Service area
Private AI Home Assistant and Smart Home Setup in Tampa
Kotoh Home sets up a private AI home assistant for Tampa Bay homes remotely, built around hurricane season: storm prep you approve in advance, leak and flood alerts, and a clear report once power is back.
Two storms in two weeks
Tampa Bay homeowners learned a hard lesson in 2024. Hurricane Helene's surge reached 7.18 feet in Tampa in late September, and Hillsborough and Pinellas counties reported at least 419 homes destroyed and major damage to more than 18,000 structures. About two weeks later Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key as a Category 3. Tampa was spared the worst surge, but nearly 12 inches of rain fell in the city, St. Petersburg saw close to 19 inches, and around 500,000 customers in Hillsborough County lost power.
The lesson for a smart home is simple: plan for days without power or internet, and for water coming from more than one direction.
What the assistant does in storm season
- Storm prep in one text. A routine you agree in advance: shades down, thermostat set, doors locked, outdoor equipment off, and a checklist of what still needs a person.
- Water from below and above. Leak sensors on floors, by the water heater and under windows and sliders warn you about rising water or wind-driven rain.
- Humidity after the storm. A closed-up house without AC can turn musty fast. Humidity sensors show when it's time to get someone in to dry it out.
- The all-clear report. When power and internet come back, one message covers temperatures, humidity, leaks, doors and whether the fridge stayed cold.
Our hurricane season guide goes deeper on backup power, generators and what a smart home can and can't do in a storm.
If you're away during a storm
If yours is a second home, or you travel during storm season, the assistant gives you a single place to see what's happening, and you can give a neighbor or property manager limited access to the same alerts so they can check on the house or let a contractor in. See second-home monitoring for how that works.
A record of what happened
After a storm, it helps to know exactly when things happened. The hub keeps a time-stamped history of every sensor: when the power dropped, when the first leak sensor got wet, how high the humidity climbed and when the AC came back. You can ask the assistant for that timeline in plain language and share it with a contractor or property manager. If you plan to use it for an insurance claim, check with your insurer about what they need. Either way, it beats piecing the story together from memory a week later, when the house has already been dried out and the details are gone.
Remote setup in Tampa Bay
After a free video walk-through and a fixed price, we ship a hub configured for your home. You plug it into your router, and over video we connect your calendars, email and compatible devices, set up texting for each person and build your storm routine. New devices such as an automatic water shutoff valve can be installed by your own plumber or electrician to our spec, or as a travel install we quote.
Choosing a tier
Private Cloud, from $4,995, runs your home's rules on the local hub and the AI on an open-source model on a private server we operate in a U.S. data center, with no conversation logs. Private Home, from $24,995, puts the AI on a computer in your house with battery backup, so the assistant keeps working when the internet is down after a storm.
Get started
Book a free video walk-through with the form on our home page or email hello@kotohhome.com. We reply within one business day.
Common questions
What can it do before a hurricane?
It can run a storm-prep routine you approve in advance: secure smart shades, set the thermostat, confirm doors are locked, and check that sensors and battery backups are reporting. It doesn't replace shutters, evacuation orders or your insurer's requirements.
Will it work when the power is out for days?
Local rules keep running while the hub has power, so a battery backup or generator matters. An optional cellular backup keeps alerts reaching you if the internet goes down. When power returns, the assistant reports temperatures, humidity, leaks and doors.
Do you install in Tampa?
Private Cloud is set up remotely: we ship a pre-configured hub and finish setup with you over video. Private Home and devices you want us to install are quoted as a travel install.
What does it cost?
Private Cloud starts at $4,995 plus a $199-a-month care plan that includes your private AI server. Private Home starts at $24,995 plus travel, with care at $399 a month.