The future of smart home living

SmartThings' idea for smart living started with an unfortunate situation: A flood.

About four years ago, Samsung SmartThings Founder and CEO Alex Hawkinson was away from his mountain home for the winter. During that time, the power went out during a storm, the pipes froze — and when they burst, the house flooded.

"By the time he came back in the spring, his living room and the first floor of the house were a swimming pool," said Mark Younger, Europe's SmartThings managing director.

While Hawkinson and his wife were in the midst of repairing the damage, Hawkinson saw her downloading a digital book on her e-reader. He realised that if she could download a book from pretty much anywhere in the world, he should have the means to check in on his home from anywhere as well. If he had, the flood damage could have easily been prevented. Read more...