Samsung Boots Up Its Smart Home Division

Yoon C. Lee, a vice president in Samsung’s consumer electronics division, is giving a tour of his home in Oakland, Calif., from 8,000 miles away in Seoul. By swiping the screen of his Galaxy S5 phone, he can switch among camera views in the living room, foyer, and backyard, toggle his electronic deadbolts, flip the lights, and turn on the oven or sprinklers. “Our first mission is to bring your home to your connected life,” he says. “You will never have to drive back home for two hours wondering if you have forgotten to lock your door or turn off your gas stove.”

Samsung’s mobile profit tumbled 74 percent in the most recent quarter from the same period a year earlier, halving the company’s net income. To make up for some of that lost revenue, it’s trying to impress people with unprecedented levels of remote control over their homes. Internet-linked appliances have been slow to catch on, but given Samsung’s sizable share of both the appliance and electronics market, the company has as good a chance as anyone to sell people on a system of devices that work well together. Success could propel sales of its electronics, appliances, and chips for a generation; the market for Internet-connected appliances will grow to $7.1 trillion by 2020, from $1.9 trillion last year, estimates market researcher IDC.