Samsung launches new SmartThings camera, smart plug, and light bulb

Samsung is expanding the range of its SmartThings line of connected smart home gadgets today with the new $89.99 SmartThings Cam, $17.99 SmartThings Wifi Smart Plug, and $9.99 SmartThings Smart Bulb. The new products work within the SmartThings ecosystem and are available starting today.

All three products fill some gaps in the SmartThings lineup with entry-level devices that are ideal for smart home beginners. They also are aggressively priced, either matching or undercutting the main players in their respective areas. The Cam and Smart Plug can be used with or without a SmartThings hub, while the Smart Bulb uses Zigbee 3.0 and relies on the hub for connectivity. All three devices work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung’s own Bixby voice assistants.

The SmartThings Cam costs notably less than the Nest Cam or Amazon’s Cloud Cam, but it still offers full HD video with HDR, IR for night vision, two-way audio, person detection, and a 145-degree field of view. It comes with 24-hour cloud storage backup (for up to four cameras) at no additional charge, with an option for 30-day backup for up to eight cameras for $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year. None of the hardware features, such as person detection, require the cloud subscription, unlike Google’s Nest Cam. It comes with a stand that can either hold the camera on a shelf or mantle or be used to mount it to the wall. The video feed can be viewed in the SmartThings mobile apps for iOS or Android, or on one of Samsung’s FamilyHub refrigerators or a Samsung TV.

The Wifi Smart Plug is a straightforward smart plug that’s small enough to allow for two to fit on the same wall outlet. It’s very similar in function to Amazon’s Smart Plug, but it’s even less expensive and works with Google Assistant in addition to Alexa.

Similarly, the Smart Bulb is a simple 9-watt smart LED light bulb with 806 lumens of rated output. It has a warm white color (2700K) and can be dimmed, but it doesn’t have the ability to display other shades of white or a full color spectrum, as some more expensive smart bulbs do.

Samsung says that, despite the launch of these products, it’s still committed to SmartThings as a platform, and it isn’t planning to stop working with third-party partners anytime soon. SmartThings, which originally launched in 2012 before being acquired by Samsung in 2014, works as a centralized hub to link various smart home products from different brands together, manage them, and build automations with them. It acts as the backbone of Samsung’s smart home ambitions, linking everything from its line of TVs to its home appliances to gadgets like what’s being announced today.

Currently, the SmartThings platform works with over 600 compatible devices from 60 different companies, many of which overlap with the new products Samsung is launching today. But the new Cam and Smart Plug do offer a way for Samsung to get prospective buyers interested in the SmartThings platform without having to purchase a hardware hub, while the Smart Bulb provides Samsung with an option to make easy lighting kit bundles that include a hub and a couple of light bulbs.