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Review on SAMSUNG SmartThings Hub 3rd Gen GP-U999SJVLGDA - Enhanced Connectivity, White by Brent Porter

Revainrating 1 out of 5

Fairly easy transition

I was informed that Iris, my previous home automation system, was shut down at the end of March 2019, so I immediately ordered a SmartThings hub as a replacement. It didn't hurt that it was one of Lowe's recommendations and that the vast majority of my devices would pass. Installation and migration were fairly painless. I unplugged each of my wearable devices one at a time and immediately connected them to Smartthings. I had an issue with a device that required phone support from Smartthings to pair, which turned out to be easy after Daniel called. My biggest concern was the thermostat. It was the 1st generation Iris device. Everything I read said it would pair as it turned out we had to download and install the previous version of the Smartthings app and install from there and it showed up in the new app. I still have 3 transition devices, I just didn't feel like crawling under the house for 2 of them or moving the car in the garage. I will do that next week as they are not mission critical today. Programming scenes, scheduling tasks, and assigning button functions was no harder than Iris, maybe even a little easier, or Iris has given me good experiences. . The programming options are about the same, I just wish there was a history event log. From Iris I was able to see very quickly if she was completing tasks and/or when the garage door was last raised or lowered. In theory, the geo-tracking feature looks promising, but it's very slow to be recognized once I get home and play the assigned scene. Over time, I'll be adding my Iris keychain and assigning scripts to be triggered by a button press from the car, rather than relying on the geo-tracking feature unless it's accelerating. Saw it online but for my simple needs I hope to have as good a relationship with Smartthings as I had with Iris. Rest in peace Iris, it was a fun ride. One more thing: Smartthings, find Daniel in customer service, give that guy a decent raise! He understood my needs and came to my rescue in a cool, calm and knowledgeable manner. People like him are hard to find and easy to lose.

Pros
  • Compatible with previous versions of SmartThings sensors and sockets
Cons
  • Boring packaging