According to survey results released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), 62 percent of online consumers interested in learning more about home automation said that they they primarily look at safety and security such technology can provide.
"There is room for industry growth, with just 1.7 million households indicating they currently have a home automation system installed in their residence," said CEA's Rhonda Daniel. "The more consumers know about home automation, the more likely they are to adopt the technology in their homes. Our industry must work together to develop clear product descriptions and educate consumers about what these technologies can do in order to increase adoption of these systems."
CEA suggests that features focused on safety and security should be the building blocks of home automation packages offered by the industry. Specifically, consumers are apparently interested in smoke alarm alerts, home invasion alerts, video monitoring, and light adjustments. Those who have been around in this industry for awhile may remember that such technology is not new and has been around for quite some time. However, only the availability of solid wireless networks and our familiarity to use networked devices may finally allow the vision of a networked and automated home succeed.
Back in 1995, IBM rolled out a home automation technology called Arigo, which created a powerline network throughout a home and allowed consumers to remotely control virtually any electric devices from a coffee maker to A/C. Arigo turned out to be a major blunder that convinced the company to erase any records of the system from its website.
Here's something they forgot: Firewall and software security. Remotely hijack the home automation software, and walk in.
As long as a network is involved....security is nothing but an illusion...
especially wireless. I was just watching a commercial bout a vivdit or something like that offering home automation system, and was just wondering about the actual system security.