Smartthings Existential Crisis - Is it time to leave? (April 2021)

I have actually tested it, and did again just now to be sure. I have disconnected my cable modem, and I can still control my Ecobee 3 thermostats via my iPhone’s HomeKit “Home” app without any problem. It just works.

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If its of any consolation, the LG appliance ThingQ is not better. I was very disappointed about how hard it was to set up and how little it delivers. Their IFTT integration doesn’t work, the wifi integration with a code varies by appliance, you can’t remove a “bad” setup, no ST integrations (somewhat understood via brand retention), and even worse to re configure the wifi after I updated my router. I did figure out how to get it too work, but not the straightforward way. ThinQ functionality for the fridge is near zero, but annoying. Washer and dryer generated completed notifications, but hard to turn them on remotely. Even for the industry leaders, there is long way to go until their integrations are functional for the mass market…

Hi, it will probably work for about an hour and then you’ll lose your Auth tokens from ecobee… The renewal of the auth Tokens needs to talk to the cloud, that’s what I understand from the homekit integration (I don’t have it anymore).

It’s not local APIs per se. You cannot change mode or comfort settings without the cloud.

I think I will have at least 3 platforms, and that will eventually include Hubitat, unless the Smartthings team just blows me away with the anticipated changes. Adding a Smart Life hub seems inevitable, as I’ve been really impressed with the app alongside several IR remotes controlling a 5 zone LG mini split - a solution with a total investment of $40 vs $500 for LG’s official solution.

I understand what you are saying about the wife being the decider. You can have as many hubs as you want, but the “hubby” might be the one not communicating well and helping things run smoothly…

One major reason I will keep Smartthings around is, otherwise I wouldn’t know what to do with my 30+ Ecosmart remotes :wink:

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We ran our HomeKit devices for several days when there was a regional internet/power outage. (We have solar power, so we still had electricity and local Wi-Fi.) That included the HomeKit app.

Anything we could do through the homekit app, including Automations created in that app, still ran. We could definitely change the mode.

Our time schedules created with HomeKit also continued to run.

The ecobee app did not work during this time.

So you don’t get full functionality, but it’s more than just a dumb thermostat when running locally with HomeKit. :sunglasses:

@ogiewon

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@JDRoberts, sorry to bring this up again. Here is another example, Samsung product, Fancy, New SmartThings feature, and what, it is not working…

Who is the target then, when SmartThings/Samsung cannot even get their own products working?

Obviously I don’t know, but Samsung has a long history of introducing features with a big flourish at media events that then almost none of their actual customers use. So the fact that they’re broken doesn’t affect sales in any perceptible way.

Bixby is a great example.

There is the sense that Bixby is maintained rather than developed by Samsung. Since launch we’ve seen the removal of Bixby buttons, the non-appearance of the expected Galaxy Home Bixby speaker and some functions removed from Bixby - like the Uber support.
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More recently with the launch of the Galaxy S21 family, Samsung appeared to be moving closer to Google, offering Google Discover on the home screen for example, suggesting that it might be winding down some of its services in the future.

You folks are still coming up with examples of features that don’t work.

My point is that Samsung seems to assume most customers won’t even try to use those features, so they don’t care whether it works or not. The features can be advertised in a way that makes the product exciting pre-sale, but they don’t affect the longterm customer relationship for most people. Again, Bixby.

Just my observation, I could certainly be wrong.

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I know what you mean…

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those of you leaving should keep in mind that its not perfect with the others either. each has its own pros and cons. with others you have to have a strong understanding of programming. some even ever so quietly sneak back.

Samsung is moving closer with google because google is paying them a boatload of $$$$$. Samsungs problem is they keep introducing things & taking things away. Although i detest apple, samsung should take a page from them. Samsung does not know what the word commitment is. Everything I have is pretty much samsung but sometimes I second guess myself.

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Samsung likes to throw darts at the wall and see what sticks. Some features (like screen recording) started with samsung and became a mainstay on other phones. Others (like the iris sensors) end up being phased out.

Iris wasn’t a Samsung product.

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@jlv
No no, I’m referring to the iris scanners on the phones!

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Hi Troy,
I don’t seem to find the total connect comfort integration on my app but only the Honeywell home. What should I be looking for?

Thanks,

Nelson

The TCC integration should be right beside the Honeywell Home integration

Hi,
I only seem to have one option.

Thanks,

Nelson

Are you located outside the US/Canada? The TCC integration is restricted by region.

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Well that explains it. TCC isn’t available in the UK currently and Evohome isn’t supported. I’ve heard that it eventually will be though.

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Samsung does not exactly “throw darts”. Some of their choices seem deliberately obstructive.

Example: two of my home theater components were integrated into the old platform. A Denon AVR, and a Sony Bravia tv. The Denon works fine now, albeit only for the most basic on-off functionality… but the Sony? I can no longer even turn the Bravia on/off. Yet you can integrate a Samsung tv into ST. It’s right there in the available device type listings.

I’ve not seen a way to get the Bravia working again.