The IoT (Internet of Things) concept has taken root in recent years, as the SmartThings platform and the Matter standard helped to push the idea of an interconnected tech world closer to reality.
At present, for many Samsung fans, the company is more than a smartphone maker. Samsung is a premium manufacturer of tablets, laptop PCs, smart wearables, TVs, and home appliances.
Thanks to the latest advancements in AI (Artificial Intelligence) and IoT, even products that used to exist in their own narrow niche, such as refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, and air conditioning units, have more in common with and are more connected to mobile phones than ever.
However, Samsung's home appliance product catalog is vast and can feel intimidating. That is why we set out to demystify all this technology and make it easier for our readers and Samsung fans to understand the company's product lineup, starting with refrigerators, vacuums, and AC units.
First things first, what does Bespoke mean?
When it comes to Samsung home appliances, Bespoke might be the most well-known sub-brand. Even if you don't own a Samsung appliance, chances are that you've at least heard of Bespoke. But what does it mean? Don't worry, it's nothing complicated.
For the most part, Bespoke is a design language. Home appliances from the Bespoke line are meant to visually fit together and complement each other in the kitchen and around the house. They share a common design language, and usually, they offer in-depth customization options. You can even tell Samsung to print your custom photo on Bespoke fridge door panels and truly customize them to your liking.
The Bespoke brand is usually reserved for the best home appliances, which means looking for this label can be an easy way to spot a smart appliance versus one that isn't. Indeed, Samsung also manufactures appliances that don't sync up with the SmartThings platform, hence they don't fit the IoT description, but those aren't usually Bespoke.
However, even though smart capabilities and Bespoke usually go hand-in-hand, it's important to keep in mind that non-Bespoke products that have smart capabilities exist. Even if every Bespoke products is essentially smart, a product doesn't have to be Bespoke to be smart — and some fit that description. The terms ‘Bespoke' and ‘SmartThings' often overlap, but it's worth knowing that you don't have to buy a Bespoke product to take advantage of at least some smart IoT features and SmartThings integration.
Samsung refrigerators
Samsung sells numerous refrigerator models in different shapes and sizes. Some are Bespoke, others are not. More importantly, not every Samsung fridge has smart capabilities, and others are only marginally smart.
For example, some Samsung refrigerators don't interact with the SmartThings app whatsoever. They are more or less classic fridges with modern designs and engineering, but they don't have any real smart capabilities. The best way to determine if a Samsung fridge is smart is to look for the “SmartThings” keyword on Samsung's e-shop. If there's no mention of SmartThings, it's not going to be smart.
Other Samsung fridges sync with the SmartThings mobile app but offer a somewhat limited set of smart features. They inform users if the fridge door is open, temperatures fluctuate, or when they need to change the water filter. They can also help users lower their monthly electricity bill with a bit of clever management through the SmartThings app.
The smarter Samsung refrigerators not only do all that through SmartThings but also leverage AI capabilities to keep track of the items you stored in the fridge and even their expiration dates. They can recommend recipes and meal plans through the SmartThings app, help you create and manage shopping lists, and more.
Some smart fridges even have internal cameras that let you look inside the fridge without opening it, either through the SmartThings app or, in the case of the Family Hub series, their own external touchscreens embedded in one of the doors.
If you're in the market for a Samsung fridge, Bespoke or no, you can think of them as:
- Regular, non-smart fridges without SmartThings and IoT capabilities.
- Smart with minimal SmartThings integration and monitoring.
- Smart with clever AI and deep SmartThings integration.
- And Smart with clever AI, deep SmartThings integration, cameras inside, and a 32-inch Tizen-powered touchscreen in one of the doors.
Samsung vacuum cleaners
If you're looking for Samsung vacuums online at resellers, you can find all sorts of Samsung-branded models on sale, and your mileage might vary depending on your market. Some retailers even sell classic vacuum cleaners on wheels, but for the purpose of this page, we will focus on two of the more modern designs.
One such design is the cordless Jet Stick vacuum, and the other is the roaming Bespoke Jet Bot Combo robot. Some of these vacuums connect to SmartThings and let you monitor things like battery charge, empty the vacuum's dustbin to the Clean Station (if the vacuum has one), see energy usage history, and check the filter status.
Between Jet Stick and Bespoke Jet Bot Combo, the latter is by far the smarter Samsung vacuum. And depending on which Bot you have, you can even monitor your home remotely through a live video stream captured by your vacuum cleaner and fed to your SmartThings mobile app through the internet. These AI Bots can even detect if your pet is barking and send you notifications and a live video feed to your phone.
Select Jet Stick and Bespoke Jet Bot Combo vacuum cleaners use AI to automatically adjust suction power based on the surfaces they're cleaning. However, the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI series uses the most advanced AI to identify objects and stain types and adjust their behavior according to the data they process.
Samsung Air Conditioning (HVAC)
Samsung offers HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) units with SmartThings capabilities across three categories: single-room, whole-home, and commercial solutions. For the purpose of this page, we'll focus on single-room AC units.
If you're in the market for a Samsung air conditioning unit that can connect to your phone via SmartThings, the WindFree series is your answer. Right now, WindFree 3.0 is the latest.
WindFree air conditioners let you control numerous parameters from your phone, even remotely, but can also learn from your usage patterns. They can turn on automatically based on your location and cool down your living space before you reach home.
These clever WindFree air conditioning units can wash away dirt and dust through the Freeze Wash function, which means they require less maintenance than regular AC units. At the push of a button, Freeze Wash quickly frosts the air side of the indoor unit heat exchanger, defrosts the ice, and dries the coil.
