Smart home automation provider SmartThings recently took its strategic partnership with Signify smart lighting brand Philips Hue by launching a new integration that allows users without a hub to seamlessly control their Philips Hue lighting experience with the SmartThings app, alongside other smart devices.
This is achieved through the SmartThings Schema cloud-to-cloud protocol, which is available now in more than 10 million homes in over 100 countries worldwide.
“Philips Hue and SmartThings have a history of successful innovation, and this marks the next stage of continued collaboration and partnership,” said Ralf Elias, the vice president of IoT & Global Business Development at SmartThings. The company, established in 2012, operates independently as a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics
“This integration will make connecting Hue devices with the SmartThings platform simpler and more enjoyable for our joint users, and is an ideal example of the benefits and frictionless on-boarding possible through SmartThings’ Schema,” Elias said.
Breaking down IoT adoption barriers
Together, Philips Hue and SmartThings hope to ease the barrier to entry for IoT adoption in the home – first with frictionless installation and control; and second with interoperability, lending more utility and functionality of consumers’ favourite devices, that they are already using everyday via the SmartThings app.
Once connected, users can add, connect, and control a wide range of Philips Hue lights, bulbs, and other smart home devices to the SmartThings App – accessible through mobile and Samsung TVs – and manage them all from one place, making it easy to automate when and how you use your Philips Hue lights.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with SmartThings and believe this is an essential step in providing the best smart lighting experience for our users. Being the best connected and most comprehensive smart lighting system in the world, this SmartThings integration is a logical addition to our Philips Hue ecosystem, and we can’t wait for our users to try and enjoy,” said Duncan McCue, head of partnerships at Philips Hue.
