CES 2023: The $60 box is friendly with Matter and Thread
Samsung may have deviated away from releasing individual SmartThings devices over the last couple of years, but it’s not entirely out of the game just yet.
At CES 2023, the company has unveiled the SmartThings Station, a neat multi-function box that can act as a smart button, home hub and 15W wireless charger.
Related: How Samsung wants to control your Matter smart home
Releasing first in Korea ahead of a US launch in February, the $60 Station packs in the ability to work as a Matter controller and Thread Border Router while still, of course, able to fulfill all the usual responsibilities of a Zigbee SmartThings hub.
This allows it to onboard any Matter-compatible devices – ranging from speakers to smart lights – as well as link them up via Thread. Naturally, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios are also in tow.
There isn’t any Z-Wave support, though, meaning the Aotec SmartThings Hub is still the option for controlling those devices.
It’s a fairly innocuous design, overall – and one that feels like a novel progression from the standard, single-purpose home hubs of yore.
Samsung has included a small button on the face of the device, as we say, allowing users to control smart home scenes and devices set up through the SmartThings app. A single tap, for example, might turn all the lights in a room on, while a double tap or long press could be programmed to arm a home security system.
Guide: Best Matter smart home devices
Interestingly, since it also acts as a wireless charger for smartphones, these can also be included in home automation. If you have a Galaxy phone, say, placing it on the Station after a certain time could kickstart a bedtime routine.
It even links up with SmartThings’ Find feature, meaning it can be set up to help locate a Galaxy smartphone. Pressing it, then, could automatically trigger a phone ring, or potentially scan for the whereabouts of all your Galaxy gadgets.
We look forward to testing this one out over the next few months – especially given it’s one of the first devices to actually launch with Matter built-in.
