Years ago, the thought of being able to control what goes on at home when you're not there was unheard-of. If planning to leave for the day, most folks were forced to leave a light on, turn the heat down, and lock up before they went out. A light would have been running all day and the house would be cold when they returned home.
In recent years, the Web has changed that scenario. Today, the Internet allows homeowners to control their homes while they're away, as never before. They can control their thermostats. They can decide when lights in the house should turn on and off. They can even monitor their homes with the help of Web-connected surveillance equipment. Simply put, the Internet has revolutionized the way homeowners can manage their homes. And it's getting easier by the day.
Energy and security are two key areas where home automation is growing. Thanks to the Internet, controlling energy use in the home is easier than ever before. With the help of some resources from companies like Insteon, Home Automation Inc. (HAI), and other firms, users can quickly install lighting automation in the home.
Insteon, HAI, and others sell everything from simple switches to control all the lights in the home to touchscreen panels that monitor and control energy use throughout the home.
A service like Xanboo takes home automation to another level. Xanboo provides services from the Web or a mobile phone, like the iPhone. Users first need to buy a Xanboo controller from the site (pricing varies, depending on the kind of hardware you’re looking to support). Using the controller, the Xanboo service can be networked through the Web to Insteon devices, like outlets, switches, or control panels. All products connected to Insteon in the home will be controllable from the Web or via a mobile phone. The service even has a Facebook app that users can access while they're networking with friends.
Users of Xanboo’s service can access their security systems and control them while away from home. They can also buy up to four IP cameras from Xanboo, connect them to their DVR, and record video of what happens in the home while they're away, for viewing later on those devices. Xanboo lets users view what's happening in the house at any time with the help of a "Live View" feature. Xanboo also lets users view and control the temperature in their homes.
Xanboo isn't the only company to provide access to a user's home over the Web. HAI delivers security systems, home monitoring, and other home automation tools. It also partners with other companies, like Black and Decker, to provide its service along with other products.
Like the others in its industry, HAI offers a range of functions, from the ability to control lighting in the home to managing security. Many of those services can be accessed from the Web. For example, HAI users can run multiple IP cameras and see what's going on at home from the Web. Like many other companies in the space, HAI is realizing that the future is online.
In just a few short years, the Internet has become a fine resource for those who want to control what happens in their homes when they aren't there. And the best part is, it will only be a matter of time before it becomes an even bigger part of the industry.
So prepare to control your home from the Web. It'll happen sooner than you might think.
—Don Reisinger is a technology and video game columnist.
I watch a LOT of websites for great prices and great deals on a vast variety of equipment types. www.geeks.com has some very inexpensive security cameras (the prices that I cited), as well as pretty decent ones for a bit more. www.surpluscomputers.com has 4-input video cards for like $16. Both places tend to sell a smattering of old stock, new stock, factory-refurb items, etc. The prices I described are for new equipment, however.
I bought a refurb 1.8ghz core duo Macbook for $479 from www.geeks.com a few weeks ago and installed Snow Leopard on it. It's the first good deal (i.e. comparable price to a windows machine) that I've seen on a Mac in a long time, which is why it's the first Mac I've owned in a decade. I like it more than I thought I would.
I personally feel home automation is right there, it is in the catch22 situation waiting for the consumer demand to rise to cause tipping point so mass production can occur and consumers are waiting for the cost to come down so they can afford. Technology is there, economy is not quite yet...
To the list of home automation, the things I want to see or prices affordable are fridge that automatically creates shopping cart at local grocery store (i know it is already there but not at my price point), a simple alarm clock that tracks weather and traffic to adjusts my wake up time automatically with prior knowledge of my driving patterns, smart meters from google/ms hohm that can adjust thermostat based on weather conditions and motion sense capabilities, Dream home capabilities displayed at Disneyland, Anaheim.
I've looked into such things periodically over the past 20 years. Seemed pretty expensive with no real "remote" value. However, I've been impressed and my interest has been piqued by the recent price-drops in x10 equipment and the (cheap!) equipment that makes it accessible over the internet. It looks like an impressive home automation system can be had for a couple hundred dollars and a small amount of programming (off-the-shelf software).
I've only been buying home security hardware, so far, though. With full-color wired video cameras costing as little as $15, 4-input video capture cards at <$20, wireless cameras costing ~$30, and software in the $50 range... it doesn't take much money to experiment with it all.
I'm really giddy at the (admittedly nerdy) fantasy that I might be able to connect a streaming video server to a radio controlled car with a 2.4 Ghz wireless camera and do daily "web patrols" of the house during a vacation.
I think we're pretty close to a modular-enough toolset for "solutions" of that sort.
I hear what you're saying, Chris. That said, I do think that there are really important reasons to monitor what's happening at home. What if you want to see what your kids' babysitter is up to? What if you're concerned that your kids are doing things they shouldn't at home? There are several reasons to monitor what's happening at home.
I also think that some folks are more concerned about security than others. Someone who is really concerned about it would probably find a lot of use in security cameras.
I find it interesting that an article about home automation, completely neglects to mention the grand-daddy of home automation! Of course, I'm talking about the x-10 systems. These robust systems have been around since the early 80s...and they are still going strong. And yeah, while the units mentioned in the article are nice and all, their buy-in price is quite a barrier to entry! You can get a starter x-10 system for under $100! and since x-10 started the home automation craze, almost all home automation systems built since work with x-10 modules.
I have replaced most of the light switched in my house with x-10 modules (some are 2-way) and most lights, indoors and outdoors are connected with x-10 modules. I use an x-10 programmable module to manage the whole thing...and with it's web interface, I can monitor my house from anywhere in the world as long as I have an internet connection! And when I go away on vacation, I switch the system to vacation mode where it plays back the previous day's module use...or I can randomize the modules on and off settings.
And as for home cameras? both DLink and Linksys have wonderful web cameras that are easy to setup and use and as long as you have an internet connection, you can view your cameras from anywhere. I run the dlink cameras and they feed to a NAS device that captures any motion in or around my house. Cost per camera? If you shop around, you can get them quite cheap...I paid no more tha $70 per camera...and in some cases, I got them for $40! (there was a sale and rebate that I took advantage of) and of course, there's eBay...
Hilarious point well taken, Chris. Another thing; Unless you've got home help you suspect of mistreating your property, children, or pets (and why on earth would you leave them there if so?) I can't think why you'd need to see what's happening back home.
Of course, if you're burlarized, it might be handy to see who invaded your place. But hopefully, your security system will have foiled them in the act.
What does intrigue me about home automation is the energy savings possible -- but then, I haven't yet invested in the technology that folk here point out has been around forever. Perhaps the Web interface, plus the cooperation of local utility, will help get me into that game.
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