Home CasaVerdeSmart ,,,,, Initially exclusive to the US territory, Vodafone has been bringing Samsung's SmartThings platform to Italy a few months ago, customized and designed around a particular offer from the telephone operator. Cyber Layman has put the Starter Kit to the test, that is the basic bundle, which allows you to remotely monitor the home, view its videos without consuming GB, obtain insurance to solve small problems at home, and always be warned by phone by an active operator 24 hours a day.
Starter Kit
The starter kit proposed on Amazon of this V-Home By Vodafone is quite rich. First of all, it should be noted that the peripherals included in the package are those offered by Samsung, but rebranded by Vodafone. Although the operation is identical to the Samsung counterparts, the hub firmware has been customized by the telephone operator: this means that at the first start, to make the system work correctly, you will be directed to the V-Home by Vodafone app, where it will be the subscription of a monthly fee of 7 euros is required to make the system work, which we will talk about shortly.
Inside the bundle the user will find, in order, the main WiFi hub, the security camera, a sensor for doors or windows, and an indoor siren. In addition to these peripherals, red triangular stickers are also available, which indicate to third parties the presence of the security system installed, and which therefore have a deterrent function against any malicious persons.
Hub Wifi
The first module to be installed in the house, without which the entire system would not work, at least initially, is the SmartThings WiFi hub. This connects to the power outlet and router via ethernet cable.
This is Version 3 of the “customized” Samsung Hub, at least in terms of access to services, from Vodafone.
At the first start of the 'SmartThings application, available for free on iOS and Android , it will be automatically recognized with the reference to the services vodafone for activation 2. If your router supports both 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz networks, the advice is to completely disable the first, leaving only the second active. Otherwise the system could give the user many errors, and not find the camera or other devices to be installed on the network.
The SmartThings hub in the V-home version has, in our opinion, a fundamental advantage as well as being compatible with different Wi-Fi systems, it has both Zigbee radios inside that the radios Z-wave and this opens the compatibility (not entirely obvious – attention) with an infinite world of peripherals.
Room
The room has a particularly square shape, has a pedestal to be placed on a desk or wall, and has rather small dimensions, equal to 10.1 x 6.5 x 3.55 cm. It offers 720 video resolution, more than enough to clearly monitor what's going on around the house. Naturally, the camera has motion detection functions, and it will be up to the user to decide for which portion of the frame to activate push notifications. In this way, for example, it will be possible to eliminate the lowest area, so that the possible passage of pets does not trigger the alarm system.
Motion sensors and …
Also included in the package is a motion sensor for doors or windows. These are essentially two magnets, which when they are removed, in case of opening the door, trigger the alarm and send a push notification to the user's smartphone. Sorry to see the presence of only one sensor in the package, which is certainly not enough to cover the doors and windows of an apartment. The “multipurpose” sensor is also able to feel vibrations or a change in temperature, all conditions that are used to detect a change in status in the closure and also help to manage, for example, the exchange of air in a room if connected to the thermostat or thermostatic valves, translating automation into consumption savings.
It must also be said that Vodafone's SmartThings system lends itself to being integrated with a thousand other peripherals, and it will not be difficult to find sensors compatible with this system on the network.
Siren
Instead interesting, and not at all obvious, is the presence of an indoor siren. This is activated when the alarm is set, and the sensors or the camera detect suspicious movements in the house. The volume of the siren is not particularly loud and will not serve to alert the neighborhood, but it will certainly be an obvious signal for any attacker, who will immediately perceive that he has been discovered.
How does it work
We installed V-Home for the first tests: after the first configuration difficulties, derived exclusively from the fact that the router proposed the 5Ghz connection to the system, everything went well. Make sure, always to use the 2.4 Ghz channel to configure the smart system in question, but in general any other connected peripherals. Having said that, activating the system isn't all that complex, even if switching between apps (V-Home and SmartThings) could cause some confusion. Once the Samsung application has been started, after having automatically found the WiFi hub, you will be directed to the Vodafone app, from which you will be able to manage your subscription to V-Home services.
As already anticipated, the 7 euro monthly fee must necessarily be paid, otherwise you will not be able to activate the system. After the first month it will be possible to cancel the payment, but the hub will not function until the next reactivation. An annual expense of 7 × 12 = 84 Euros for the use of the system must therefore be put into an account, amply compensated by the advantages and services that we report below. For those who use the system in a holiday home for only a few months a year, simply activate or deactivate the service when necessary.
The payment of the first fee imposed on the user, under penalty of the impossibility of activating the service, initially made us turn up our noses. It would have been better to give the user the possibility to install the system without having to pay the first 7 euros. Also because, if you think about it, the fee requested is really convenient compared to the services it offers, and there would have been no reason to impose it on the user in the first month but we realize that the authentication system is in fact based on that and the convenience of the package is “discounted” with the subscription. Here is what the 7 euro monthly fee of the V-Home plan offers:
Cloud registration
The plan offers 14 days of cloud recording retention from the camera, up to a maximum of 10 GB. This is a key feature for an anti-theft system, as it allows you to track all suspicious activity for a particularly long period of time. Furthermore, it is a service that usually has very high costs, and that Vodafone includes in the fee of 7 euros per month, which also includes other benefits for users.
Zurich Insurance
In addition to cloud registrations, the monthly fee allows access to a particular home insurance with Zurich, thanks to which, in case of need, you can request the intervention of a plumber, an electrician, a locksmith or a glazier. Zurich Assistance Home will cover the costs related to the right of exit and labor for a maximum of 3 interventions in the period of 12 months up to a maximum of 150 Euros per intervention. It is certainly not total coverage, but only one intervention per year is enough to pay off practically two entire annual fees for the service.
Telephone assistance
Probably even more important is the assistance of a call center, which will call the user when an event occurs that triggers the alarm system.
An ecosystem to expand
The SmartThinghs system is not an end in itself. In fact, it is also possible to expand it with third-party peripherals, therefore not connected in any way to Samsung or Vodafone. At the moment there are about 500 peripherals that can integrate with the device, so as to expand what may seem at first sight an alarm system and instead is a real compatible home automation hub, with hundreds of ZigBee peripherals such as Osram lights and Z-wave like Fibaro accessories.
The possibility of expanding the system thanks to third party peripherals represents a significant added value. It is also possible to install Philips Hue lights at home and manage them from the SmartThings app, as well as others from third parties, so that you can control your home from a single app.
For total geeks there is the possibility of adding new peripherals by registering Device Handlers but we will talk about this in a future in-depth article.
Conclusions (partial)
Vodafone's V-Home is a rather versatile home security system. However, it offers Samsung hardware of quality, well assembled and aesthetically pleasing, with sufficient technical characteristics to protect your home.
The novelty consists in the Vodafone services, which, even if required for operation, are in any case justifying the fee of 7 euros requested. The possibility of connecting other third-party accessories to the system is also an added value: the starter kit, in short, is the starting point to protect your home, gradually expanding the system with the numerous peripherals supported.
Our conclusions are partial because in the coming days we will examine other aspects of this which is not in the end a simple alarm system but the heart of a home automation hub with the possibility of creating scenarios and interacting with other devices also through Alexa.
Pro
Elegant, easy to configure, good expandability compatible with z-wave peripherals that have features that are difficult to find on other wireless platforms such as Fibaro roller shutters for awnings and blinds. Possibility of customization also for developers. It can also be managed through Alexa through a special Skill.
Cons
Not all Z-wave peripherals work and a minimum of skill is required to include them. However, a subscription that is always active is required to keep it running: it can be based on a private Vodafone mobile contract or on a credit card.
Retail price
The kit usually costs 349 euros, but at the moment, and until the end of the Vodafone connectivity week it will cost 189 euros.
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