While the smart home segment runs rife with activity, it doesn’t stop companies from coming up with their version of a “revolutionary” system. It makes sense that there are still companies looking for that breakthrough: being able to control everything in the home from anywhere some sort of data connection is too powerful to ignore. The problem is packaging the capabilities to a wider, mainstream audience.
The Kasia smart home system pairs a brightly colored interface with ease of use in an attempt to get at the heart of the solution. Everything stems from its always-on Hub where up to 149 Kasia modules can connect with it and each other using mesh networking for more stable, longer-reaching connections. This family of modules lets users monitor and control anything in the home. The Kasia Plug covers the majority of gadgets and appliances so that users can turn them on or off while the Kasia Switch looks exactly like a normal wall switch but communicates with the Hub as well. A Kasia Remote is also available and features customizable buttons for individual devices, groups of devices, or entire scenes.
Attaching the Kasia Open module to windows or garage doors allows one to always keep on top of them, and using the Kasia Presence module allows users to track movements through a home using a smartphone’s Bluetooth connection. A starter kit containing a Hub along with any other two modules is available for $85 but if that’s not enough, there are a wide array of different options including a custom system. The Kasia system is due to ship in August 2016 should its $30,000 Kickstarter campaign see success by April 8th, 2016.
The Kasia system has a lot going for it: it secures information using a private cloud, lacks subscription fees, features support for multiple users, and is able to monitor home energy consumption. A comparable yet slicker smart home system can be found in the Eco Automation system, but it might fail at attracting less-than-tech-savvy users as successfully as Kasia might. At the moment, there’s a lack of integration with standards like IFTTT and HomeKit along with devices like Amazon’s Echo, but its in the works.