The official SmartThings integration is the simplest way to connect an existing SmartThings setup to Home Assistant. It links Home Assistant to a SmartThings location through Samsung’s cloud API, then exposes supported SmartThings capabilities as Home Assistant entities. Your SmartThings Hub and app continue to operate; Home Assistant becomes an additional automation, dashboard, and control layer.
That convenience has two important limits: the official integration is not local, and Samsung has announced changes to SmartThings API access beginning in October 2026. For Matter-compatible products, multi-admin Matter pairing can provide a more local connection. For compatible Zigbee, Z-Wave, and LAN devices, migrating directly to Home Assistant can reduce cloud and API dependence.
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Choose the right architecture first
“Integrating” Home Assistant with SmartThings can mean three different things. Choosing the correct approach prevents unnecessary re-pairing and avoids expecting Matter or a SmartThings Hub to perform functions it does not support.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →| Approach | Control path | Local? | Best for | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official SmartThings integration | Home Assistant → SmartThings Cloud → device | No | Existing SmartThings devices and Samsung appliances | Internet and API dependency |
| Matter multi-admin pairing | Home Assistant ↔ Matter device | Generally | Native Matter devices used in both ecosystems | Feature coverage varies |
| Local Home Assistant integration | Home Assistant → device or coordinator | Often | Compatible Zigbee, Z-Wave, and LAN devices | Re-pairing and migration work |
| Hybrid setup | A combination of the above | Mixed | Gradual transition | More systems to maintain |
For most existing homes, a hybrid arrangement is the least disruptive: keep SmartThings where it provides the best hub, radio, appliance, or Samsung-app support, while using Home Assistant for cross-brand automations, dashboards, presence logic, and energy monitoring.
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What the SmartThings integration actually does
The official integration connects Home Assistant to a SmartThings account and selected SmartThings location. It reads supported device states and sends supported commands back through SmartThings. It does not absorb the SmartThings Hub, replace the SmartThings app, or automatically convert every SmartThings device into a local Home Assistant device.
SmartThings describes device functions through capabilities, such as switch, contactSensor, temperatureMeasurement, lock, and colorControl. Home Assistant maps supported capabilities into entities. One physical product can therefore produce several entities.
- Device: the physical light, lock, appliance, sensor, or other product.
- Entity: a readable or controllable function in Home Assistant.
- Capability: SmartThings’ description of what a device can report or do.
- Location: the SmartThings home or site connected to Home Assistant.
- Hub: hardware that may provide Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, or LAN connectivity.
Supported entities can include lights, switches, sensors, binary sensors, climate controls, fans, covers, locks, media players, vacuums, buttons, scenes, selects, numbers, valves, water heaters, and update entities. The exact result depends on both the device’s exposed capabilities and Home Assistant’s mapping.
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What you need before setup
For the official cloud integration, prepare:
- A working Home Assistant installation.
- A Samsung account.
- The SmartThings mobile app.
- Devices already added to the SmartThings location you want to connect.
- Reliable internet access for Home Assistant and SmartThings.
- Permission to authorize Home Assistant to access the SmartThings account.
If you are considering Matter instead, you also need Home Assistant’s Matter integration, a Matter-capable device or bridge, and—when using Thread—a Thread border router. With Home Assistant OS, Home Assistant recommends the official Matter Server app. You will also need the device’s Matter QR code or manual pairing code.
How to add SmartThings to Home Assistant
- Open Home Assistant.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Devices & services.
- Select Add Integration.
- Search for SmartThings.
- Follow the authorization flow and sign in with the Samsung account that owns the intended SmartThings location.
- Select the correct SmartThings location if Home Assistant presents more than one.
- Finish setup, then inspect the new devices and entities.
Home Assistant may discover SmartThings automatically. If it does not, add it manually through Settings > Devices & services > Add Integration.
Do not begin by creating a SmartThings Personal Access Token unless the current Home Assistant setup specifically requests one. SmartThings documents PATs primarily as short-term testing credentials, while OAuth 2.0 is the normal long-term authorization approach for service integrations. Follow Home Assistant’s current consumer integration flow rather than assuming that SmartThings developer-console instructions apply.
See the Home Assistant SmartThings documentation for the current setup flow.
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Check what imported correctly
After setup, open the SmartThings integration under Settings > Devices & services and review the associated devices and entities. A complex Samsung appliance may appear as a collection of controls and sensors rather than one simple appliance card.
For example, a washer, dryer, refrigerator, range hood, air conditioner, or thermostat might expose entities for operating state, temperature, filter status, child lock, fan speed, cycle selection, door status, water status, or remote-control availability.
This is useful for automation, but it also explains why the SmartThings app may show controls that do not appear in Home Assistant. A missing feature may mean:
- The device does not expose the required capability.
- SmartThings exposes the capability only to its own app.
- Home Assistant has not mapped that capability.
- Remote-control permission or a particular operating mode is required.
- The capability belongs to a different device component.
Use the integration’s device and configuration-entry diagnostics to inspect exposed capabilities, states, and available devices. The SmartThings Developer Portal can provide additional information about what the device actually exposes. The integration exposes supported SmartThings capabilities—not necessarily every feature shown in the SmartThings app.
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Build automations without creating conflicts
A useful division of responsibility is:
- Use Home Assistant for cross-brand automations, presence and occupancy logic, dashboards, complex conditions, energy monitoring, and notifications.
- Keep SmartThings routines for functions tightly coupled to SmartThings devices or routines that must continue within Samsung’s ecosystem.
- Avoid duplicating the same trigger and action in both platforms unless that duplication is deliberate and documented.
For example, SmartThings can continue to provide a door-contact sensor connected to its hub. Home Assistant can receive the event, check the time, occupancy, alarm state, and outdoor brightness, then turn on lights from several brands and send a notification.
Start with one simple automation. Select the SmartThings entity as the trigger, add one or two conditions, and perform one visible action. Confirm that the event arrives and the action works before adding delays, presence exceptions, notifications, or additional devices.
When Matter is the better route
Matter supports multi-admin pairing, also called multiple fabrics. A compatible Matter device can be commissioned to both SmartThings and Home Assistant, allowing both ecosystems to control it without Home Assistant using the SmartThings cloud for that device.
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Matter is worth considering when the device is natively Matter-compatible, both platforms support the required device type and features, local control is important, and the device is new or being set up from scratch.
To use this route, add Home Assistant’s Matter integration and Matter Server, then commission the device using its QR or manual pairing code. Thread devices additionally require suitable Thread infrastructure, including a Thread border router.
Matter is not a universal SmartThings-to-Home Assistant translator. A Zigbee, Z-Wave, or proprietary device does not become a Matter device merely because it is connected to a SmartThings Hub. A bridge can expose specific devices through Matter only when that bridge and those device types are supported.
Matter can also expose fewer vendor-specific features than a native integration. If a product’s native Home Assistant integration is local and offers more controls, Matter may not be the best choice. Consult Home Assistant’s Matter documentation before changing an established setup.
Moving compatible devices to Home Assistant locally
If local control is more important than keeping every SmartThings routine, compatible Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, or LAN devices can sometimes be removed from SmartThings and paired directly with Home Assistant.
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- Devices must be removed and re-paired.
- SmartThings routines may need to be rebuilt.
- SmartThings-specific drivers or features may be lost.
- You may need a compatible Zigbee or Z-Wave coordinator.
- You become responsible for Home Assistant backups, firmware, radio placement, and network maintenance.
The Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 is an official option for adding Zigbee and Thread capability, depending on the selected configuration and firmware support. It is not a universal replacement for every SmartThings radio protocol and does not provide Z-Wave support. Confirm the protocol used by each device before buying hardware.
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What changes in October 2026?
As of August 18, 2026, Samsung has announced that free SmartThings API access will begin changing in October 2026. The announcement describes dedicated commercial API tiers, new usage limits, and a $4.99-per-month plan for non-commercial individual developers. Home Assistant identifies the change as potentially breaking for its SmartThings integration.
This concerns API access used by third-party applications and integrations. It does not mean that the SmartThings app itself becomes a paid app.
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The final treatment of existing Home Assistant users, enrollment process, regional availability, grandfathering, and enforcement should be confirmed before acting. The practical choices are:
- Continue with the official integration if the final Personal Plan terms are acceptable.
- Migrate compatible devices to local Home Assistant integrations.
- Use Matter multi-admin pairing for compatible Matter devices.
- Keep a hybrid arrangement and migrate only the devices for which cloud access is most undesirable.
Do not describe the integration as permanently free or state that every user will pay exactly $4.99. Attribute that figure to Samsung’s announced non-commercial individual-developer plan and verify the final terms at the SmartThings API announcement and the Home Assistant integration page.
Troubleshooting
The SmartThings integration does not appear
- Update Home Assistant.
- Search for “SmartThings” under Settings > Devices & services > Add Integration.
- Confirm that the SmartThings app and account work normally.
- Check that the Home Assistant host has internet access.
- Authenticate with the Samsung account that owns the intended location.
Some devices are missing
First check that the devices belong to the SmartThings location you selected. Then consider unsupported capabilities, devices exposed to the SmartThings app but not its API, a device added after setup, or a component that Home Assistant does not map. Reload or reauthenticate the integration if appropriate, then inspect diagnostics.
States are delayed or stale
Check Home Assistant and SmartThings internet access, SmartThings service availability, authorization status, the device’s connection to its SmartThings Hub, and whether the device reports changes promptly. The event itself may not be supported by the integration.
Home Assistant’s SmartThings debug logging can temporarily record received events. Enable it only while investigating, compare a physical change with the incoming event, and avoid sharing tokens or sensitive log data publicly.
A command works in SmartThings but not Home Assistant
This usually indicates a capability or mapping difference rather than a failed account link. Check whether the capability appears in diagnostics, whether the control is exposed as a separate entity or select/number entity, whether remote control is enabled, and whether the feature is app-only.
Authentication keeps failing
Reauthorize through the Home Assistant integration flow. Do not publish access tokens in screenshots, logs, YAML files, repositories, or support posts. SmartThings documents PATs as short-lived testing credentials—typically valid for about 24 hours—not as a permanent repair for the official Home Assistant integration.
Quick Recap
Which option should you choose?
Choose the official SmartThings integration if:
- Your devices are already configured in SmartThings.
- You want the least disruptive setup.
- Samsung appliance or SmartThings-specific functionality matters.
- You want to keep the SmartThings app and routines central.
- A cloud dependency is acceptable.
Prefer Matter if:
- The device is natively Matter-compatible.
- You want the same device in both ecosystems.
- Local control is a priority.
- The required features are supported by Matter on both platforms.
- Your Wi-Fi, Thread, and border-router infrastructure is ready.
Migrate locally if:
- The device has a suitable Home Assistant Zigbee, Z-Wave, or LAN integration.
- You want to reduce cloud and API dependence.
- You are willing to re-pair devices and rebuild routines.
- The future API cost is unacceptable.
Keep a hybrid setup if:
- SmartThings still offers the best support for a hub, radio, or Samsung appliance.
- Home Assistant is needed for advanced automation and dashboards.
- Only selected devices need local migration.
- You want to transition gradually instead of rebuilding the entire home.
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