Samsung and RACV bring Smart Home platform SmartThings to Australia from today – but only in Victoria

Smart Home enthusiasts have long lamented the lack of Samsung’s smart home platform ‘SmartThings’. Today marks the introduction of Samsung SmartThings in Australia, with a new partnership with the RACV.

The partnership between the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria and Samsung will offer RACV customers the option to purchase a SmartThings Starter Kit alongside a professional installation. The kit includes a SmartThings Wi-Fi Hub used to connect the many devices in the SmartThings range, as well as several sensors which can include motion, temperature, orientation and door/window sensors. Samsung and the RACV say this kit will also come with ‘an assisted installation service by a SmartThings specialist to ensure customers get the most out of the system’.

The RACV Smart Home Starter Kit kit will only be available for Victorian residents, who will be able to purchase the kit and arrange for the professional installation for $378 in total with the kit priced at $299, while the installation is an additional $79.

While the initial offering is for a basic kit, the Samsung SmartThings platform can also connect a wide range of smart third-party devices. The range does include cameras, lights, locks, speakers and smoke detectors but only pricing and availability is for the starter kit through RACV.

Samsung SmartThings is often pointed to as a leading smart home platform with a ubiquitous reach due to the support of the many disparate smart home protocols out there including ZigBee and Z-Wave, as well as being able to access and control other smart devices on your home network. While other solutions are available, the SmartThings kit is a very attractive consumer friendly bundle.

Samsung SmartThings platform and range of IoT devices can be controlled through the Samsung SmartThings app, or through voice assistants including Google Assistant and Alexa, as well as Samsung’s own voice assistant Bixby.

Nicole Brasz, Home Executive General Manager at RACV said that they are delighted to partner with Samsung to launch the SmartThings Starter Kit. The RACV sees the SmartThings kit as an opportunity for their members to help make their homes more efficient and their lives easier. The launch is part of a growing trend adopting smart home devices, which Ms Brasz sasy is predicted to reach 30 connected devices per household in the next couple of years.

Considering smart technology in Australia is growing substantially each year, RACV is committed to meeting the changing needs of our members in their homes. Australians are predicted to have over 30 connected devices per household in the next couple years. Gaining greater control on the way our homes are run is a crucial step in maximising potential efficiencies. The Smart Home Starter Kit is a fantastic first step for Australians to start to connect and automate their homes. Each kit comes with an installation and basic training service by a SmartThings specialist to help customers get the most out of their new platform and existing smart devices.

The SmartThings bundle is ONLY available in Australia via the RACV initially, similar to the launch of Google’s Nest smart devices in Australia when they partnered with iSelect. Just as with that launch however, the platform should hopefully expand with availability to other outlets after the initial exclusivity period has worn off – but note, Samsung hasn’t shared any plans on this front.

Update: In response to queries on the ZWave compatability here in Australia, Samsung Australia have advised :

The Australian SmartThings hub does have an active ZWave connection which supports the Australian ZWave frequency 921.4Mhz, which means ZWave smart products purchased in Australia will work with the SmartThings hub.