Home Networks: A Solution in Search of a Problem? Guthrie OK

Posted by : James Mathewson hed: Home networks: a solution in search of a problem?Dek: Personally, I have no desire to talk to my refrigerator from my home office. A walk upstairs and a peek inside would suffice.

We have been covering the emerging trend in home networks since Bill Gates built the ultimate smart home a few years ago. When I speak of home networks, I'm not talking about wiring your home for multiple computers. This is something worth doing, especially as more and more households need a computer on every desk. I'm also not talking about the convergence of PCs with entertainment systems. PCs already make better stereos and TVs than do many devices designed for that purpose. With a few add-ons, users can get great sound and video at a fraction of the cost of a dedicated entertainment system. And smarter TVs and stereos will make every couch potato happier. "It's a good thing," to quote Martha Stewart.

Here, I'm referring to wiring wiring computers with other home appliances such as refrigerators, lighting consoles, climate-control systems, and the like. A lot of companies have been busy designing products for this market and even getting analysts to make pronouncements as to the "multibillion-dollar" emerging market for these products. IBM is even in the mix here, as a story on our site today indicates. While I can see some advantages to some of this stuff, most of it strikes me as a product in search of a solution.

The story describes a lifest...

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