Connected homes: create convenience, security and cost savings

June 2006
Jim Paulson, GE Security general manager, commercial and residential solutions - 6/1/2006

Nearly 44 years ago a futuristic cartoon called ‘The Jetsons’ premiered, featuring a family living in a space-age apartment with a robot to perform housework, a nuclear-powered knitting machine, a video phone on a big-screen television, a voice-operated washing machine and a seeing-eye vacuum cleaner, among other advanced amenities.

Today, the vision of an automated home with centralised, and truly remote, control is a reality. While we may never have a nuclear-powered knitting machine, much of the other technology dreamed up in `The Jetsons' is either here or just around the corner.

Consider these facts: of the starter homes built in the US in 2005, nearly 50% contained structured wiring, meaning they have a network-ready infrastructure - the backbone of the connected home. For move-up homes, that number grows to nearly 60% and for luxury homes, it exceeds 65%. What is more, US households with networks are expected to grow from about 13 million in 2003 to more than 30 million in 2009.

The so-called 'connected home' ties together appliances, heating and airconditioning, computers, security systems, smoke detectors, lighting, home entertainment devices and more, and lets users control them all via remote control from a telephone, cellphone, over the Internet or at home via wall-mounted keypads or touchscreens, or even portable touchscreens that can be carried throughout the house. A connected home allows all the electronics and systems in a home to work together and gives homeowners access to their home from anywhere on the planet.

A connected home can also be an intelligent home, one that is wired to take care of itself and alert you to any problems, rather than the other way around. Improving safety and security is a prime concern in a connected home.

Imagine a situation where there is a fire. An intelligent house can shut off the HVAC unit to avoid feeding the flames with oxygen. It also might shut off certain large appliances in the house, or even main valves such as the natural gas.

Another more subtle application would be to monitor the presence of devices within the home. Homeowners would certainly like to know if their expensive plasma TV was in the process of being stolen. A connected home could easily generate an alarm the instant a television is unplugged, even if the power is turned off. With appliance theft in the home construction market reaching epidemic proportions, such a system would create a high demand among homebuilders.

The benefits to both homeowners and builders of a connected home are practically limitless. With the right wiring, compatible devices and a little imagination, homes can offer everything from remote security and appliance control, energy cost savings, and 'plug-and-play' computer network and home entertainment functionality.

The return on investment can also be substantial. Intelligent lighting, heating and cooling systems can pay for themselves in just a few years. Experts predict that such smart homes will soon be in high demand, and will sell faster than homes without connected technology. What is more, insurance rates may even be reduced with a smart home.


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