Samsung’s smart way to control homes remotely

Samsung has unveiled a new line of smart products that will enable people to control and monitor their homes remotely.

The South Korean technology giant confirmed that five new smart home sensors from their SmartThings range, as well as a central hub to control them all, are coming to the UK this month.

The range of sensors, which were shown off during an event at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, are designed to fit onto doors, windows, and other areas of the home and can detect movement, location, and even moisture, reporting back through notifications to a smartphone.

Samsung UK president Andy Griffiths has previously said that the smart home trend will become increasingly popular.

“There has been a huge change in the way the connected world is established, and so to take that forward 10 years it’s interesting to note that the main trend we believe by then will be the connected home,” said Griffiths.

Samsung acquired SmartThings last year in a deal worth $200m.

During the live demonstration, Samsung also showed off a Presence sensor that knows the location of users and their loved ones by using smartphones as location beacons, sending a notification to a parent’s phone when a child arrives home from school for example.

The SmartThings range also includes a moisture sensor that the firm says will detect leaks, as well as a device that fits onto plugs that can then control a power supply to it.

This can then be programmed to automatically boil the kettle when an alarm goes off in the morning, said Samsung.

A new app will launch alongside the sensors from which users can set up and control all their sensors, said the firm, as well as creating daily routines and timings for different devices around the home.

The new system can also be used to add third-party products to a home ecosystem, including Bose speakers and Philips Hue smart light bulbs.

Samsung confirmed that prices for the new line of sensors range from £30 to £45, while the central Hub, which connects to a WiFi router, will cost £99.