(I’ve moved this to projects just because we’re covering a lot of different aspects here, some having to do with smart apps, some having to do with devices, some having to do with the platform itself, so it’s going to be easier to get you all your answers in one place in this category. )
Last things first: the iris keypad can work with SmartThings, it just needs a custom device handler which has already been created by a community member.
One of the biggest differences between SmartThings and Iris is that customers have the ability to upload both custom code and custom device handlers to their account. This means that you can use devices that are not on the official list, particularly if they use one of the established third-party standards that smart thing supports like zwave and Zigbee home automation (ZHA1.2).
Many community members enjoy the challenge of creating new device handlers, and will upload their code for other people to use.
The following thread gives you an overview of how custom code works in smart things.
If after reading that it looks like something you’d be interested in, there is a section in the forum for community-created device handlers:
