Samsung has announced a system to link together a household’s various gadgets, appliances, and utility controls, as the electronics giant looks to expand into the growing trend for an ‘internet of things’.
Samsung said the service would initially be limited to its own products, but added it planned to support third parties’ devices in time.
It said one way the Smart Home service could be used would be to turn off a home’s lights and TV if the owner said “going out” into a smartwatch app.
Andy Griffiths, President Samsung Electronics UK and Ireland said: “With Samsung Smart Home, we are bringing our capabilities as the world’s number-one manufacturer of smart devices to make the connected home a reality for consumers today.”
Samsung Smart Home’s unique functionality enables users to control and manage their home devices through a single application by connecting personal and home devices, from refrigerators and washing machines to Smart TVs, digital cameras, smartphones and even the wearable device Galaxy Gear, through an integrated platform and server.
Samsung Smart Home will initially provide three main service features enabling users to connect with their devices from anywhere, anytime: Device Control, Home View and Smart Customer Service.
With Device Control, users can use customised settings on their mobile devices or Smart TV to monitor or control home devices — turning on air conditioning or activating lighting, for example — while inside or outside the home, or even while travelling abroad. At the touch of a dedicated Smart Home app icon on their device, the service enables users to control one or multiple devices simultaneously no matter where they are.
Smart Home also offers a voice command function on all the controller devices. If a user says “Going Out” to his Galaxy Gear device, home lighting and selected appliances are turned off. If the user says “Goodnight” to their Smart TV remote control, the TV will be turned off and lights dimmed and gradually turned off. Users can also use chat control on their smartphone app as a fun, convenient way to communicate with their devices.
With the service’s Home View feature, users can use their smartphone to get real-time views of the home via in-built appliance cameras; and Smart Home’s Smart Customer Service notifies users when it’s time to service appliances or replace consumables, and provides assistance in after-sales servicing.
Initial deployment of Samsung Smart Home will focus on a range of Samsung Smart TVs, home appliances and smartphones. The service will gradually expand its coverage by including additional Samsung products as well as other manufacturers’ devices and appliances.
Samsung has also developed a dedicated Smart Home software protocol (SHP) to enable connectivity between all Samsung Smart Home products as well as those from other device and appliance manufacturers. Through this strategy, Samsung aims to create a foundation for an emerging ecosystem of connected home services in collaboration with its partners.
Samsung also plans to expand the Smart Home service to cover home-energy, secure home access, healthcare, and eco home applications through the partnerships with third-party service providers in these sectors, helping foster joint commercial opportunities and grow the connected home service marketplace.
Last year, Samsung established an internal organisation, the Smart Home Steering Committee, to align all of the company’s product groups, including its R&D arm, behind the Smart Home platform and co-ordinate the development of innovative services and commercial partnerships around the service.
The South Korean firm will show off the technology at its booth at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) when it opens in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Other companies are expected to demonstrate competing visions at the event.
http://www.samsung.com/uk/discover/news/samsung-at-ces-2014/