“The Internet of Things,” a buzz-phrase that has popped up in the news cycle for years, is a key focus at CES 2014. The idea that one day even our toasters would have Wi-Fi connectivity is no longer a joke, and now some of the most influential electronics companies in the world are trying to connect not only our appliances, but our phones, our televisions and even our entire homes. Samsung announced this week that it would be unveiling Samsung Smart Home at this year’s CES, “a service enabling users to control and manage their home devices through a single application.”
“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,” said Wonpyo Hong, President, Media Solutions Center, Samsung Electronics. “In the coming days, we will continue to roll out better home services to our consumers to enable them to keep enjoying a brand-new experience of ‘Smart Living and Beyond’.”
The three main features of the initial release of Smart Home are Device Control, Home View and Smart Customer Service. Device Control allows users to control their homes from a smartphone or Smart TV, Home View gives users a live feed to any appliance cameras within their homes, and Smart Customer Service will let users know when something needs repairing or replacing.
According to the release, Samsung Smart Home, which will connect refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, camera, phones, watches and more, will see a commercial release in the first half of 2o14. The full press release follows below, along with a diagram of how the service will work.
Samsung Unveils New Era of Smart Home at CES 2014
Samsung Smart Home enables home devices connectivity through a single integrated platform; provides foundation for emerging ecosystem of connected home services
Samsung Electronics announced Samsung Smart Home, a service enabling Smart TVs, home appliances and smartphones to be connected and managed through a single integrated platform.
The Samsung Smart Home brand and product logo will debut at CES 2014 in Las Vegas, and the service will be commercially rolled out across Samsung devices and appliances in the first half of 2014. Pursuing its vision for a connected world, Samsung will also collaborate with third-party partners to make the Smart Home service extendible to their products and services, building the foundation for a rapidly-growing ecosystem of connected home services.
“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,” said Wonpyo Hong, President, Media Solutions Center, Samsung Electronics. “In the coming days, we will continue to roll out better home services to our consumers to enable them to keep enjoying a brand-new experience of ‘Smart Living and Beyond’.”
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 customized 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 ‘good night’ to their Smart TV remote control, the TV will be turned off and lights dimmed and gradually turned off in readiness for sleep. 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 also 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.
Led by Mr. Hong, Samsung established an internal organization in the middle of last year — called 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.
