Digital Home for the Rest of Us

Last fall, on an empty lot in downtown Denver, a new home was plopped down and connected to portable generators and a small satellite dish. Just before the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) trade show began, all of its TVs, stereos, thermostats, security modules, and even window drapes were linked together in an extensive home automation system called Lifeware, with in-wall and portable touchscreen pads to control everything. The only thing missing was an electronic welcome mat reading Digital Home 2.0.

The concept of the digital home has been around for decades, but only in the last few years has it become something within reach for mainstream consumers. Similar to the way the computer industry has evolved, the home automation industry has recently undergone a dramatic shift toward open-platform, lower-cost systems that are more flexible and modular than previous designs. While heavyweights AMX and Crestron have dominated the home automation market since the early '80s, newcomers such as Control4, Exceptional Innovation, and Lagotek are trying to build a wider customer base, where whole-house automation systems can be designed and installed for as little as $10,000.



Some of the factors that have primed the market for low-cost home automation include more affordable A/V components, improved wireless/networking technologies, the emergence of Windows Media Center, and modular home-automation devices such as light dimmers and security cameras and monitors, not to mention the need for energy management.

Already, retail chains such as Best Buy, Home Depot, and Tweeter are jumping on the bandwagon, offering Control4 and Exceptional Innovation products on their shelves, with a list of installers ready to integrate them in new or existing homes. If these newcomers have their way, a whole generation of kids will grow up with no clue of how to load a CD or flip a light switch.