This has been raised before but not for the current edge/matter architecture, that I can find, so…
Is there, or is there likely to be, any integration for NFC tags within Smartthings - Android specifically and not Galaxy centric?
I am thinking an integration allowing an NFC tag to be implemented as a single press button to trigger routines, either scanned by phone and passed by a cloud integration or by a freestanding (local?) device. Google searching suggests either may be a thing but not currently without a lot of faffing about, something I am not really into at the moment
I can’t see it happening myself, and even if it did it would probably needlessly be made a Samsung only thing.
I’ve always found it odd that when it comes to using the phone as a SmartThings device in itself, all we get is presence. It would be useful to have things like: battery level; connected and nearby Wi-Fi; paired and nearby Bluetooth devices; the phone as a siren; and, yes, NFC tags.
OK that sort of thing could be done with Tasker and similar tools, and using an NFC tag to trigger routines is simple enough with Modes and Routines if you do have a Galaxy, but it just seems that the app ought to be doing it instead of many of the useless things it actually does.
Ive wanted this for years. Sadly Its just never happened and too hard to do.
Ive now moved 95% of my stuff to Homey now and only use ST for a few left over sockets and thermostats and as a matter hub - that said ive got apps in testing to get them Moved over.
Ive been with ST almost since its launch and ive loved it. sadly its just not moved forward enough in the last few years compared to Other companies.
I use both Tasker and Hame Assistant to gain access to NFC tags. Both ways work fine. I use NFC tags to unlock my doors with my phone.
Tasker doesn’t require anything other than the app on an Android phone. It takes a little to figure it out. You need an access token. Old ones work fine. New ones expire every 24, hours and would be a pain.
Home Assistant requires a server and can be a challenge to set. Once it is running NFC tags are simple to set up and use. I have SmartThings integrated with Home Assistant.
We still have a few NFC tags stuck in various places here - left over from a short phase when I thought they were practical. The downside was that you always had to carry your smartphone with you to trigger a routine. If it was lying somewhere else, you first had to go get it just to hold it up to the tag.
So we ended up sticking IKEA buttons everywhere the NFC tags used to be.
I use Sharptools and macrodroid to achieve this. Sure could use a button but for the most part I’m just using it to track stuff (like if trash was taken out) so a button can easily double click and mess it all up.
If you have a Samsung Galaxy device, use Modes And Routine. , It’s sort of like tasker, but integrates with smartthings decently and the UI is pretty easy, like smartthings.
Useful for non SmartThings stuff too, I put a nfc tag on my washing machine.
When I put a load on to wash I swipe the tag with the phone and it starts a countdown alarm on my phone for the duration of the washer runtime.
Less handy than it used to be though since I tend to run the washing machine during off peak electricity times in the middle of the night.
