Denver tech startups are at the center of the smart home revolution

As Deb Shupe stepped out to buy a sprinkler controller that could handle multiple watering schedules, her husband asked her to look for one that could be managed from a computer.

She had no luck. And so three years ago, the software developer teamed up with three others to create the RainCommander, a Wi-Fi-enabled system that allows users to manage their sprinklers from a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Last week, her Highlands Ranch-based startup, ZBS Technology, successfully wrapped up a Kickstarter campaign, raising nearly $17,000 from backers who paid at least $159 for the RainCommander.

RainCommander is made by ZBS Technology of Highlands Ranch. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

ZBS joins a growing list of Denver-area companies, including Revolv, Rachio and Tendril, developing so-called smart home technologies.

Once relegated to the rich and famous, home automation systems are considered the next big thing in consumer technology, spotlighted by Google's recent $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest, the smart-thermostat startup.

In the past couple of years, companies such as Comcast and AT&T have launched smart home services where devices from lights to thermostats to door locks can be controlled via an Internet-connected device.

"It's really a rising tide," said Jonathan Collins, principal analyst for market research firm ABI Research. "There are more options available to a wider segment of the market that's become more aware of these systems and also has the ability to better use them."

Smart-home automation services and devices will grow to 74 million North American homes by 2019, up from just over 17 million at the end of 2013, according to ABI. Total revenue for smart-home systems will reach nearly $8 billion in 2019.

"There's a trend that's happened over the last 12 to 18 months that's kind of this resurgence or renaissance of hardware (startups)," said Revolv co-founder Mike Soucie.

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Denver tech startups are at the center of the smart home revolution