Samsung used last week’s CES in Las Vegas to unveil SmartThings Station, a Matter-compatible smart home hub and fast charging pad.

As the smart home market continues to grow, users need simple, interoperable and dependable ways to connect a more significant number of devices. SmartThings Station offers quick setup and compatibility with a range of smart home products, including Matter devices.

With SmartThings Station, users can automate different aspects of their home environment, setting routines that add convenience to their day and help reduce energy waste such as switching off lights and appliances easily.

“Having a smarter home shouldn’t be complicated or expensive,” said Jaeyeon Jung, executive vice president at Samsung Electronics. “So we wanted to create SmartThings Station as a simple, reliable and expandable smart home hub. The number of devices in a connected home continues to grow, especially in light of the recent Matter standard launch. We’re proud to play a role in making it easier to embrace this exciting technology.”

When a user powers the device on for the first time, pop-up messages will appear on a user’s Samsung Galaxy smartphone to help guide users through the connection process smoothly. Users may also choose the option to onboard devices with a scan of a QR code with a smartphone camera.

A smart home hub helps multiple devices, including thermostats, lighting and power outlets, seamlessly interconnect with other devices connected to the smart home server so they all work together to create a harmonised environment. SmartThings Station makes it easier to automate pre-set routines created via the SmartThings mobile app without requiring users to control individual devices manually.

With a press of a button on the SmartThings Station, users can activate a routine created on their SmartThings app. For example, when it’s time for bed, a quick tap could trigger a routine for sleep, which could turn off the lights, close the blinds and lower the temperature. Or, if a movie night is on the cards, a movie routine could turn on the TV and dim the lights. When leaving home, it can turn off power outlets and unused appliances to save energy and activate a security system. Users might also want a gaming routine, which could activate specific TV and lighting settings and turn on a do-not-disturb mode.

Consumers can trigger up to three different routines just by pressing the button, with short press, long press or double press activations. Routines can also be activated via the SmartThings app whether people are at home or away.

SmartThings Station is also integrated with the SmartThings Find asset tracking service. It helps users find misplaced devices; double pressing the button can ring the user’s nearby phone, making it easier to find.

Serving as an always-at-home device scanner, SmartThings Station helps Galaxy users keep track of the locations of their registered devices, from smartphones, tablets, watches and earbuds to personal belongings such as keys or a wallet that has a Galaxy SmartTag or SmartTag+ device attached. By routinely scanning for devices, SmartThings Station will tell users the location of connected smart devices or tags around the home and share an alert on the user’s smartphone when a tag or device leaves or returns home.

SmartThings Station is also a charging pad supporting up to 15W wireless charging. Users can choose to receive an alert when charging is completed so they can pick up play where they have left off or switch to charge another device.

SmartThings Station will launch in the USA and Korea. The device will be available in black or white from early February 2023 in the US market.