Smart homes now built from the ground up

At some point, the fragmented smart home market has to be unified by automation systems integrated with houses themselves. Many companies are already preparing for a future in which homes are built from the ground up to be smart, but no one really knows when this will become common practice. The company Kirio is now part of that future as a consumer product that people can pick out for their home. Since it requires integration with the wiring of the home, the system and hub need to be installed while a home is being built or remodeled.

This level of home integration provides a lot of advantages. Everything can be monitored from a single app. Kirio says its product uses a "protocol-neutral platform" that should allow any connected device to talk with a Kirio smart home. Company CEO Rob Green also told Digital Trends that anything with a serial or diagnostic port can be connected to the system, giving it a wide range of control over a home.

Because Kirio is integrated with everything in a home, it could do more than just make life more convenient for users. In some situations, it could save lives. Kirio can turn off the gas if a leak is detected, for example.

Like any good smart system these days, Kirio learns its users' habits. It can track people through a home with a smartphone and perform automatically certain actions such as turning on lights when someone enters a room. A smartphone isn't necessary to control Kirio, though. A wall panel allows easy access to the system, which should be convenient for children or guests.

Kirio is only sold through certified dealers and costs $1,799. While that would be expensive for any other smart home hub, this is clearly something much more advanced. Homeowners might not mind the expense, though. If it's being installed in a new home being built from the ground up, an extra $1,799 won't make much of a change to the monthly mortgage.