what you want to do.
As far as the Wi-Fi part, you can run homeseer on a lot of different kinds of hardware, that should not be an issue at all.
Last time I checked Hubitat in this regard you need to buy an additional bridge dongle for Wi-Fi, but it was doable. Although it looks like most people preferred POE.
I’m in the US. I want to be able to remote into the smart home hub from my computer using Wi-Fi to setup rules, schedules and other tasks to manage smart devices. I understand hardwire is safest, but running new wires is overly burdensome.
If a system has a built in webserver that allows connecting with a browser, that is not too bad of an option. As with any device, being able to harden it against attacks is a must.
After jkp mentioned Hubitat, I sent them a message asking for additional info. Homeseer looks interesting. After quickly reviewing it, I’m not sure if it uses my computer as the management device or their website. If it is cloud based, then that is not what I’m interested in.
Homeseer is not cloud based. It’s been around for 20 years or so, long before most people had smart phones. You can either buy just the software and install it on the server of your choice (raspberry pi or windows pc are the most popular) or buy the hub with the software installed. Their smart phone apps aren’t very good, but that won’t be an issue in your case. It’s a robust powerful system, but it does require significant technical knowledge to get it set up. Different things work for different people, but it sounded like it might be a match for your situation.
You can set up and run homeseer without any Internet connection at all as long as you aren’t using third-party cloud systems like the voice assistants.
In the set up examples you’re using a browser the same way you would use one to configure your local network router.
HomeSeer HS4PRO Smart Home Software is on sale for 50% off during the first few days of May. Since I’m running the new U6-Lite Wireless access point, I probably do not need the appliance. I’ll do a bit more research, but it looks like the HomeSeer software is a great choice.