Home Automation...the NEXT BIG THING!!!

Home automation market/space really hoting up, Well is it just might be that i have started focusing on this topic and visiting related places or has the space really heated up, well I do think this space is HOT and has a lot of prospect over the next couple of years.

Here are some interesting tit bits I picked up from the blogsphere today.

Insteon, ZigBee, and Z-Wave seem to be the standards that are emerging and replacing the x10 standard.

What are they?//Excerpt
Insteon, ZigBee, and Z-Wave are mesh technologies, meaning that all the devices within a network are equipped with radios and can communicate with each other, rather than just with the controller (the device that serves as central command for the network). Each radio has both a receiver and a transmitter and can act as a repeater, passing on data for other radios out of the controller's range. The radios will be relatively inexpensive, adding $20 or less to the cost of the products or devices they are embedded in, such as thermostats, sprinkler systems, or dishwashers.
//Excerpt
via Wired Home

Why home automation?//Excerpt
I have my bedroom lamp set on to start dimming up in the morning gradually. I get up before the sun, but have a hard time climbing out of bed if it's still dark out. So, for about 15 minutes before my alarm goes off, the light starts dimming up (yes, it's bad grammar, but that's what it's called in "the community") starting at 1% and increasing 1% per 15 seconds. When the alarm goes off, it's at 60% intensity which isn't blinding first thing in the morning, but light enough to get up by. This may sound stupid, but since I'm not a morning person, getting up has never been easy for me. Since I've set this up, I've found I only hit the snooze button once or twice anymore, rather than 5 or 6 times. I also wake up in a better mood and more alert.
//End Excerpt
via Wired Home
Source Spoonman

Whats new?
//Excerpt
We were talking about ZigBee the other day and it's a nice to know that soon we'll be able to control our home with a PDA. C-guys is introducing the first ZigBee SDIO Card at CeBit this week which will take home automation to the next level. For under $100US, the card will be a great tool for running your home. Here's the full Press Release:
//End Excerpt
via WiredHome

Test

Via Email , Entry posting. Didn’t work the first time I tried. - Prashanth

Smart Car

Smart Car

 

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Gizmodo Gizmodo, the gadget guide. So mesmerized by shiny new toys. It's unnatural.

Mac mini Lexus In Gadgets: Vehicles In the glove box of this new Lexus sits a Mac Mini, USB 2.0 hub, and an easy bundle of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support. On the dash is a Pioneer in-dash receiver with touch screen displaying the mini's OSX output. Gin and juice, money on your mind optional. Hopefully within a couple of months this will be so common it's not notable. Mac Mini in a Lexus [theRADblog] Wont you like some thing like this?

SMART HOME .......Understanding the need - 1

SMART HOME .......Understanding the need, Below is the note/post of guy who is probably a geek, well he can set it up can you, DO YOU SEE THE OPPORTUNITY.

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Michael Gartenberg
My home network...
I've had a home network for a long time. About five years ago all it was used for was to connect to shared a net-modem to dial into the internet and then to share a broadband connection using WiFi. Today, my home has several networks that enable the following:

• delivering content to a PC from TiVo and to TiVo from a PC
• streaming TV, Music and Pictures from a media center PC to a Media Center Extender
• making phone calls over the Internet
• connecting all the various DVRs and Media Center PCs to the internet for EPG downloads
• streams music, TV, pictures and video to my PDA, laptop and Smartphone anywhere those
• devices have a connection using Orb
• Videoconferencing using iSite

it still shares an internet connection among the many PCs and PDAs here

Getting all that stuff to work? Well, it wasn't simple or easy at all to get it running and to keep it up. Many of these activities are more demanding in usage models than what's in use in many business environments. As more and more stuff gets built on top of the home network, expect the situation to get worse not better.
Vendors take note - Consumers do not want a network operations center in their den, Dad doesn't want to be the CIO and Mom really doesn't want to run the help desk. This stuff has got to be made a lot more user friendly or most folks simply won't bother.
What does your home network do for you?