Technology Leaders Issue Call To Action: Builders Must Accommodate The 'Connected Home' - Industry Trend or Event

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, Sept 27, 1999

The world's leading technology companies are calling for a change in how new homes are being built in order to ensure the nation's new homes are wired to keep pace with the ever-changing technology revolution.

These companies, including Intel Corporation, IBM and Lucent Technologies, are part of Wiring Americas' Homes, a consumer educational campaign of the Home Automation Association sponsored by 15 leading technology companies. Wiring Americas' Homes has developed basic wiring standards to give both builders and consumers a checklist to determine if their new home is being built to accommodate the latest in communications, entertainment and security technologies.

"We are asking home builders to help ensure that today's new homes will not be technologically obsolete at move in, effectively preventing families from realizing the potential value of today's 'connected home,"' said William Lane, chairman of Wiring Americas' Homes. "The wiring solutions we have developed give consumers a gauge for determining if their new home is going to support their communication and entertainment needs in the future, while also providing the builder with clear direction on what a connected home should include."

The Connected Home

Wiring Americas' Homes sees the home environment rapidly changing as people continue to incorporate evolving technologies into their lives. Whether professionals are connecting from home to their corporate server or children are connecting to their classrooms, the Internet is creating a gateway that opens a new world of opportunity in the home.

"As multiple-PC households grow and as Internet service and content providers continue to expand offerings in home office, education, commerce and entertainment, the need for a networked home will rapidly become very important to consumers," said David Nash, marketing director for Intel Architecture Lab's Connected Home Initiative. "Our research has shown that delivering the Internet anywhere in the home that the family works and plays will remove the final barriers to enjoying all its benefits."

But home computing with Internet capabilities is just one aspect of a "connected home." Networking home systems gives consumers the ability to integrate two or more of the many technologies found in a home, including communications, computers, audio/visual, entertainment, security, lighting controls, utilities and environmental controls. That integration, or networking of home systems and appliances, is what gives homeowners maximum control and flexibility to use technology in ways that offer the greatest impact on their personal needs.

Affordable structured wiring systems have been on the market for several years and are readily available and supported by well-trained installer networks in virtually all U.S. markets. And they are rapidly growing in popularity, with industry experts projecting that 45 percent of all single- family homes built in the U.S. will incorporate whole-house structured wiring by 2004 (Parks Associates research).

However, Wiring Americas' Homes believes in most cases new homes built today are not equipped with the necessary wiring infrastructure to support a "connected home." And builders are not aggressively embracing established construction practices that would allow consumers to enjoy the full value of today's home technologies.

"The standard new home today features a wiring package designed 50 years ago, yet it serves a family that is growing more reliant on technology every day," said Mark Schmidt, director of marketing and business development for IBM Home Networking. "How do you tell someone who just purchased a new home that it's not built to accommodate off-the-shelf home entertainment systems, or that their children will have limited access to the wide range of educational opportunities available on the Internet?"

"Structured wiring is one of the fastest growing construction products in the country, and we are not talking about a small niche of home automation techies," said Cynthia Pawlowski, senior offer manager for Lucent Technologies. "This is a high-volume, main-stream phenomenon that is happening right now. Multi-unit property owners are already successfully using built-in Internet access to lure residents, and we believe single-family builders will quickly see the value of structured wiring as a competitive marketing advantage.

"But it's not growing fast enough for consumers who don't realize that their new homes built today aren't equipped for the future," Pawlowski added.

The Home Wiring Solution

While there is no single wiring solution that can encompass all lifestyle needs, Wiring Americas' Homes has established a recommended solution, upgrade solution and minimum solution for structured wiring systems in new homes. These solutions are based on the approved industry standard (TIA 570-A).

Regardless of size, location or cost of a new home, incorporating the recommended solution provides homeowners with a wide range of opportunities not available through traditionally wired homes. This solution was designed to help ensure optimum access to all existing and developing home communication, entertainment, security and control technologies. In addition, industry experts believe that building a home to these standards will help add value to the home at resale.