This Tech Startup Wants to Revolutionize Your Home Vivint's new 'Sky' system learns how you interact with your home to make it a smarter place. It's not just automation, but smart automation.
By Emily Price
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The idea of having a completely connected home sounds awesome to a number of people, but setting it all up yourself? Probably not so much.
Add to that the issue of managing all your connected devices. You have one app to unlock your front door, another to turn on your bedroom lights while you're away from home and one more to kick on the AC on a hot summer day.
Sure, you're connected, but the experience isn't exactly seamless.
Provo, Utah-based Vivint is trying to change that. The security and automation company recently launched Vivint Sky, a hub of sorts for your home that allows you to control your lights, thermostat, door lock and even monitor your home's security camera all from the same app. Even better, it learns over time how you use it and makes smart suggestions on how to improve. It's not unlike what we might see from Apple's HomeKit or from Google down the road, and what some companies like Revolv are attempting to do with your existing smart home equipment.
Related: Meet the Man Leading the Connected-Home Revolution
Unlike some of those other solutions, Vivint's is an end-to-end solution that requires you to use its software and hardware -- that means you'll have to ditch your Nest to get on board. It's similar to what Lowes is offering with its Iris system, however, instead of buying individual hardware pieces and installing them yourself, lights, locks and security cameras are installed professionally and you're charged a subscription fee for using them.
The service has four different tiers of functionality that range from $54 to $70 per month, after a $99 activation fee.
"Vivint Sky transforms the home automation experience by providing an unprecedented level of control over the home," says Todd Pedersen, co-founder and CEO of Vivint. "While we have more than 800,000 consumers already using our home automation technology, this is just the beginning."
Here's a closer look:
Related: The Connected Home: A Huge Opportunity But Slow to Catch On
Part of Vivint's future is not only home automation, but smart automation. The company's new Sky system introduces a new cloud technology platform with a "smart learning" feature that pays attention to how you interact with your home, learns from it and gets smarter over time.
Think of it like Nest's smart thermostat feature, except on steroids. It's unlike anything out right now. What's getting smarter is not only your thermostat, but your locks and lights as well. Sure, the system might suggest you adjust the temperature during the day when you're at the office, but it also might ask if you want to lock the front door when you accidentally forget in your rush to get to work.
You can access Sky on your iOS or Android device, or from a desktop computer. All of its automated tasks are completed after if you're interested in them, so you always know what's going on with your home, and can opt out of you think it's making a bad suggestion. Over time your home will learn more about you and adapt, ultimately creating a streamlined and super smart solution.
Related: How Google Is Taking Over Our Lives
