While the possibilities of an Internet of Things (IoT) platform to control the home seem infinite, some may assume the set-up process to be a difficult one. Fortunately, SmartThings proves intelligent living doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, setting up the system is incredibly easy—so easy, it can be done in five steps.

1. Purchase the SmartThings Hub

The best way to get started with SmartThings is by purchasing the SmartThings Hub, a small box that connects all your smart devices and enables the IoT platform to operate. Once you purchase the Hub, you’re instantly on your way to smarter living. There are no contracts, set-up costs or monthly fees to use the SmartThings platform.

The newest version of the SmartThings Hub is now available in stores in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as online at Samsung.com, the Smart Things Shop and Amazon.com. Additionally, the Smart Home Starter Kit, which includes a Hub and three devices that allow you to receive important notifications on your smartphone, is also available for purchase.

2. Connect the SmartThings Hub to an Internet router

Set-up is easy, as there is no tricky installation process or hard wiring necessary. All one needs to do is simply connect the Hub to an Internet router with the included Ethernet cable, and a secure connection links it wirelessly to all your smart devices, allowing you to monitor, control and guard your home from anywhere in the world.

3. Add smart devices

Once your SmartThings Hub is up and running, you can now add as many smart devices as you’d like to customize your smart home based on your personal preferences. In addition to the company’s own line of sensors, there are over 200 devices that are compatible with the SmartThings open platform, from smart bulbs to locks to cameras.

As your needs change, you can easily modify SmartThings to work in different ways, or add additional devices to create a smart home that automatically reacts to your unique tastes and patterns.

4. Connect with SmartThings app

Now that all your “things” are connected and communicating with one another, you can use the free SmartThings app to orchestrate them with a tap of a finger, from another room or another city. Via the app, you are also able to receive alerts and notifications so you can keep an eye on your home from just about anywhere.

The app allows you to configure SmartThings to control all your devices based on your routines (waking up or coming home from work, for example), by room or by specific device. Furthermore, you can customize SmartThings as often as your needs change via the easy-to-use control panel within the app. The app is available for download for Android and iOS.

5. Let your home do the work for you

And that’s it! Whether preparing the morning coffee, notifying you that the mail has arrived or creating a comfortable environment for a good night’s sleep, SmartThings is now enabled and ready to make your house smarter, safer and more connected. Sit back and watch your smart home come to life.

American radio and television personality Dick Clark once said, “Music is the soundtrack of our lives.”

And he was right, for a number of reasons. Music has the ability to affect our emotions, evoke powerful memories and is the language that connects the world in a way that no other tool can. Music is what makes humans human, and it has done so since the beginning of time.

Unsurprisingly, the ever-advancing technologies of today allow us to effortlessly integrate music into our daily lives, enhancing the way we experience it like never before. From platforms that connect us to our favorite artists to apps that let us be the artist, music continues to evolve, taking cues from the ever-changing world around us.

Recognizing this, Samsung has developed a number of devices and services so that music lovers from all corners of the globe can spice up their lives with a bit of background music, set to their own personalized playlists. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Samsung’s Milk Music: It Does a Smartphone Good

Source : samsung.com/us

Milk Music is a streaming radio service created by Samsung which offers consumers with compatible Samsung devices access to over 200 curated stations, with a library of 13 million songs. Milk Music allows music fans to browse the collection via a well-developed interactive tuner with the simple swipe of a finger.

The outer aspect of this dual wheel control lets users jump between pre-set genre categories while the fine-tuned inner wheel scans stations within the selected genre. The sophisticated customization features allow users to personalize their Milk experience, and even create their own unique channels.

Unlike most radio apps, Samsung’s Milk Music permits listeners to skip up to six songs per hour on each station, and there are no annoying registration processes or sign-in prompts. Simply download, open, tap and listen.

A Studio on Your Smartphone

Musical instruments are some of the oldest man-made objects ever found. It’s doubtful, however, that our Palaeolithic ancestors would believe their eyes if they had the chance to see today’s modern instruments and music tools, many of which are accessible right from the screens of our smartphones.

Samsung Soundcamp leverages this modern-day accessibility to make it possible for just about everyone — from the amateur beatboxer to the veteran pianist — to unlock their creativity and produce a musical masterpiece or two.

This easy-to-use studio recording system application allows artists to access an ensemble of virtual instruments, including a keyboard, drums and a guitar, to create a song. The app’s plug-in style, open-concept structure also gives users the option to connect and record using real instruments. From the mobile workstation’s soundboard, artists can compose, edit and mix shareable audio files.

Soundcamp is available for free in the Samsung GALAXY Apps store under GALAXY Essentials, and the Google Play store. At the moment, users of Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, Note 4, Note edge and S5 powered by Android 5.0 Lollipop can enjoy the Soundcamp app.

Discover more at Soundcamp App.

Music to Your Ears

While such mobile services and apps have made music more accessible, anytime, anywhere, smartphone speaker quality, in general, leaves much to be desired. Which is why Samsung’s Level series of smart Bluetooth audio products are the perfect devices to amplify the musical moments of your life, without getting tied up in wires.

Offering excellent audio quality and a suite of features, there’s a Level device for just about everyone. The Level Box Mini, for example, is perfect for those who love being the life of the party. The compact wireless speaker packs a big sound and fits conveniently in a purse or backpack, perfect for picnics, parties and poolside gatherings.

The two newest additions to the Level series are the Samsung Level On Wireless headphones and the Samsung Level Link audio adapter, both of which promise the consumer organic sound quality, superior comfort and portability.

The stylish Level On Wireless headphones are available in an array of colors and are equipped with six built-in microphones, an Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) mode and a dual-layered diaphragm system which helps suppress vibration to provide an incomparable audio experience. Change tracks, adjust volume and even answer phone calls with the simple swipe of a finger on the easy-to-use touchpad. And with a battery life of 23 hours per charge, music fanatics can jam out all day and night without having to recharge.