The Nvidia Shield is one of our favorite smart home set-top boxes and controllers. But if you use it as a hub to control Samsung SmartThings smart devices, you could soon run into trouble. Samsung has emailed customers that its SmartThings Link USB dongle will stop working with the Nvidia Shield starting in June, which will prevent the Shield from controlling devices like smart bulbs, smart plugs and more that connect to the device via the platform. The devices will no longer be able to communicate with each other from June 30, 2021, as Samsung will update its SmartThings smart home platform, and it will also mean that any Zigbee or Z-Wave products previously connected to the Shield via the dongle will not. . work more, anyone. Google Assistant will still work through the Android TV box, and some devices can be reconfigured using this method, but it's unlikely that all devices will continue to be supported, let alone the hassle of resetting devices in the first place. . .
A smart home hazard
The Samsung/Shield issue works here to highlight one of the oldest fears about the smart home concept in general: future-proofing compatibility. A device and a company may promise the world their connected smart home devices at launch, but there's nothing stopping them from moving on to pastures new as new fads or technologies prove to be more efficient or more valuable at the time. of the launch. Over time. Consumer technology has a lifespan, and technological advances occur at a rapid pace. But your home is a relatively static object that changes more slowly over time. Committing to building your home around a smart home ecosystem can be dangerous and expensive if the manufacturer and the platform you jumped into bed with decide they no longer want to support your devices; suddenly your smart lights only work on a wall switch again. and press physical buttons to keep the thermostat at the right temperature, unless you're investing the time and money to switch to another smart home platform.