Domesticating the Internet of Things

In 2012, serial entrepreneur Alex Hawkinson launched SmartThings. The company’s signature product is a WiFi-enabled hub that connects gadgets to sensors, allowing users to monitor their devices, and allowing devices to talk to each another, all with the aim of making homes safer and smarter. If the pipes are leaking in your home, SmartThings technology can alert you via text message before significant damage occurs. The flexibility of the SmartThings platform allows users to create a range of customized applications, and they’re using the technology in ways Hawkinson had never anticipated, according to a recent profile in Time. (Hawkinson spoke about several such applications at our Techonomy Lab last May.) SmartThings raised over $1.2 million on Kickstarter since its launch, and has sold 10,000 units through mid-2013. But before the company can penetrate the mass market, consumers have to understand just how a connected home can bring value to their lives.