Surprise delivery

I completely forgot I had won extra SmartThings from TheInsiders and was pleasantly surprised when a surprised delivery arrived for me this morning!

I won 3 items which were a multi sensor, a motion sensor and a power outlet. I’m really pleased with them as I love using them around the flat. Now all I need is my LGG4 to return from being repaired so I can connect them all and continue using them!

Surprise delivery

I have to say I absolutely love being an Insider and having the opportunity to take part in their product campaigns and the last two have really appealed to my geeky side. I can’t wait to see what campaign they run next!!


 

Samsung SmartThings win

Over the last few months, I’ve been posting about the Samsung SmartThings Starter kit I received to test and review in a word of mouth campaign thanks to The Insiders.

Samsung SmartThings Win

Throughout the campaign there were a few challenges to make videos. Unfortunately due to my anxiety I was really struggling to participate in these challenges. I contacted The Insiders to apologize. In the last few weeks of the campaign The Insiders added a challenge for those that reported conversations, posts etc the most so they could also win their starter kit.

Luckily I’ve spoken to a good few people about the starter kit as well as posting about how I have used it on-line and reported back several times.

A few days ago I received an amazing email from The Insiders! I was one of the lucky few that gets to keep their starter kit. I will also receive 3 extra sensors including the Motion, Presence & Multi sensors!

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To say I am over the moon would be an understatement. I thought all the challenges were over. Because I thought this, I was gutted I would have to send my starter kit back. I couldn’t afford £99 to buy it but getting to keep it along with 3 extras is awesome. Honestly, I cant wait to receive them and put them to good use!

Along with the LGG4 campaign I have thoroughly enjoyed being an Insider! I can’t wait to see what campaigns are coming up next!

SmartThinking with Samsung SmartThings

Last week I revealed the Samsung smartThings package sent to me from TheInsiders, I explained how I had used the SmartThings Power outlet to control the table lamp in my living room. It was so simple to use via the SmartThings app on my phone.

SmartThinking

I was sat for a while struggling to think of ways to test the other SmartThings and I had no suggestions. (hardly surprising after a 2yr break from blogging and a slow start!) Then a delivery driver annoyed me by posting a card through without knocking last week, he gave me an idea of how to use the SmartThings

Missed Deliveries

I’m sure we have all had it in the past where a sneaky delivery driver tries to silently push through a missed delivery card. I guess it saves them the few minutes it takes for you to answer the door and sign for a parcel. Its happened to me several times, some I’ve caught out and managed to get the parcel. Others I’ve missed and ended up having to collect from a sorting office. I was trying to think of a way to catch him out using the SmartThings. Living in a tower block of flats I wasn’t keen on the idea of attaching anything on the outside to alert me of their presence so the Multi-Sensor was out of the question.

SmartThinking Motion-Sensor

Motion Sensor

Eventually, I decided to try the Motion Sensor. I figured if I attached it to the inside of my letterbox, I could probably set it up to send me a notification on my phone if anything came through. At least this way I will know as soon as the card is put through the door. Then I can get to the door before they jump in the lift!

Letterbox Motion Sensor

Setting Up

I attached the monitors and synced them to the SmartThings app This really is simpler to do than I thought it might be! I chose to be alerted whenever the letterbox opens and closes. Then I set the notification tone to the noisiest one I could find. Now, whenever I receive letters or ‘Miss’ a delivery I receive a notification saying ‘You’ve got mail!’. This has helped us out loads this week as we have begun ordering presents ready for Christmas. I have already managed to catch a delivery driver before he got in the lif,t, so I’m really pleased!

Easy To Use

I have been majorly impressed by how quick, simple and easy it has been to set up & use the SmartThings and control them via the SmartThings App. Admittedly I get notifications whenever the door is opened and closed however as I have a 5yo daughter who has recently begun to try answering the front door alone it has actually been more useful than annoying. It also lets me know when my 16mo daughter is trying to post toys and pegs out the door too!

More SmartThinking Needed!

I’m still unsure how to use the SmartThings Multi Sensor and Presence sensor so if any of you have any idea’s you’d like me to try I’ll give it a go! Otherwise I shall hopefully have something figured out by next weekend!

Samsung SmartThings

I previously posted here that I had been selected to test the Samsung SmartThings starter kit thanks to The Insiders!

So after a few weeks of having the Samsung SmartThings and trying to work out what to do with them, I eventually braved opening the parcel to see what The Insiders had sent me.

SamsungSmartThings
Samsung SmartThings Starter Kit

Inside the Samsung SmartThings Starter Kit

  • SmartThings Hub
  • SmartThings Multi-Sensor
  • SmartThings Motion Sensor
  • SmartThings Presence Sensor
  • Smarthings Power Outlet
SmartThings Plug

Setting Up

The Hub itself is a simple design. It connects to your router enabling all your Things to wirelessly connect allowing you to control them via the SmartThings app.

It is easy enough to set up the hub and connecting the SmartThings app to it is done by entering a short code that is supplied in the box.

Once you have connected the hub and set up the SmartThings app your ready to go!

SmartThings Power Outlet

The first thing I tried was the SmartThings Power Outlet to control our table lamp in the living room. To do this I plugged the lamp into the Power outlet which goes into your usual Plug socket.

I then went into the SmartThings app and Added ‘Living Room’ as a room. Then I had the option to turn the outlet on and off.

I was instantly impressed I could just simply use my Smart phone to turn the outlet on or off, set a timer or set it to interact with another product such as the Presence sensor or Motion detector. This means the possibilities are almost endless allowing you to use your imagination to come up with all sorts of useful ideas. After playing around with the app I also discovered you can see what the power usage is of the Power outlet.

Having Fun

I considered testing out all the Things and sharing the results all in one blog post. Instead I thought perhaps I could make this even more fun. Since I will be testing this for a few weeks I’llask my readers for some suggestions! So, What would you do with the Samsung SmartThings? What Should I test next and what should I try to do with them? Leave a comment with your suggestions and ill try them out!

Watch this space…

Watch this space! The Insiders have once again allowed me to participate in one of their amazing campaigns. I can’t wait to share it with you all!

In a previous post I mentioned I received the LGG4 and LG Infinim headphones to test and review and posted a short & sweet review here.

This time However I have been invited to test out the Samsung Smart things! Im very excited to see what is in the box as the description describes the Samsung Smart things as being “the best way to cheaply and easily keep you connected and in control of your home.”.

I’m expecting the box to arrive within the next fortnight and will be sharing with you all just what exactly is in the box and my thoughts on the product itself so watch this space!!