LG and Samsung announced a collaboration: companies’ “smart homes” will soon be integrated

“The LG ThinQ app will be able to tell you when you’ve left the door of your Samsung Family Hub smart fridge open, and the Samsung SmartThings app will be able to put your LG washing machine in delicate mode,” The Verge describes the future. collaboration.

This integration is the result of the work of the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA), an industry coalition launched in late 2021 (Samsung was a founding member). HCA’s mission is the integration between brands of devices to control large appliances.

HCA uses cloud-to-cloud communications so that any device connected to Wi-Fi can communicate with another, from washers, dryers, refrigerators and ovens to robotic vacuum cleaners, televisions and air conditioners.

In theory, in the future users should have tools for the unified management of household appliances from the 15 brands included in HCA. Meanwhile, the joint project will be launched in the fourth quarter of next year specifically by Samsung and LG and only in eight countries: Korea, US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Turkey.

A key benefit of this compatibility, in addition to convenience, will be energy savings. If all the appliances in your home can communicate with one app, regardless of manufacturer, it will be easier to monitor energy consumption and implement energy-saving features.

Of all the other HCA members, Vestel Corporation is also ready to implement interoperability. Meanwhile, some major brands (Bosch & Thermador, Whirlpool and others) are not part of the coalition at all.