| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer electronics retail |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Irvine, California |
| Employees | 100 |
| Website | www.Smarthome.com |
Smarthome is a consumer electronics company specializing in home automation products, information, how-to videos and industry information.
It was created in 1992 by Joe Dada III, founder and CEO. It is based in Irvine, California.
Contents |
In 1992, Joe Dada and David Tan launched Smarthome.com, a subsidiary of SmartLabs, Inc. a fast-growing Internet-based supplier of "smart home" products.[1].
Using private funding from a series of friend and family donations, savings, and small loans from the bank, Dada was able to publish the first Smarthome catalog in 1992. In February, 1995, SmartLabs' Smarthome launched one of the first e-commerce sites on the Web. By the end of the summer in 1995, Smarthome.com had a full-functioning e-basket and search engine, which it continues to build upon today. The company currently has about 100 employees and offers more than 9,000 items for the customized automation of the home via their website, catalog and retail store in Irvine, CA. [2].
Smarthome, Inc. offers electronic home improvement devices such as X10 lighting and control systems, security devices, switches and home automation controllers.[3].
Dada and his team of engineers and designers have created a new standard of home control called INSTEON, a two-way system which controls devices using both powerline and radio frequencies (RF).[4].
According to Popular Mechanics' magazine article, Insteon is not only "an effective system for connecting lighting switches and loads without extra wiring, but it also forms the basis for a more sophisticated home automation network." [5].
Smarthome started with 12 employees and a “shipping room”, which consisted of Dada’s living room coffee table, and has grown to 100 employees and a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) facility. Co-founding Smarthome in 1992 as well as being the Chairman and CEO, Dada recently reorganized SmartLabs, Inc. into three companies: Smarthome Direct, which includes Smarthome.com; SmartLabs Design, creators of home control products; and SmartLabs Technology, the pioneering architects of INSTEON.[6].
Today, Smarthome prints more than four million catalogs per year and services customers in more than 130 countries.[7].