SmartThings adds online store for Web-connected home technology

Source: Pioneer Press, St.迷你倉出租 Paul, Minn.Aug. 21--SmartThings has become a nerd hit.Now, the Minneapolis-based purveyor of Web-connected home-automation and home-security has launched Phase 2 in its effort to woo nonnerd consumers who want to smarten up their homes but don't know how to make that happen.SmartThings on Wednesday is debuting an online storefront to hawk its own hardware and that of third-party vendors. This wireless-enabled gadgetry includes motion and moisture detectors, deadbolts and thermostats, home-lighting controls, even keyring fobs that broadcast the presence (or absence) of a specific human or a beloved pet.All the gizmos communicate with an Internet-connected hub that SmartThings supplies, and are controllable with a SmartThings phone app. Among other things, this permits SmartThings users to manipulate their homes' lighting and door locks from afar, to get automated texts if their basements have flooded or home intruders are detected.SmartThings is positioned as an alternative to commercial home-automation and home-security packages from the likes of AT&T, Comcast and Lowes. The difference: SmartThings eschews proprietary tech set-ups for those that are "open" -- meaning anyone with the right technical expertise can add functionality and value with SmartThings devices, or with fresh ways to use existing SmartThings devices.This is why SmartThings has been the darling of geeks since last August, when the technology publicly rolled out as a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that blew past its $250,000 target to receive more than $1.2 million in pledges. It is still fulfilling its obligations to Kickstarter backers.At the time, SmartThings was hailed as a leader in a much-hyped "Internet of things" movement to imbue everyday household objects with online capabilities.Since then, the galaxy of SmartThings-compatible hardware products has grown to about 1,000, though the Web store debuting Wednesday will feature a limited or "curated" selection. Some of these devices are b儲存倉ing collected into an assortment of "starter" kits for those with specific goals, such as home security and home control.SmartThings' core kit of internally developed devices includes the signature hub along with a "presence" fob and devices with accelerometers, temperature sensors and motion detectors."We're working very hard to make these price-competitive," said CEO Alex Hawkinson, one of seven SmartThings founders. "We want to make it simple for the average consumer to discover, acquire and set up" these products.SmartThings also has been laboring to make its hardware and software simpler to use so that attaining common household tasks is obvious and straightforward even for those who are not tech enthusiasts.The SmartThings tech is not there yet, with obvious goals requiring too many steps to achieve, Hawkinson acknowledged. Big improvements to the smartphone app will improve ease-of-use later this year, he said.SmartThings had about 10 employees during its Kickstarter phase, and has now grown to nearly 40 workers (mostly engineers) split between Minneapolis and Washington, D.C. The latter locale also is regarded as a headquarters since Hawkinson divides his time between the two cities for family reasons.The company is making alliances with a range of other home-technology companies, meanwhile.The hugely popular webcams called Dropcams are now SmartThings-compatible. So is Belkin's WeMo home-automation gear, and Philips' Internet-connected Hue bulbs (though these are still being tested internally).Hawkinson thinks his company's technology will be in hundreds of thousands of households by about this time next year. He has a grand goal of putting SmartThings tech in 1 million homes, though he isn't committing to a timetable for this."It may happen sooner than people might guess," he said. "Certainly in a couple of years."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.) Visit the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.) at .twincities.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉沙田