Service area
Smart Home Installation on Shelter Island
Kotoh Home installs private AI home assistants and smart home systems on Shelter Island, set up for the realities of an island home: ferries, empty winters and long gaps between visits.
An island home is a different kind of smart home
Shelter Island is reachable only by ferry. The North Ferry runs from Greenport, about an eight-minute crossing, and the South Ferry runs from North Haven, about five minutes. Both are short trips, but for an owner who lives in the city or spends the winter in Florida, "just swing by the house" is never short. The same goes for a plumber, an electrician or a caretaker who has to time a visit around the boats.
The island also changes size with the seasons. The 2020 census counted 3,253 residents, and in summer the population can pass 20,000. Many houses sit empty for long stretches between Labor Day and Memorial Day. Nearly a third of the island is the Mashomack Preserve, owned by The Nature Conservancy, so a lot of homes are tucked into woods and set back from the road, which is lovely in July and lonely in February.
That combination is exactly what a private home assistant is good at: knowing what is happening inside a house when no one is there, and telling you before a small problem becomes an expensive one.
What we set up for Shelter Island homes
Every Kotoh Home install starts with a dedicated AI computer that lives in your house and belongs to you. We connect it to your thermostats, locks, lights, sensors and cameras, and then you talk to it by text from the messaging app you already use. For an island home, the most useful pieces are usually:
- Freeze and heat alerts. January on Long Island averages between about 25°F and 45°F. If the heat fails, the assistant sees the indoor temperature dropping and texts you while there is still time to send someone over.
- Leak detection with automatic shutoff. Sensors under sinks, near the water heater and by the washing machine, plus an optional motorized valve on the main line that closes when a leak is detected.
- Power and generator status. A message when the power drops, another when it comes back, and confirmation that a standby generator actually started.
- Arrivals from the ferry line. Text "heading over on the 4 o'clock" and the heat comes up, the porch lights come on at dusk and the garage opens when you pull in.
- Access for the people who help. Temporary door codes for a caretaker, landscaper or contractor, with a note in your messages each time a code is used.
Our second-home monitoring page covers the sensors and alerts in more detail, and our guide to freeze, leak and power alerts explains what to buy and where it goes.
Built for the off-season
The fall close-up matters more on an island than almost anywhere else. When you leave in October, the assistant can run a "closing" routine: set the heat to a safe minimum, confirm every door is locked, turn off the outdoor shower circuit if it's on a smart switch, and start sending you a weekly summary of temperature, humidity and power events. If anything looks wrong between visits, you hear about it right away rather than in April.
We walk through the full checklist in closing up your house for winter. It is written for the Hamptons but applies just as well to the island.
Private by design, which matters in a small place
On an island where people know each other's driveways, privacy is not abstract. The AI that runs your house runs on the computer in your house. Your schedules, routines and household details are processed there, not by a cloud AI company. The messages you send it travel through Apple's or Meta's encrypted networks, depending on whether you use iMessage or WhatsApp, and accounts you connect, like email or calendars, stay with their providers. We explain exactly what connects to what at the walk-through.
If you want the longer version, read local AI vs cloud assistants.
How it works
- Free walk-through. We visit the house (or start by video if you're away), look at what you have and talk through what you want the house to handle.
- Fixed price. You get one price before we start. Essentials is $4,995, Smart Home is $6,995 and Estate starts at $10,995, and every package includes the AI computer.
- Install day. We set up the computer, secure the network, connect your devices and build your routines.
- Care. An optional care plan, from $149 a month, covers updates, monitoring and new routines whenever you ask.
We also work across the water on the North Fork and in East Hampton and Sag Harbor, so if you have a boat, a cottage or family on either fork, one setup can cover both.
Common questions
Do you work on Shelter Island year-round?
Yes. We schedule walk-throughs, installs and care visits on the island in every season, and plan them around the North and South Ferry so a visit fits the crossing rather than the other way around.
Can I check on my Shelter Island house from the city?
Yes. You text the assistant and it answers from the house: indoor temperature, whether doors are locked, if any leak sensor has tripped and whether the power is on. If something needs attention, it messages you first.
What if the power goes out while I'm away?
The assistant's computer and network can run on a battery backup long enough to send you an alert, and if you have a generator we connect its status so you know whether it started. Any device that loses power will reconnect when the power returns.
Do I need new smart devices?
Often not. At the walk-through we check what you already have, such as thermostats, locks, cameras and sensors, and only suggest additions that solve a real problem, like leak sensors near the water heater or a water shutoff valve.
How much does it cost?
Essentials is $4,995, Smart Home is $6,995 and Estate starts at $10,995. Every package includes the dedicated AI computer, which you own. Care plans start at $149 a month.