SmartThings adds support for TCP, Quirky, and Ecobee
The fee-free home automation platform is starting to look like a true contender for smart home supremacy.
- 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated to include information regarding the recently announced Quirky Channels on IFTTT.
SmartThings is welcoming some new third-party devices into its smart home family, with newly announced support for the Ecobee thermostat, the Quirky Pivot Power Genius , and Connected by TCP LEDs .
The announcement comes hot on the heels of SmartThings adding support for popular connected products such as the Belkin WeMo family of devices, Philips Hue color-changing bulbs, and the Sonos home music system . As with those products, SmartThings users will now be able to control and automate today's additions directly through the SmartThings app.
All of the new integrations come by way of SmartThings Labs, where the company's in-house team works in conjunction with outside developers to add support for third-party devices. It's proven to be a powerful weapon for the growing smart home brand, as the list of SmartThings-compatible locks, thermostats, lights, and other connected products is starting to overtake what we're seeing from alternative control options like Staples Connect and Revolv . In the race toward the smart home singularity, where single systems will hypothetically be able to control a whole houseful of varying connected products, SmartThings seems to have the most momentum.
Ecobee, TCP, and Quirky all stand to benefit from today's news as well, since SmartThings integration gives each brand an extra boost of connected appeal. Owners of the TCP Wireless LED kit haven't had a way to automate their lights using things like motion detectors or presence sensors -- but they will now, through SmartThings. Ecobee users will be able to integrate their thermostat into the SmartThings app alongside other supported devices.
As for the Quirky Pivot Power Genius, a flexible power strip with two automatable smart sockets, users will be able to turn their devices on and off through the SmartThings app, or by using another SmartThings-compatible device as a trigger. This, along with the recent debut of dedicated Quirky channels on IFTTT, a popular Web-based automation service, makes the Pivot Power Genius a much more intriguing product, and an undeniably more useful one, as well.
SmartThings is promising to continue expanding its support for third-party devices, including upcoming products like the August Smart Lock . We'll keep you posted as we hear more.