Tips From The Top

It’s one of our favorite times of the year – the annual CES convention from the Consumer Technology Association. Every January in Las Vegas, thousands of folks come together to hear and see and experience the major new tech innovations hitting the market. How could we not love this event? It’s got everything. And even better – it shows us the incredible new tech we can bring to our clients and their homes.

As always, global leader Samsung has introduced a whole slew of new innovations, plus given some key talks on AI and other tech developments. For our clients, we are really excited to bring them Samsung’s new SmartThings Map View feature. It streamlines home tech management using a 3D map that can be seen on your TV or mobile device.

The average home today has 16 connected devices. For our clients, that’s often much higher. There’s been a lot of talk about Samsung’s upcoming Map View feature, and this week proves the hype is worth it. SmartThings can integrate a home’s actual floor plans, furniture, and technology to streamline its management for the home owner. This feature simplifies their management by showing the entire home, its layout and devices, in one map image that shows on a TV or mobile device. No need to scroll through lists to find the right device. It allows the owner to monitor energy consumption and make changes at will. It also provides real-time monitoring of devices like cameras and washers and dryers, and options to change their home’s temperature or lighting. (It’s fun, too – if the home is too warm, the AI characters will start sweating.)

It's pretty cool how the map is made. If your home’s floor plan is available online, you can input the address and have the layout created automatically. Many of our clients have unique, individualized home plans, and they can take a photo and SmartThings will convert it to a 3D layout. You can even sketch the plan in the app. If you have a Jet Bot vacuum or the Ballie AI robot, these Samsung’s LiDAR enabled devices can scan the home and generate the floor plan automatically. Ballie can put devices in their right position.

Because of its easy, intuitive features, Map View is a great tool for anyone – from beginner to experienced – to better manage their home’s smart devices. This could be the ideal doorway for someone new to integrated home tech to comfortably find out exactly what their home can do – and how much the integration of technology can improve their home’s security, energy use, day-to-day activities, and overall entertainment and comfort.

To learn more about how your home can benefit from new Samsung innovations, call us at Jackson Hole AV. We’d love to discuss the possibilities.