Review: The SmartThings Station wireless charger manages your house with one button 2023

Matter has reinvented the smart home, giving the industry an opportunity to improve on existing ideas and explore new ones. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been able to use one of those new concepts in Samsung’s SmartThings Station, a Matter hub that can wirelessly charge your phone and manage smart home gadgets with a button.

The tiny Samsung SmartThings Station has three functions. It’s a Matter and SmartThings hub. The station can connect to your phone or voice assistant and control Matter smart home gadgets.

Setup is easy. When the station goes on, a Galaxy phone will show you how to set it up, or you may use the SmartThings app on other Android or iOS devices.

However, you’re not buying this product to use as a Matter hub. Google’s Nest speakers, routers, and other smart home devices may now act as Matter hubs. The station connects Zigbee devices.

You’ll want this for its other two uses.

This charges wirelessly. Any Qi-enabled phone can be wirelessly charged with a power brick above 25W. All of the phones I tried charged easily on the station’s little tabletop. Placement is straightforward, but your phone needs a cover. A smooth gadget on top slides. The SmartThings Station is finicky about charging bricks. It takes USB-C input, however certain bricks didn’t function for no apparent reason. If you buy this product alone, remember that Samsung generally offers it with a charging brick for $20 extra.

This solution is smart for integrating a Matter hub into a wireless charger. Smart home hubs are usually buried in cabinets or corners, which limits signal range. It works, but centralized is better. This product is more likely to be placed near Matter signal-using items.

The SmartThings Station’s one-button management of Matter and other smart home devices sold me.

Routines are linked to the station’s top button. Samsung’s SmartThings app on Android or iOS is required for regular setup. Sign in with a Samsung account to integrate smart home gadgets to the app. It’s unfortunate that Google Home and Apple HomeKit users must start over, but it’s just once. I could quickly link Philips Hue lighting and TP-Link smart outlets. SmartThings supports most major brands and Matter-compatible devices.

After adding smart home devices, utilize the SmartThings app to establish up to three station routines. Single-press, double-press, and long-press. These can switch lights on and off, change colors, make scenarios, regulate a thermostat, and more.

This smart home gadget allows me one-click access to easy functions without using my phone or screaming. Few devices are as adaptable as the SmartThings Station, which is also a wireless charger and fits better in my house.

SmartThings Station is a wireless charger with a single switch that regulates your household.

The station controls my workplace lights. My photography lighting and workplace Philips Hue lights may be turned on with a simple tap or long push. I previously had to use my phone or Google Assistant to turn those lights on. These procedures are also fast. Great, gadgets answer in seconds.

Smart home devices can accomplish that. You may also use the SmartThings app to find your phone via button pushes. That function works great, and I’ve mapped it to my Station’s double-press to find my Fold 4. With the ringer on and a full-screen pop-up for two minutes, it works. Sadly, this only works on Galaxy phones.

Samsung’s SmartThings Station is a triumph for $80 with a power brick or $60 without. The station is distinctive and affordable. I bought another device for rapid lighting controls in the living room. The station may improve with time. Matter’s claim to unify the smart home will simplify setup and make this device more useful.