Samsung is about to kill the SmartThings Link for NVIDIA Shield and original SmartThings Hub

This story was originally published by 2021/03/01
9:39 AM PST1 March 2021 And last update 2021/06/04
2:15 PM PDTJune 4, 2021.

Change is inevitable in life, and unfortunately for us as we invest in a diverse product ecosystem, change eventually means upgrades. Samsung is now transitioning to the next-generation platform SmartThings, a smart home system. As new devices are released, some older components need to be replaced before they stop working. Samsung is sharing news of this transition with owners of these devices, including: SmartThings Link USB Dongle It can integrate with the Nvidia Shield and the original SmartThings Hub.

Information initially sent to SmartThings Link owners, including: Our tipstersvia email in March. Without SmartThings Link support, Samsung’s smart home systems won’t be able to access the Shield and vice versa. Bad news for users who have built home integration around SmartThings, but probably a minority compared to users who have done the same with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, or Apple HomeKit. The Shield’s integration with Assistant is extensive for voice commands and smart home features.

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— Janko Roettgers (@jank0) 1 March 2021

SmartThings Link users will also lose direct access to their Zigbee and Z-Wave devices. Samsung is new to the 3rd Gen SmartThings Hub for issues for some users, but there’s no indication when (or if) support for the new API system will come to the Shield.

When Samsung first announced the transition in 2020, it noted that “some legacy cores” would also be eliminated in pursuit of growth. We’re after learning this means Samsung’s first-generation SmartThings Hub will be discontinued along with the Link dongle at the end of June. Like these customers, Hub owners also have the opportunity to upgrade to the latest hardware at a discounted price.