@ta4 , good questions. Answers in reverse order:
- The Sense Monitor uses WiFi broadcasts to detect and then solicit data from Kasa and WeMo power detecting smart plugs on the same subnet as the Sense monitor. If you want more information on the exact protocol, there is a fair amount of info floating around on this community forum.
- You can’t connect your Sense directly to Smartthings - there’s no direct integration. On the other hand, Home Assistant, an open source home automation hub has an integration with Sense which lets you forward power data collected by Home Assistant (via Wave, Zigbee, EV charger, etc.) onto Sense by emulating a Kasa smart plug reporting the data.