The concept of a “smart home” has been around for decades.
In 1939 Popular Mechanics Magazine wrote about “The Electric Home of the Future.” This cutting-edge house would report the news to it’s occupants through radio receiver-equipped kitchen appliances.
In the 1950s, the Jetsons popularized the concept of home automation with automated doors and intelligent rooms that took care of their occupants.
Today, we have connected home platform ecosystems like Wink, SmartThings, Lowes IRIS, Nest, and HomeKit.
Clearly, the idea of the smart home has been around for several decades, and every year we are getting closer: according to Business Insider, there will be 1.8 billion connected devices in homes around the world by 2019.
Despite these types of projections, we are still a long way from fully realizing the promise of a truly smart home.
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We are still a long way from fully realizing the promise of a truly smart home.
Recently, most efforts have focused on expensive customization, comprehensive platforms, or ‘smart-ifying’ accessories. Further, innovation has flocked to certain product categories like lightbulbs and door locks.
Either you pay $5,000–$15,000 plus installation fees to install a hardwired system, or buy a bunch of non-core peripherals and install them yourself.
But what about the core functions of the home? Systems like HVAC, plumbing, electrical — the less visible areas that are nevertheless essential. These systems are in desperate need of innovation precisely because they are so necessary.
The problem is, many core home functions simply aren't sexy enough for most companies to pay attention to.
At Keen Home, we aim to wake up these core but unloved areas of the home by rebuilding them with intelligence and beauty.
Nest has done a great job of reimagining the home thermostat and smoke detector; we want to do the same for the core elements of the home.
We don’t aspire to be ‘one platform to rule them all’ and we don’t want to be another lighting or security company. We make the core elements of the home smarter, more efficient, and more convenient for homeowners. We identify and solve real pain points.
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We make the core elements of the home smarter, more efficient, and more convenient for homeowners.
Keen Home products — starting with the Smart Vent System— are intended to be part of your existing home ecosystem, whether you are starting your smart home project for the first time or are a veteran consumer of internet-enabled things. They fill in the blanks, adding proactive intelligence to areas of the home that you may not normally think about, but are essential to your comfort, peace of mind, and safety.
We want to remove moments of stress from homeownership—to make owning your own place less of a chore.
Smart Vents are just the start and there is a lot more to come.
We just launched out second product this past August: the Keen Home Smart Filter. It clips right into your Smart Vent's faceplate and purifies air as it enters the room in which the Smart Filter is installed. You can read all about the Smart Filter here.
We’re also working on our third product: connected intelligence for your existing sump pump. It will help homeowners proactively monitor the health of their pump, so that when water tables rise, they can be sure their pump will work. This small improvement will prevent what can amount to tens of thousands of dollars in water damage, and the data we collect can lower insurance premiums and provide insight into home construction best practices.
As our homes get smarter, Keen Home will be here with well designed solutions for the most important parts of your home. By adding intelligence, automation, and beauty to these core areas, you will finally have a home that takes care of you, instead of the other way around.
If our vision resonates with you, we invite you to sign up for our mailing list, or better yet pre-order your own Smart Vent system (we are offering up to 15% off pre-order purchases for a limited time). As always, we can be reached anytime at contact@keenhome.io or through our Facebook and Twitter pages. We’d love to hear from you.
We can’t wait to help you make your home a Keen Home.