Switch power outlets on and off with home automation tools

SmartThings Integrated

A startup company called SmartThings [6] in Silicon Valley has stepped forward to unite the more or less proprietary home automation protocols such as Z-Wave [7], ZigBee, and WeMo in the "SmartThings Hub" and to expand into new dimensions with open protocols and an actively integrated developer community. This startup company now belongs to Samsung and the platform is still rather unstable, but it's a move in the right direction.

I have been using the SmartThings Hub at home for a while now and can confirm that it still has its quirks and share of buggy software. It has been available in the US for some time, and rumor has it that it might be offered in the UK soon. I'll keep experimenting with it, and I will be writing about it here eventually.

The Author

Mike Schilli works as a software engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area. He can be contacted at mailto:mschilli@perlmeister.com. Mike's homepage can be found at http://perlmeister.com.

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