HomeKit is a little unusual. You can set it up without a hub, but then you can’t create any automations, you can only use the app to toggle things on and off.
If you want to be able to create automations, which most people do, you need an iPhone and one of the following devices:
$99 HomePod mini, which will also function as a Siri voice assistant and smart speaker
any iPad which is always plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi. You can use it as a regular iPad at the same time if you want.
Apple TV 4K or HD. This is a streaming box like a Roku, not a television itself. It also Has to be connected to Wi-Fi. It will function as a TV streaming box at the same time, it doesn’t lose any functionality by being a HomeKit hub.
I don’t think most people will find it worth it to get an iPhone if they don’t already have one just to get HomeKit. But if they do already have one, then adding on a HomePod mini is the equivalent of buying a Home Automation hub for another platform. or if you already have an iPad or Apple TV, you can just use that for the hub.
And Samsung still sells a mesh wifi system with SmartThings built in. Apple bakes their hub into Apple TV, home pods, etc. Samsung bakes it into SmartThings WiFi and any other company can choose to bake it into their devices too.
Do you have any information about who you spoke with for this? This information is wildly inaccurate and I’d like to follow up. If you’re ever curious about what you can add to SmartThings in an officially supported manner, you can click on “+” > “Device” > “By device type” > “Water leak sensor” (in this case). This will be localized to the region associated with your Samsung Account. All Zigbee and Z-Wave Water Leak sensors in that list should execute locally.
Locally executing (internet not required) Automations on your Hub already exist (albeit in a somewhat limited fashion through Smart Lighting), did previously exist in Smart Home Monitor, and will soon exist again via the Rules API. This concern is totally understandable and something we are actively working to expand. Hopefully this information helps. I could walk you through making a locally executing Smart Lighting Automation that controls a water valve today. If that is of interest, feel free to PM me.
These devices sat on retail shelves and collected dust until they were announced to be discontinued, and now all of sudden a single Multipurpose is going for $50+ on eBay. Money was lost on each Hub. It was not sustainable for us to continue to contract out hardware when the demand wasn’t there and for what demand there was, it was not profitable. SmartThings-branded sensors and devices are not required to have a fully fledged home automation system through SmartThings.
The lapse in Hub availability was unfortunate and not planned. This was a result of the legal and regulatory complexities involved to launch such a product globally with another company. This should be resolved in a short order in North America as Aeotec ramps up availability.
If you are having specific issues, we can work with you to address them. I’m sorry to hear this has been your experience. Please feel free to get in touch with support or PM me.
Rather than “wildly inaccurate“ I suspect there is a certain amount of miscommunication, based on the use case that the OP is describing.
Within the context of the smartthings platform, most of us understand that “locally executing“ means the communication between the device and the hub. It does not cover the issue of notifications to the account holder‘s phone or a third-party monitoring office. Or the use of the smartthings app.
That’s a technical description, and it is accurate as far as it goes.
But it appears that what they have been asking about is the ability to get a notification when a pipe is leaking and the Internet is out.
A locally operating leak sensor could send a message to the hub that water had been detected, but there is no way on the standard smartthings platform to then communicate that information to the account holder, not on their own phone on local Wi-Fi and not via cellular. Because all notifications require the SmartThings cloud, whether that device is communicating locally to the hub or not. The hub Has to be able to reach the cloud, or the notification to the human will not be formatted and sent.
So in SmartThings even a “locally operating” sensor requires the Internet to send an alert to the human.
It’s probably not impossible to hack something together using an environmental change that could be detected in Lieu of a formatted message and then Use some cellular system a person created for themselves to send a message, but it’s definitely not part of the standard system and it would require additional equipment, expense, and expertise.
Can’t remember the name, but from my outbound call log: 01/22/2021 09:23 AM (EST) - (800) 726-7864 - 2:45 (duration)
Anyhow, I am relieved to hear this!
Did I mention I’m so glad to hear this? Ensuring local execution was the reason I called in the first place.
I’m guessing virtual switch? I’m PM’ing you now - at the moment I’m configured to “Turn off devices” in “Set response” but I’m afraid you might be saying this is not local?.
Please read my post above yours. In the smartthings context, “local execution“ refers to the ability of a device to communicate to the hub. It does not mean that the hub can then send an alert to a human, it cannot, because all notifications require the smartthings cloud. This is true even if your phone is on the same local Wi-Fi as the hub. They didn’t have to design it that way, but they did. And there is no cellular module option.
So if what you want is to have a local siren go off or a local light come on, you can do that. But you can’t get an alert on your phone or to a third-party monitoring center. You can’t even use your phone to check the status of the sensor, because the phone app itself requires the cloud.
So it just comes down to the exact details of what you are looking for.
FWIW, I called to ask about DTHs to ensure a local automation could be triggered by the sensor to shut off valves/pumps.
I was told: there is no longer a Samsung/ST leak sensor; the third-party sensors under “Works with…” need DTHs; and “Automations” require the cloud. It was that plain.
“Need a DTH” means “not local” to me and that seemed pretty dire…
Everything needs a DTH, whether it runs locally or runs in the cloud. A DTH (device type handler) is essentially like a printer driver: it tells smartthings how to format messages to that specific device.
Many Stock DTHs are distributed with the hub’s firmware, reside on the hub, and so don’t require the Internet to work.
Other DTHs reside in the cloud, so they do require the Internet to work.
At the present time, all automations run in the cloud with the exception of the official smartlighting feature. And that one isn’t available in all countries.
So again, it depends on the details. If the device uses a DTH which is eligible to run locally and automation can be created using the official smartlighting feature and doesn’t require any cloud-based options, it can run locally. But still no notifications.
At the present time, local execution is most useful for keeping virtual three ways working with light switches. But some people do use it for other things as well.
SmartLighting does have the ability to be triggered by a locally operating leak sensor. So that part is good. That’s the “if.“ The question is what can you use for the “that” if the Internet is not available. And that’s going to be limited to a local light, a local siren configured as a switch, or maybe something else configured as a switch.
If that meets your needs, then you can do it with smartthings.
It’s the app for Samsung smart appliances and televisions. That’s millions and millions of customers, who so far, seem to pretty much like the app judging by the hundreds of thousands of ratings on the play store.
Yeah you don’t need an entire subsidiary to compete with LG ThinQ.
If they want to get out of the home automation game completely then just open the wifi api for the appliances.
Even in a hub optional Format, SmartThings has much better automations than Alexa or Google Home. And it’s the only way to get a nest, ring, arlo, or ring camera onto a Samsung TV or Samsung Fridge without buying extra hardware (ymmv of course depending on model and current bugs getting a fixed )
Nest isn’t working properly yet with the fridge or TV
The advanced automation capabilities of SmartThings are also the exact feature a hub-optional customer wouldn’t care to use, because they’re too complicated. For them, Alexa routines are sufficient. The power users all have hubs. So who is SmartThings target market at this point? Or do they not even know the answer to that question?
Would love to hear more about local Rules API… for example, if the internet is down, and the hub gets power cycled (e.g. common during a storm that knocks out power and internet temporarily), will the hub come back up and continue running Rules? Often power is restored long before an internet connection… also, the number one troubleshooting step is always to reboot the hub to see if that helps fix things that aren’t working… so, will the local Rules API rules be stored on the hub? Or is a cloud connection required to reload the hub’s configuration each time it boots?
What I would prefer is Samsung at least try to get some stability in the platform, address the ridiculously slow app load/response times, and stop the half-baked integrations. It may be the job of third parties to code their stuff but don’t certify it if it’s half-assed.
We were promised improvements after Classic was sun-setted. Where are they? It’s been months. And a long time since any decent app updates.
Samsung is more interested in adding flashy additional features (SmartThings find, SmartThings cooking) than actually addressing problems with the core platform.
At this point I am not sure that they are interested in anything. Not interested in selling devices. Not interested in keeping their backend services running. Not interested in maintaining their customer base. Not interested in us.
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