SmartThings’ new hub uses Samsung cameras to monitor users’ home

SmartThings, the open-platform smart home company that sold itself to Samsung a year ago, is rolling out its first new product line since it was acquired by the Korean electronics giant, The Verge reported.

The new SmartThings "smart hub," a router-like device that supports various wireless protocols and powers a series of sensors around the house, has a new design and is equipped with a more powerful processor to support video monitoring.

That means that SmartThings users can connect a home monitoring camera, either a D-Link camera or a Samsung-made one (natch), to the new hub and monitor the live video feed from the SmartThings mobile app. While the app will serve a continuous live-stream of video, video isn't sent through SmartThings' servers, the company says, and is only recorded in the event of activity. The new hub will also have battery back-up capabilities, lasting 10 hours in the event of a power outage.

"We see home security as the biggest starting point, by far, for the smart home," Alex Hawkinson, SmartThings founder and CEO, said in an interview. "Before SmartThings was easy for early adopters, but I think now we're mass market easy."

The SmartThings mobile app for iOS and Android have been redesigned for a more intuitive experience, Hawkinson said.