BackFuture of homes: When Samsung’s TV, fridge, washing machine talk to each other
India’s only IoT ecosystem offers seamless interconnectivity between devices, but is expensiveThe fridge, washing machine and television can work in tandem while your phone adds a fourth device to control them
PremiumNEW DELHI : Samsung’s connected ecosystem in India comprises a huge smart fridge, a smart washing machine and high-end quantum dot (QLED) televisions. Together, the three devices would cost you a fortune, making them products meant only for the uber-rich.
That said, the company is perhaps the only one that has a complete Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem in the country. If you have all three, the fridge, washing machine and television can work in tandem while your phone (Android or iOS) adds a fourth device to control them.
The fridge: The Family Hub, which is Samsung’s smart fridge, holds the most connected functionalities. The internet-connected device has a bunch of pre-loaded apps including a calendar, shopping list and whiteboard.
These show up on a huge 21.5-inch touchscreen on one of its four doors. The touchscreen is at the heart of the fridge’s functionalities. You can control the internal temperatures from here, your phone or even from the TV.
The fridge also has cameras inside, which can take a snap of what’s inside your fridge at all times, and make that photo available to you anywhere. You can take a quick look at this while you’re out shopping for groceries, etc. The fridge can also interface with some apps on your phone, like Spotify, which can be used to play music on the fridge.
The TV: The concept of IoT is based on continuity, meaning you can perform the same tasks across devices. So, the TV allows you to view inside the fridge if you need to, or quickly view the shopping list you have created and other such tasks.
If you need to make a quick snack while watching TV, but don’t want to pause the content, the fridge can show you what’s playing on the TV as long as they’re on the same network. You can also pause, fast forward, etc., from the fridge, and its own speakers are loud enough for you to hear things over other noises in the kitchen.
The washing machine: The FlexWash machine is more of a stand-alone device. However, you can also turn it on and off from your phone, TV or the fridge. It’s still a washing machine though, so some manual labour will be involved. It has two washers, each of which come with different controls that are all available on Samsung’s app. If you have clothes loaded into the machine already, you can start and stop washing cycles from other devices anytime, provided they’re on the same Wi-Fi network.
The phone: While Samsung’s apps for this entire ecosystem are optimized for their own Galaxy branded phones, you can download them on any Android or iOS device. That means if you’re investing in the Samsung ecosystem, you won’t need to change your phone to use it. The phone essentially acts as the bridge between all the products. On Samsung phones, you can use Bixby (the company’s voice assistant) to give commands to the products, just like you can do on the Family Hub. Bixby could, in future, be the one stop solution for controlling all the products through voice commands.
Verdict: There’s really no verdict you can give about such an ecosystem. The products are too expensive for most people, and many of the products aren’t even meant for regular homes. For instance, Samsung had to take the fridge’s doors apart to get it into our home, while the washing machine requires specific types of taps that many won’t have in their home.
However, the Family Hub, QLED TV and FlexWash together give us a glimpse into the future. At the moment, many of these features can feel redundant or even useless but, this is how things will work in future connected homes .
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
