started after CEO Mark Belinsky couldn’t reach his grandmother in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and found that she’d been using her gas stove to heat her powerless home, which could lead to a deadly buildup of carbon monoxide.
The San Francisco-based company says its devices will monitor a wide range of air-quality factors, including non-emergency things like humidity. But the startup also plans to have its monitoring software connected to a 24/7 monitoring service that can call 911 on an owner’s behalf if necessary. Birdi raised more than $70,000 toward its first products on Indiegogo and is a member of the Highway 1 hardware startup accelerator.
Since safety is such a key part of a smoke detector system, there are regulatory approvals to consider. And even the big names in this industry have fumbled that part: Nest was forced to recall its first attempt at a “smart” smoke detector.
Belinsky says he’s not too worried about a well-financed competitor getting out ahead of his startup, and thinks Birdi will have plenty to distinguish itself. The amount of attention devoted to the sector overall doesn’t hurt, either.
“Having big companies put marketing dollars into making consumers aware that the future has arrived is great since it means that those consumers will choose from a number of products that sit on retail shelves,” he says.
SIMPLISAFE
As “startups” go, this one is pretty well established. SimpliSafe offers an alternative to old-school home security systems by combining a more flexible, customer-friendly business model with wireless technology and mobile software.
So, instead of getting locked into a long-term contract with a traditional security system provider, customers can sign up for a SimpliSafe system that includes professional, 24/7 remote monitoring—and cancel it any time they want. The monitoring service costs $15-$25 per month and operates entirely over cellular networks, as opposed to a dedicated phone line.
Sensors are sold separately, and include carbon monoxide, smoke, motion detectors, open-window sensors, and more. The wireless network tying it all together means it’s easy to add new kinds of sensors over time.
Cambridge, MA-based SimpliSafe was founded in 2006 and says it has more than 100,000 customers. It grew without institutional investors until this year: in May, venture firm Sequoia Capital said it was investing $57 million in the company.
CANARY
This New York-based startup makes a $200 Internet-connected home monitoring camera that looks super slick and has additional cool features like a siren, microphone, night vision, temperature sensors, and air-quality monitoring. The company also offers a 60-day satisfaction guarantee and a one-year warranty.
Canary also brings some of the machine-learning heft that Nest built into the service behind its initial smart thermostat. In this case, that means Canary’s camera-sensor combination device learns when a user’s home is more likely to be noisy or full of motion, and sends alerts to a cell phone when things are out of the ordinary.
But it’s still early. Like some of the other startups we’ve found in the camera sector, Canary is still in pre-order mode, with a check this week showing anticipated delivery in November for any new orders. This is another one that has a compelling origin story—Canary says the company was started when co-founder and CTO Chris Rill came home to find his front door had been broken down.
SCOUT
Chicago-based Scout Security is already shipping pre-ordered home security kits to its earliest online backers, and taking orders for more. The company is like a newer-generation version of SimpliSafe, offering a sleek set of motion sensors, door- and window-opening detectors, and control pad that pair with a central base station that connects to the Internet.
Also like traditional security systems, Scout offers ‘round-the-clock monitoring by professional security services. Users can control and customize the system via online software applications.
Scout is also expanding. The company is running a crowdfunding experiment with Cambridge, MA-based hardware manufacturing consultants Dragon Innovation that asks potential customers what it should build next: a security camera, remote-controlled light sockets, or a “takeover system” that seizes control of an existing, hard-wired security setup.
REVOLV
This Boulder, CO-based company offers a wireless control hub that aims to be the master control for a long list of connected devices offered by different manufacturers.
That means it works with automatic door locks from companies like Yale and Schlage, security sensors from Insteon and Aeon Labs, power outlets from Belkin and GE, and thermostats from Honeywell and Trane. (Revolv says it also “unofficially” works with the Nest thermostat, and plans to work on integration once an API is released more broadly.)
The Revolv device can work with all of those other brands because it has seven different wireless radios that can communicate with different devices. There’s a catch, though—only three of those radios work now, with another “coming soon” and three more radio bands ready for commercial use in the future.
The device is priced pretty simply at $300, with lifetime support and software upgrades included, which means no monthly software subscriptions. It also offers a smartphone app, of course, to control everything remotely. Revolv was part of the TechStars accelerator in 2012.
WALLY
This one isn’t a thermostat or a security system, but it has some pretty interesting possibilities. Wally is a set of temperature- and moisture-sensing nodes sold by Seattle-based startup SNUPI Technologies.
Why moisture? Well, the pitch is that Wally can tell when there’s too much water where it shouldn’t be, which is a big pain for anyone who’s dealt with a flood, a burst pipe, or even an overflowing drain from an air-conditioning unit (don’t get me started).
The really interesting thing about the Wally system is what might be added to its network in the future. That’s because SNUPI is commercializing University of Washington and Georgia Tech research into using a home’s existing power wiring as a “whole-home antenna.” That means devices that connect to the system can do so while drawing a lot less power than other devices that use wi-fi or Bluetooth—SNUPI says its sensors can go 10 years without new batteries.
A central Wally hub and six sensors sell for $300.
