When it comes to finding the greatest dashboard control panel for Samsung SmartThings, you’ve come to the perfect spot!
Getting a home automation dashboard used to be quite expensive, and it had to be built from scratch. Changing your dashboard’s aesthetic or adding a new automation required contacting the firm that designed it. They could not make the change on your behalf.
A bad user experience and a bad financial decision were the result of this transaction.
Fortunately, things have changed in recent years.
SmartThings dashboards are available in a variety of low-cost, highly-configurable choices. Using the four most popular (SharpTools.io, ActionTiles, HousePanel and webCoRE) as a starting point, I’ve analyzed and compared them below.
Dashboard for the SmartThings
| ActionTiles | SharpTools.io | HousePanel | webCoRE | |
| Visual appeal | High | High | Low/Medium | Low/Medium |
| Cost | $28.99/one-time (use my discount code “goodha4837” for 10% off) | $30/year subscription | Free/ optional donation |
Free |
| Platform | Proprietary | Proprietary | Open source | Open source |
| Free trial | 14 day free trial | 14 day free, premium trial | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Free long term option | No | Yes, limited to 15 tiles | Yes | Yes |
| Smart hub compatibility | SmartThings | SmartThings, Hubitat | SmartThings, Hubitat | SmartThings |
| Automation creation capabilities | No | Yes, visual rule builder/engine | No | Yes, rule builder/engine |
| Technical knowledge required | A little | Some | Some | A lot |
| My Recommendation | Best option for the average Joe | If you need a rule engine, but don’t want to code | I would avoid | Great option for the more technically inclined |
If you’d want to learn more about each SmartThings dashboard option, keep in mind that all of them need some initial effort and study. Setting up your dashboard will take time, some of it more than others, but there’s no avoiding it: it will take time.
Dashboard for ActionTiles
ActionTiles is an excellent SmartThings dashboard option since it’s inexpensive, simple to set up, and visually appealing.
The risk is incredibly minimal at $28.99 for a one-time purchase. There is a 14-day free trial that provides you the whole product so that you can make an educated choice before purchasing.
Coupon Code 2021 (10 percent off) for ActionTiles.
If you decide to buy ActionTiles, use my promo code “goodha4837” in the ActionTiles Shop to get 10% off!
My ActionTiles dashboard took me around four hours to understand and set up. After then, it may take another 2-3 hours of fine-tuning to get it just as you want.
It’s the dashboard I’m currently using at my home.
The dashboard is web-based, therefore you’ll need a connection to the Internet in order to keep it operating.. On the other hand, you may access this dashboard on a mobile device, tablet, or laptop. Almost any gadget that can connect to the internet can access it.
Because of the dashboard’s flexible grid design, it can be seen on a variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
An ancient iPad Mini with the ActionTiles dashboard pre-installed on my wall was my personal preference. I installed it at my front entrance so that I can utilize automations like “Goodbye!”, which switches off all of my home’s appliances at once, when I leave.
With over 3,000 icons to choose from, ActionTiles makes it easy to personalize each automation/tile.
ActionTiles is a perfect match for Samsung SmartThings dashboards. I wouldn’t think twice about purchasing this product again.
Many examples of ActionTiles dashboards are available to see here.
The Dashboard of SharpTools.io
It is the closest rival to ActionTiles when it comes to proprietary, web-based SmartThings dashboards.
Because SharpTools.io contains a “rule engine,” which is a visual home automation rule creator, it has a distinct advantage over the competition.
Using this visual rule engine, you can construct rather complicated home automations without writing any code.
The SharpTools.io app could be worth a look if you’d want to automate your house in a way that you can’t using Google Home, SmartThings, Amazon Alexa, and the like.
Some of the rule engine’s components include:
- Event Triggers
- Location events: i.e. mode is changed to away
- Device events: i.e. door is unlocked or temp is >75 degrees
- State stays: i.e. garage door is left open for 10 minutes
- Time Schedules
- Sunrise/sunset
- Exact time
- Repeat daily, or only specific days of the week
- Conditions (If this, then that)
- Location status
- Device status
- Time range
- Day of week
- Commands
- Control a device
- Execute a routine
- Fade device level over time (i.e. dim light from 100 to 0, over 10 minutes)
- Notifications
- SMS
- Things (i.e. Echo speaks, Sonos)
The dashboard is similar to ActionTiles, save for the rule engine.
To be fair, 30 bucks a year isn’t a horrible price to pay for another membership plan.
SharpTools, on the other hand, may decide to raise its subscription fees at some time, leaving current users with little option but to pay up or lose all of their work.
ActionTiles and the other open source alternatives don’t allow for such.
The SharpTools.io dashboards may be seen here if you’d want to have a look.
In the HousePanel Dashboard
Before I go any further, let me emphasize that HousePanel is a fantastic initiative. Critiquing it because it’s free and open source doesn’t seem right.
However, I don’t believe it’s worth the time of the typical individual to investigate more.
“HousePanel is substantially more complex to setup…than ActionTiles,” says the company’s creator. His intention was to “offer an open source platform for developers to make dashboards” when he founded HousePanel.
It’s a great idea, but it’s plainly aimed for programmers, which is a shame.
ActionTiles even has an account with the company’s creator, and he uses it often!
As a developer, you should dive right in! An open source project has always been a big part of my life. The more people who use the product, the more durable and powerful it becomes.
It’s possible that HousePanel might one day be used as a home automation dashboard. There are better options out there.
If you’d like to see some examples of HousePanel dashboards, you can check them out here.
Dashboard of the webCoRE
Last but not least, webCoRE is the SmartThings dashboard on our list.
webCoRE, like HousePanel, is an open-source project that is free to use. Unlike HousePanel, the webCoRE community is increasing by the day.
Samsung SmartThing’s automation platform is enhanced by webCoRE, a web-based rule engine that provides sophisticated automation scenarios that users may create.” In order to accomplish so, it employs a user-friendly pseudoscripting language. Because we’re talking about an engine, we name each of these scripts a “piston.”
Because of this, webCoRE may be used to build a dashboard for all of your home’s gadgets.
As long as you’re willing to accept the challenge and have the necessary technical know-how, this solution provides an incredible amount of flexibility, scalability, and control. Moreover, as it’s open source, you’ll be able to enjoy the advantages of any future updates and improvements at no additional cost at all!
I’d wager that this platform will continue to grow and develop over time, based on how dedicated current members seem to be.
With webCoRE, the experimentation doesn’t stop! Having a lot of options for customization is both a gift and a drawback for this product. Be prepared to spend a significant amount of time studying and implementing this dashboard.
If you’d like to see some examples of webCoRE dashboards, check out this link.
Conclusion
ActionTiles, in my opinion, is the greatest SmartThings dashboard.
It’s a one-time fee for a dashboard that’s easy to use and extremely configurable. If you grow out of it, you’ll just have to pay $28.99 (use my promo code “goodha4837” for 10% off!)
Definitely check out webCoRe if you’re searching for additional control and overall automation scalability. I believe no other platform provides as much freedom as webCoRE.
SharpTools.io and HousePanel are two services I’d steer clear of due of their high prices and lack of community support.
What SmartThings dashboard are you using? As of now, how have things gone for you?