This PC upgrade is the weirdest thing I’ve added to Samsung SmartThings yet
When I started my smart home journey, it was through Samsung SmartThings. I’ve used this platform to control everything from smart switches and thermostats to motion sensors and thermometers. But my latest addition still managed to surprise me.
When a monitor is just a monitor
A smart home monitor, TV, and hub
I recently purchased a Samsung Smart Monitor M8. As the name suggests, this is not a new product. The M8 follows the M7, which was also a smart monitor. The M8 itself debuted in 2022. Mine is the latest update, so I’m still getting the promised seven years of updates, but it’s actually a three-year-old product.
However, no one I showed the monitor to knew this type of product existed. I work in tech and haven’t heard any coworkers mention using one. I’m willing to bet many of you aren’t familiar with the concept either, so let’s break this down. Samsung’s Smart Monitor is actually a TV shaped like a monitor, and it comes with a remote control that’s almost identical to the Frame TV mounted on my wall. It runs the same One UI software on Tizen. I can stream videos to it and even mirror my screen by pressing my Galaxy Z Fold 6 against the edge of the monitor, thereby activating Samsung’s Tap View. When I connect my phone via the included USB-C cable, Samsung DeX appears and I have a 4K desktop (once I enable higher resolution support in Good Lock, of course).
And like my Frame TV, this smart monitor is a smart home hub that can control my smart home devices.
Control a monitor from Samsung SmartThings
Are there any advantages to controlling a monitor from an app?
Since the Smart Monitor M8 is a TV that acts as a monitor, I can use SmartThings to control it in the same way as my Frame TV. The app can act as a remote control, opening a virtual D-pad and buttons to navigate the user interface. This feature is a godsend, since my wife and I ordered two of these monitors and placed them side by side on our shared workspace, which is actually an IKEA counter mounted on desk legs. The remotes that come with our monitors control both at the same time, which as you can imagine is totally disruptive when we’re both working at the same time.
The SmartThings app allows us to bypass monitor controls and change settings directly in the app. I can browse shows on my phone to stream them to the monitor. I can use my phone as a mic for karaoke or a virtual gamepad for gaming. And I can turn off the monitor remotely if I forget to do so at the end of my work day.
Control a smart home from your office
I’m happy to put a hub in all things
The SmartThings app on my M8 monitor is virtually identical to the one on my TV. It can display all the connected devices in my house, ranging from the Govee floor lamps in our living room to the exhaust fan in my kids’ bathroom (connected via a TP-Link Tapo S505 smart switch). These devices can appear as a list divided by room or be accessible via a 3D map view. I admit I thought the latter was a gimmick, but it’s actually an intuitive way to control a home, much faster than clicking through a list when you have as many connected devices as I do.
The M8 monitor serves as a smart home hub, a necessary component for connecting all the smart home devices you’ve purchased to a centralized app. This hub also serves as a Matter controller, so you can add any Matter device. With Bixby and Alexa built-in, I have the ability to control my home via voice commands. Personally, I prefer Bixby.
Even if the monitor doesn’t serve as your primary hub, it’s still a viable addition to a smart home. The monitor also serves as a presence sensor by detecting light, movement and sound. This allows me to create automations that trigger when I enter the room.
In many ways, the M8 Smart Monitor is overkill. I would have loved the built-in streaming apps in college, but I have little interest in using my monitor as a TV today. Still, being able to stream video to my monitor without needing to plug in a cable is great. What about all the smart home additions? Even better. If I had bought it a year earlier, it probably would have beaten my TV as the gateway to my All-Matter smart home.
