Interview Samsung Fastcompany Vp Jaeyeon Jung: Jaeyeon Jung is a VP of Samsung Electronics and the head of SmartThings in Asia, where she’s been working with SmartThings since April 2015. With 66 million active users that span across 196 countries and regions, Samsung has created one of the largest IoT ecosystems on earth
We recently had the chance to interview Jaeyeon on what is unique about the new Galaxy SmartTag, how it fits into the SmartThings ecosystem, and her thoughts about competing products in this space.
Q: Why did Samsung choose to make the Galaxy SmartTag?
A: The Galaxy Smart Tag is our product to enable more people to enjoy the benefits of SmartThings. We created this tag to enable more people to enjoy smart home capabilities by meeting their interests and needs. For instance, if you have a certain pre-selected music genre you love, or have an obsession with coffee, there are many ways you can use your favorite music and other preferences as your trigger for smart home capabilities.
Q: What can you tell us about the Galaxy SmartTags?
A: The Galaxy SmartTag is perfect for those who lack imagination and/or creativity to make their home smarter, or maybe don’t have enough time and energy to do so. The key difference between the SmartThings Hub and the Galaxy SmartTag is that the hub requires you to set up smart devices (light bulbs, plugs etc.) around your house and then connect them to the hub before you can enjoy various smart home capabilities.
The Galaxy Smart Tag integrates with your existing devices and lets you select a specific music genre or coffee preference to trigger smart home capabilities. With the Galaxy Smart Tag, all you need to do is simply download the app and register to complete the step-by-step setup process.
Q: How does it work?
A: The smart tag clips on top of your smartphone or tablet. Start using it by downloading the Samsung Connect app from Google Play Store or App Store and selecting ‘Add Device’. Download of the app is required in order to use the Smart Tag.
After downloading, you can choose whether you want to set it up with a new device (e.g. light bulb) or upgrade to a smarter device (e.g., smart plug).
Follow the simple step-by-step instructions and sync the smart tag with your smartphone or tablet as well as existing smart devices used around your house. After syncing, you will be able to see all connected devices in the app.
Q: Does the Galaxy SmartTag require a hub to function?
A: Unlike other smart tags, the Galaxy Smart Tag does not require the use of a hub. It is completely functioning on its own. However, if you already have smart devices around your house, you can turn them on via this tag.
Q: What are some of the features/benefits of a hub vs. the Galaxy Smart Tag?
A: The main benefits of a hub are efficiency, convenience and compatibility.
Interaction between your devices and the hub is more efficient as you do not need to constantly check the app to see whether your smart devices are synced with the hub.
You can easily control/check on what smart devices are connected as well as their current status through the SmartThings app. You can also quickly find out if a device is in use or not.
