At CES 2023 in January of this year, Samsung Electronics unveiled SmartThings Station which revolutionized new smart home hubs supporting Matter, the home IoT compatibility standard. This platform promotes expansive connectivity, empowering users to sync smart products irrespective of their manufacturer. SmartThings Station gained media spotlight for dismantling the entry barriers to IoT.

Since 100 days passed since the product’s release, Samsung Newsroom sat down with SmartThings Station developer Eugene Park and product planner Kiyoung Kwon to learn more about the smart home hub’s development.

▲ (From left) SmartThings Station developer Eugene Park and product planner Kiyoung Kwon

What Does Smart Living Look Like?

Imagine coming home after a long day to find your home already working for you. As you enter, the curtains close and the bathroom lights turn on so you can go wash your hands. Your favorite tunes play softly in the background. The air purifier kicks in as you prepare dinner. When you open the windows for ventilation, the air conditioner automatically powers down.

Is It Possible for a Home To Take Care of Your Entire Daily Routine?

This kind of dream home is no longer a fantasy. With SmartThings Station, you can tailor your smart home to your family’s routines. This smart hub not only connects Samsung products: it unifies multiple devices using the latest Matter IoT standards, regardless of manufacturer.

“When developing SmartThings Station, we focused on enabling more users to effortlessly connect various devices, so they can enjoy a smart home experience without entry barriers,” said product planner Kiyoung Kwon.

▲ Users can easily locate their smartphones, even when they’re hiding under a bed, with SmartThings Station.

“Our goal with SmartThings Station was to create a product that would take center stage in your home,” explained Kwon. Most hub products are typically set up in a corner and quickly forgotten about. “Our challenge was to design a product that served not only as a hub but also as a device people want to use,” he added. This goal remained a significant focus for his team throughout the product planning phase.

By adding the well-loved wireless charging feature as well as the Find My Mobile feature, Kwon increased product usability and encouraged users to incorporate the hub as a natural part of their day-to-day routine.

▲ The Smart Button is on the top side of SmartThings Station.

“A lot of thought went into eliminating IoT entry barriers. That’s how the Smart Button came to be,” said developer Eugene Park. “Touch the Smart Button, and it activates the automated routines that are already set up.”

The SmartThings Station development team overcame this hurdle with a “Calm Onboarding” strategy. “We’ve minimized any inconveniences users may encounter by simplifying the onboarding process. In less than three steps, users can register the product on the cloud and control it with a mobile device,” said Kwon. “We’ve also enabled users to activate routines through three different touch methods — tap shortly, tap twice and hold — so that they don’t have to open an app. Since users can activate various hub features while wirelessly charging, they can use the product for multiple purposes.”

What Are the Security Features of SmartThings Station?

According to Park, SmartThings Station demonstrates enhanced security in two aspects: the product key feature equipped in the product itself and the encryption feature for cloud communication data security. “SmartThings Station comes with a unique product key. So, when users connect the product to the cloud, they must go through identity verification to access it,” said Park. “This leads to the crucial part: the cloud communication data security. All data transferred between the cloud and Station is encrypted through the embedded Secure Element (eSE). This secures the data during communication.”

Nearly all home IoT products — big or small, from Samsung or another brand — can be connected to SmartThings Station, thanks to the home IoT compatibility standard called Matter. Samsung is a member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), an organization unifying the different communication languages IoT manufacturers use. After three years of thorough discussions with more than 280 member companies, the protocol standard Matter v1.0 was released.

Matter development began with a focus on letting users install IoT devices irrespective of their manufacturer. Against this backdrop, SmartThings Station became the catalyst for expanding the smart home ecosystem.

“Current IoT users are very happy with the news that SmartThings Station supports Matter,” said Kwon. “To meet consumer needs and improve product usability, we’re considering selling hub products and IoT devices that support Matter as a package.”

How Has the Market Responded to the Release of SmartThings Station?

After more than 100 days since its release, feedback in the market has been extremely positive. “Compared to the quantity of all hub units previously sold by Samsung, we’ve sold four times more SmartThings Station units,” said Kwon.

Recently, Kwon had the opportunity to introduce the product to tech influencers. “The influencers are particularly interested in IoT devices. They expressed high interest in SmartThings Station and gave positive feedback,” he said. “Their reviews had a strong influence on consumers as well.”

SmartThings Station: Simplifying the World of Home IoT for All

The expansion of the smart home ecosystem is just getting started. The SmartThings Station development team considers the 100th day milestone as a new starting point. “SmartThings Station will create more ways to provide convenience at home,” said Park and Kwon.

“We plan on providing continuous software updates for SmartThings Station, and we’ll deliver satisfying improvements each time,” said the SmartThings Station team.

“I really appreciate the positive feedback our users shared with us,” said Kwon. “The launch of SmartThings Station is just the starting point in making smart home ecosystems mainstream. Our next goal is to develop and present various IoT products that meet the Matter standard so that users can fully utilize their smart home hub.”

Samsung, among other global companies, envisions a world where more users can enjoy the convenience of an unfettered home IoT experience. Stay tuned to Samsung Newsroom to see what’s next for SmartThings Station and the development team.

As the smart home market continues to grow, users need simple, interoperable and dependable ways to connect a more significant number of devices. SmartThings Station offers quick setup and compatibility with a range of smart home products, including Matter devices, with the simplicity that users expect from Samsung. With SmartThings Station, users can automate different aspects of their home environment, setting routines that add convenience to their day and help to reduce energy waste such as switching off lights and appliances easily.

“Having a smarter home shouldn’t be complicated or expensive. So we wanted to create SmartThings Station as a simple, reliable and expandable smart home hub,” said Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President and Head of SmartThings, Device Platform Center at Samsung Electronics. “The number of devices in a connected home continues to grow, especially in light of the recent Matter standard launch. We’re proud to play a role in making it easier to embrace this exciting technology.”

A Smarter Home With Minimal Effort

Samsung’s SmartThings Station is easy to set up. When a user powers the device on for the first time, pop-up messages will appear on a user’s Samsung Galaxy smartphone to help guide users through the connection process smoothly.² Users may also choose the option to efficiently onboard devices with a simple scan of a QR code³ with a smartphone camera.

Intuitively Adapts to Users’ Daily Routines

A smart home hub helps multiple devices, including thermostats, lighting and power outlets, seamlessly interconnect with other devices connected to the smart home server so they all work together to create a harmonized environment. SmartThings Station makes it easy to automate pre-set routines created via the SmartThings mobile app without requiring users to control individual devices manually.

With a press of the Smart Button on the SmartThings Station, users can activate a routine created on their SmartThings app. For example, when it’s time for bed, a quick tap could trigger a routine for sleep — which could turn off the lights, close the blinds and lower the temperature. Or, if a movie night is on the cards, a movie routine could turn on the TV and dim the lights. When leaving home, the SmartThings Station can turn off power outlets and unused appliances to save energy and activate a security system. Users might also want a gaming routine, which could activate specific TV and lighting settings and turn on “Do not Disturb” mode.

Consumers can trigger up to three different routines just by pressing the Smart Button, with short press, long press or double press activations. Routines can also be activated via the SmartThings app whether people are at home or away.

Find and Manage Your Devices Around Home More Accurately

SmartThings Station is also integrated with Samsung’s SmartThings Find, a rapidly growing asset tracking service. It helps users to find misplaced devices — double pressing the Smart Button can ring your nearby phone, making it easier to find.⁴

Serving as an always-at-home device scanner, SmartThings Station helps Samsung Galaxy users to keep track of the locations of their registered devices — from smartphones, tablets, watches and earbuds to personal belongings such as keys or a wallet that have a Galaxy SmartTag or SmartTag+⁵ device attached. By routinely scanning for devices, SmartThings Station will tell users the location of connected smart devices or tags around the home and share an alert on the user’s smartphone when a tag or device leaves or returns home.⁶

A Fast Charging Pad That Fits Perfectly in a Smart Home

SmartThings Station is also a powerful charging pad supporting up to 15W wireless charging.⁷ Fast charging is an ingenious addition to a smart home hub because it works so well with the rhythms of life. Users can choose to receive an alert when charging is completed so they can pick up play where they have left off or switch to charge another device.

Availability

SmartThings Station will launch in the U.S. and Korea. The device will be available in black or white from early February 2023 in the U.S. market.

¹ Up to 15W wireless charging is available for devices that support 15W. Actual charging speeds may vary by device and depending on usage charging conditions and other factors.

² Available on Samsung Galaxy Smartphones with SmartThings app installed.

³ Only for Matter devices with a QR code.

⁴ Requires turning on the feature on the SmartThings app. Users also can turn off the feature or replace it with other routines or trigger both simultaneously.

⁵ Galaxy SmartTag/SmartTag+ sold separately.

⁶ Requires set-up on the SmartThings app.

⁷ Wireless charger requires power connection.

SmartThings Station makes it easy for users to automate their smart home environment¹ offering compatibility with a wide range of smart home products.² You can also keep track of your devices with SmartThings Station. Misplaced your smartphone? Just double press the Smart Button to trigger a pre-set activation to have your phone ring nearby. SmartThings Station also acts as a powerful fast charging pad with up to 15W wireless charging.

To learn more about SmartThings Station and how it can help you make the most of your smart home ecosystem, take a look at the infographic below.

¹ Pre-setting is required for features in advance via the SmartThings app.
² Compatible devices only such as certified Zigbee or Matter devices.