Hi. Recently I noticed that in SmartThings I can add sound sensor from my Samsung TV QE55Q80D. That sensor shows up on the devices list, however it isn’t working. Sound sensor shows up as turned off entire time. Has anyone tried using this sensor from TV and encountered a similar problem?
Of course, microphone in my TV is turned on and is working - I can use voice control with no problem.
There should be a physical on/off switch for the sound sensor on your tv. by default, i believe it is turned off
example:
I know about it and I have it in “on” position, that’s why it shouldn’t appear as disabled in SmartThings.
You may want to reach out to Samsung Support. Contact Us | Official Samsung Support US
report back if you find the answer
I also have the same scenario. My understanding is if you use a home entertainment system with a separate sound bar/speakers (non-Samsung), then the sensor is turned off.
I have Samsung soundbar, however even after unplugging it from TVs HDMI, sound sensor was still disabled in SmartThings. Do your sensor work after unplugging soundbar?
I tried disconnecting the sound bar and checked again. No luck. Mic is working as I can ask Bixby to do things without using the remote, including turning the TV on. I know that energy efficiency modes and other setting seem to interact with other features, so this may or may be impacting the sound sensor. Reading the manual, there are some caveats about location and model so this could be the issue as well, although I’d expect the sensor to not show up if not offered through the TV. I’ll read and experiment on this some more.
I’ve adjusted other settings and nothing activates this. I saw an article: Samsung bringing ambient sensing to SmartThings | The Verge and am wondering if this sensor feature is not yet active?
Article is just from a month ago. I didn’t know that it’s such new feature, so maybe you are right and sound sensor function is still under development.
However, Samsung wrote about sound sensor also in August 2024 here: https://r2.community.samsung.com/t5/SmartThings/SmartThings-A-TV-that-cares-for-your-pets/td-p/17204222
Unfortunately, it’s hard to find any other information about it. I guess it may be also a software bug if I am not the only one affected.
I didn’t find anything else either- but maybe someday we’ll be notified if your dogs bark (or our cats meow)!
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I have been asking this question EVERY DAY since I bought my new Samsung S90D OLED TV about 2 months ago or so. This TV was my introduction to SmartThings (I only used Alexa and Google Home prior to that), which I am a big fan of although I’ve never spent so much time reading online or talking to support to try and figure stuff out. Tried ramming my head against the walls multiple times speaking to Samsung support and that never got ANYWHERE.
All that to say, I’ve been looking online and FINALLY stumbled across this thread here - literally NOTHING else about it anywhere else in the world. Was really hoping when I got to the bottom, somebody would have laid out CLEARLY, exactly what was going on lol.
I have this same issue and now that I know I’m not the only person in the world with it, I’m starting to think Samsung just hasn’t quite fully finished what their goal is with that sound sensor.
I hope that link works - it’s a screenshot of what the sound sensor device looks like on my SmartThings app. It ALWAYS says OFF. Now I have tried the Pet Care thing and it certainly seems to work to a degree (I DO NOT have a dog or ANY pet so I just set up the pet care thing and then barked in my room - lmao), and it not only notified me of “my dog is barking,” when I did some barking noises, basically ANY noise would lead to me getting a text that my dog was barking. So it CAN do more than simply say “OFF” while being basically greyed out 24 hours a day (let the record show, that even though I’d get notifications about my “dog” barking, when I’d check the app, the sound sensor was true to form still showing “OFF” or I think once I saw “No Sound”).
So what I don’t get is why the pet care add-on or whatever would make this Sound sensor work, basically exactly what I WANT it to be able to do, but ONLY for my pet?? That can’t be right.
I have another sound sensor through an up cycled Samsung Note 20, and it’s the whole “Sound Sensor (Labs)” type set up. This Sound sensor looks more like what I’d expect…I can click on it and it actually says “No sound,” when nobody is home throughout the day or “Sound detected.” Never just says “Off” unless I turn it off myself or the battery died on the device. I have options to record sound, to listen in in the other end, and even talk through it (I’d imagine this is because it’s a phone that allows me that specific feature) and shows me a log of the entire day, when sound was heard, etc. So I’m not sure why that would be outperforming the Samsung S90D OLED TV sound sensor but I can’t imagine that’s by design…
Any input from anyone about this would be soooo greatly appreciated. I went crazy fora while assuming it was a only me thing since I saw ZERO about it anywhere online. Of course my mic is on (even went through the trouble of dismounting my TV to find that tiny lil switch only to realize when I switched it it turned it off - was already on, hence why I can talk to my TV for commands even when it is off).
Is there any way to actually make this Sound sensor work like a sound sensor? I can’t even make a routine using it, or do ANYTHING with it other than have it text me my fake dog is barking for any sound it picks up over a certain decibel…
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check if “Active Voice Amplifier” feature is turned on
I definitely have that on. Like all the TV functionality that would be based off the sound sensor - ALL on AND working. Voice amplifier like you said and a couple others where it can detect ambient sound level and adjust volume accordingly, all work fine. So another thing that points to the sound sensor working to it’s best ability as currently constructed.
Just seems like the other uses for a sound sensor, which Samsung markets the sound sensor as being able to do, cannot actually be done - short of that dog barking through Pet care add-on (my Galaxy Note 20 through Galaxy Up cycle even gives me options for things like door knocking, glass breaking, etc. - What you’d expect from a standard sound sensor). Can’t create a routine based off of the sound sensor detecting sound, which is the main thing.
Maybe this can be fixed through an update?
It’s definitely one of the features that made me land on this TV for good, and being able to set a routine using the sound sensor would be great - not to mention, clearly what the goal was with Samsung putting that sound sensor in the TV in the first place (all the language in the “How To,” and anywhere else gives examples of these routines…)
If I remember correctly as well, the Pet care add on told me how loud even this “dog” was barking. So it is fully functional sound sensor, just can’t quite use it in routines or use it the way I can use my Sound Sensor (labs) a.k.a. my up cycled Galaxy phone in the other room.
Out or curiosity…. Try https://SharpTools.io to see if it exposed there
Ahhh, I’ve heard of Sharp tools but I am such a beginner (this all started when I bought my Samsung TV, which then got me introduced to Smart Things - and everything I could do - now currently taking a beginner course to Computer science and Python online because im deep in a rabbit hole) and know absolutely nothing about much when it comes to a lot of this. I guess I’ve been scared to go into Sharp tools without learning a little more about this world.
Though I’m from a generation that SHOULD know more, I just learned how to use my phone’s and computers enough to control-alt-delete when shit wasn’t going my way. I don’t even fully know what I don’t know.
All that to say idk if I’m necessarily the man for that mission. I don’t know Sharp tools at all, and if I even understand exactly how I’d test if this sound sensor works on there…I do apologize
SmartThings has a simple binary soundSensor capability which either detects sound or doesn’t and can be used as a Routine action (so similar idea to motion sensors, contact sensors etc).
It also has a live soundDetection capability that has attributes for the supported sounds (no sound, dogs, cats, clicking fingers etc), status (enabled/disabled), and detected sounds. It also has commands to handle the enable and disable and fully supports Routines.
I suspect the TV is using samsungvd.soundSensor which just has a single attribute covering off, no sound and dogs barking with no support for Routines and no commands. That wouldn’t explain why it seems to be ‘off’ all the time.
There may also be other capabilities in the samsungvd namespace (or other Samsung namespaces) that are being used.
I wouldn’t expect Pet Care to give a stuff about anything but Samsung products.
None of which solves anything, but it might at least clarify what you are seeing.
So I set up the pet routine for my cat. No changes to the sensor being offline and so far no barks from my cat…
I’ve been trying to replicate what you did, even though I’d say it’s a worthless feature except perhaps for security if you don’t have animals? Anyway, the sound switch is on and bixy turns the TV on and off, the external speaker is off, the schedule is set. In the life app, it says it’s listening, but the sensor is still saying off. I’ve tried barking and meowing, so far nothing.
Lmao, you got me beat with the meowing - a handful of dog barks and a glance at the mirror will have you questioning more than just this sound sensor lol…
But yeah, lately I’ve basically given up on it. Mildly annoying, but I guess you’re right - not that important in the grand scheme of things. I guess in my mind, I thought maybe I could have it actually adjust the volume to a number I know is loud enough when the heater starts pumping air through the house (we have a pretty loud central air thing or whatever, that comes on every 15-20 minutes or so and I just spend all night going back and forth);or maybe something that could turn off when it heard me snoring; etc. Definitely thought I could do something like where it notified me if glass were to break or security related things, but even something like where it would automatically turn on to a channel or my Xbox if it heard voices talking (as in silence before, now somebody is home -google home is somehow using my gas a presence sensor…) arriving after a certain time of night on a weekend night. I guess very unnecessary in the grand scheme of things but it is stuff I can somewhat figure out with the other sound sensor (which again, isn’t even actually a sound sensor).
I will say although it ALWAYS says “No sound,” mine would definitely notify me of sound when I’d be in my room during the scheduled time I’d set the sound sensor to listen for dog barking sounds. Even coming in and looking for something frantically would result in 8 notifications being sent to my phone (no talking even). I’d also wake up to about 15 of them lol - as if to indicate me and my girl moving in bed (literally sleep movements)and waking up would set off that sensor every other second.
I think I vaguely remember it seemingly not working at first and then out of nowhere the floodgates opened.
Definitely a bit of a comical test! But good to hear you could get it to work. I know I did need to get the schedule set, and as far as I can tell it should work. Maybe it will start working magically for me as well, but in the meantime not a critical function!