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.

Since its founding, SmartThings’ mission has been to deliver the easiest way to build a smart home, all the while providing users with true peace of mind anywhere, anytime. The company has continued to evolve its offerings and is now providing a new generation of products aimed at solving specific problems for everyday users via its Internet of Things (IoT) platform.

Samsung SmartThings’ new IoT product line-up, which is now available in the United States, the United Kingdom and online, includes an upgraded Hub and sensors that pair with an intuitive mobile app—everything you need to monitor, control and secure your home from the screen of your smartphone.

So what does each of these valuable devices do to make the IoT system work? Find out below.

SmartThings Hub: The Core of Connectivity

The SmartThings Hub is essentially the nervous system of the platform, as it connects all your home’s smart devices. In fact, it’s compatible with over 200 of them, from light bulbs to locks to cameras.

Once connected, the small, box-like Hub communicates between devices to ensure that the home responds appropriately to the user’s commands. Additionally, it informs the user of potential issues, such as a home intrusion or fire, as soon as—or even before—they happen.

The Hub does this by communicating with various sensors as well as with its video monitoring capability, which gives users access to a livestream of their home at any time. With this feature, SmartThings provides even more access and control against common household issues by delivering real-time text alerts and video clip notifications from cameras to the user or designated contacts via the SmartThings app.

SmartThings Sensors: Connecting Your Life

SmartThings has various sensors and power outlets available, and each offers a different but equally helpful function.

For example, the SmartThings Multipurpose Sensor can detect whether your doors, blinds and windows are left open or closed after you leave your home. If a window suddenly opens, users can signal an alarm to ward off any intruders. Forgot to close the garage door? Shut it with a tap of a button.

It can also monitor temperature, vibration and orientation to let you know if the dog gets into the garbage, your child enters a potentially dangerous area of the house or if a valuable object such as a jewellery box is moved. Simply place it next to the area to be monitored, securing it with the included adhesive strips.

For your family’s safety, the SmartThings Motion Sensor can monitor movement in your home and send you alerts if there’s unanticipated activity. In addition, it can trigger lights, thermostats and other connected devices, to turn on or adjust them when there is movement within a range of 130 feet, so you’re never left in the dark.

Keep track of your loved ones with the SmartThings Arrival Sensor. At under two inches in length, this rugged device is small enough to be placed in a child’s bag, on a keychain or around a pet’s collar and will send you a notification when your family and pets arrive or leave home. It can also be attached to the dashboard of your car so your home can quickly prepare for your arrival by switching on the interior lights when you pull into the driveway.

To prevent fires and save energy, the portable SmartThings Outlet can control and monitor lights, electronics and small appliances. It can be programmed to turn on and off automatically based on a fixed schedule or in response to other activities in your home. Use it to remotely warm up a pot roast before leaving the office or switch on a bedside lamp at the same time your alarm clock goes off in the morning.

The SmartThings Water Leak Sensor functions to detect moisture and send you alerts that could prevent a leak from becoming a flood. By placing this sensor in the basement, under an old pipe or other leak-prone areas throughout the home, you can be immediately notified if water is detected so you can act appropriately to prevent major damage.

SmartThings App: Control with a Tap

When one of these sensors has a message to relay, the SmartThings Hub will receive that message and send it to your phone via the SmartThings app. The app also allows you to send commands back to these devices, and lets the sensors talk to one another (for instance, telling a light to turn on if motion is detected).

In addition to receiving important notifications about what’s happening at home, you can control your smart devices with a simple tap and choreograph your home to react to your own personal preferences. The latest updates to the SmartThings app enable users to control their devices by room, routine or featured device via a simple, easy-to-use control panel.

SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit: An All-in-One Smart Home Solution

Just released in the United States and online, the SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit, which includes the new SmartThings Hub, two Multipurpose Sensors, a Motion Sensor and an Outlet, makes it even easier to transform your home into a smart home. By utilizing the Smart Home Monitor feature in the app, you’ll be able to receive alerts and take action whenever the devices in your Home Monitoring Kit detect unwanted entry, motion or other unexpected activities.

Select retail stores will also be selling the Samsung SmartCam HD Pro alongside the Home Monitoring Kit. By pairing the two together, you’ll have everything you need to not only receive notifications about what’s happening in your home, but to also physically see what’s going on when you’re not around. Unlike other home monitoring solutions, SmartThings only captures video clips when an unexpected event occurs, so you can maintain your privacy while having complete peace of mind.

Head over to SmartThings’ online store to get started and enjoy a new, more intelligent lifestyle both in and out of the home.