A new edition of the IFA show in Berlin has just started providing us a summary of some of the interesting features of Samsung’s new SmartThings Hub. The company has long prepared us for the Internet of Things, but it was only now that the tech developer has decided to finally direct its attention on modern homes.
Most electronics around us are smart, nowadays. TVs, phones, notebooks, cars are all smart enough to respond to our voice or written commands and, implicitly, to make our lives easier. Samsung wants to stay ahead of times and has, therefore, launched the SmartThings Hub, a collection of one Hub and four sensors.
The new device was introduced at the IFA show in Berlin explaining tech savvies how the invention works. The idea behind the product is to centralize all electronics in our homes and remotely control them with the help of a mobile app.
Thus, the four sensors notify owners through the mobile app whenever there is movement in the house, in case of fire alarms and break-ins. The Hub can be programmed to perform many other activities, such as, scheduling the washing machine to do the laundry, close or open doors, turn on and off the lights, etc.
As attractive as the idea may seem to us, controlling the universe of our homes through a mobile app may have its downsides. We can never be too sure that the mobile app has been thoroughly proofed against all cyber-attacks.
As a matter of fact, Samsung has been recently criticized because many of their third-party smartphone apps are not correctly verified before release. SmartThings, the company that Samsung has acquired for the production of the new home Hub, guarantees that the app is as safe as it can be. The test of time, however, will be the only one to say whether creating an online access door to your home is a good idea or not.
One other downside would be the short battery life of the Hub. Samsung’s presentation has revealed that the device can only last for 10 hours. In addition, the device is almost entirely Internet-based, so many of its functions become unavailable if the connection is lost.
The mobile app will be available for free starting on September 10 for all customers that will purchase the SmartThings Hub. The latter has been set at a starting price of $99 and will be launched this September.
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