Samsung and the Hyundai Motor Group are bringing smart home control directly into the vehicle with the new car-to-home service. Owners of Hyundai and Kia models can now remotely control household appliances connected to SmartThings via their car’s infotainment system – from the air conditioning and lighting to the robot vacuum cleaner.
Samsung Car-to-Home complements the existing Home-to-Car service
Samsung and the Hyundai Motor Group launched the home-to-car service back in September 2025. For the first time, users were able to control their vehicle from home via the SmartThings app – for example, to preheat the air conditioning, start the engine or lock and unlock the doors. Now the networking also works in the other direction: compatible smart home devices can be operated from the car.
Specifically, devices such as air conditioning systems (from model year 2021), air purifiers and robot vacuum cleaners (from model year 2024) as well as lighting systems are supported, provided they are compatible with the SmartThings platform. They are controlled via a touchscreen in the vehicle.
Set up via QR code in just a few steps
Setting up the car-to-home service is very simple: users with an active Hyundai Bluelink or Kia Connect subscription scan the QR code displayed in the vehicle’s SmartThings app using their smartphone. This links the SmartThings account to the vehicle.
The prerequisite is a Hyundai or Kia vehicle with the ccNC infotainment platform (Connected Car Navigation Cockpit), which has been installed in production vehicles since November 2022. Samsung has announced that it will gradually extend compatibility to other models through software updates.
Intelligent routines: Automation by location
The option to set up location-based routines is particularly exciting. Using the SmartThings “Smart Routine” function, users can define automatic processes that are based on the GPS location of the vehicle:
- Homecoming mode: as the vehicle approaches home, the air conditioning can be switched on automatically, the lights activated and the air purifier started.
- Away mode: If the vehicle moves away from the house, all lights are switched off, unnecessary appliances are shut down and the robot vacuum cleaner is started.
The homecoming mode should be particularly practical in summer: If you are on your way home, you can have the air conditioning switched on in advance so that the home is pleasantly cool when you arrive.
Hyundai plans to switch to Android Automotive
It is interesting to note that Hyundai has already announced plans to switch from the current ccNC platform to Android Automotive in future models. Whether and how the car-to-home service will then be integrated into the new system remains to be seen. However, Samsung and the Hyundai Motor Group emphasize that they want to further expand their cooperation in the area of connected living.
If you are generally interested in the possibilities of smart home networking, you can find more exciting articles on Basic Tutorials – such as our article on how Samsung used SmartThings to showcase a networked gaming setup at gamescom 2025.
Conclusion: Samsung Car-to-Home seamlessly connects car and home
With its car-to-home service, Samsung is closing the gap between the vehicle and the smart home. The bidirectional connection between car and home via SmartThings makes everyday life noticeably more convenient – provided you drive a compatible Hyundai or Kia model and use Samsung devices. We can only hope that Samsung will extend compatibility to other vehicle manufacturers in the future.
