Kickstarter-Funded Company Wants To Be 'Brain' of Smart Home

Smart home monitoring company Neurio is taking pre-orders for a single-sensor monitoring product that tracks home energy use. Neurio bills the Sensor as the home's “brain,” providing data on older appliances plus smart devices so users can modify energy usage based on real-time feedback. Unlike sensors that connect to individual products, Neurio’s $249 Sensor product attaches to a home’s electrical security panel. The Sensor sends out measurements to the Neurio Cloud “every split second,” and software algorithms identify appliances and behaviors based on unique signals, said the website. When the software detects appliances turning on or off or a change in user behavior, it notifies Neurio apps or third-party Web services that display the information to users. With over 99 percent of appliances in North America not Wi-Fi-capable, the market opportunity is immense, the company said. A Kickstarter-funded project, Neurio wants to be the “brain” of the home “because the smart home is not very smart,” Chief Technology Officer Ali Kashani told us. Smart home devices now on the market are largely remote controls for the home, he said. "We provide context and intelligence for the smart home.” Neurio’s goal is to partner with telecom and security companies in the B2B market, though a retail component is possible given the do-it-yourself possibilities of the device, said Kashani. “Anyone who’s comfortable installing a light switch can do it.” The company’s first partner is a solar company, for which it’s supplying several thousand sensors a month. Kashani declined to name the customer, citing a nondisclosure agreement. The next software release from Neurio, due in a few weeks, will enable appliance detection, said Kashani, so consumers will be able to tell if they left a burner on or a curling iron plugged in. He called that the core piece of the platform. Once appliance detection is in place, the company hopes to integrate with control platforms including Nest and SmartThings. From one app, users will be able to “check to see if they dryer is done” while also controlling the thermostats and lights, he said.