Then it was off to the Las Vegas Convention Center for a look at the high-tech, ultra-wired (and in some cases unwired) home of tomorrow. Westerville, Ohio-based Exceptional Innovation used its LifeWare software to create a truly connected home. It featured wireless, communicating light switches and thermostats, flat panel displays in each room to control lighting, audio and video, washing machines that blink a signal on each TV in the house when they’re done, security cameras connected to all those room screens and TVs, and a whole lot more. There were several Hewlett-Packard media center PCs in the home and a central data server. Very cool, but the price tag is also a cool $50,000 or so. More at www.nextgenhome.com/ or www.exceptionalinnovation.com.
Back in the real world was an adjacent display by Best Buy, the giant electronics retailer. For $14,999 – hey, I didn’t say it was cheap, but it is significantly less than $50k -- BestBuy is now marketing a home tech system called ConnectedLife.Home. It features a single premium HP media center home server, a home automation softare package, five “life scenes” home ambiance settings that include lighting and more, a networking kit, a router, a wireless access point, a digital thermostat, an HVAC interface, five lighting dimmers, five lighting switches, two programmable keypads, support and more. It’s very close to the LifeWare system, but not quite as involved. More at www.bbfb.com/connectedlife.
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