The Smart Home Takes Form
Savvy solution providers are beginning to take advantage of this trend as well, using their IT solutions experience to enter the home integration and SOHO space.
At the XChange conference this week in Orlando, CRN Test Center engineers highlighted the opportunities in home integration by assembling a mock "Smart Home." The two-room showcase was put together by Test Center Senior Technical Editor Frank J. Ohlhorst and Assistant Technical Editor Vincent Randazzese, with help from David Strom, Technology Editor at CRN sister publication VARBusiness.
Homeowners have two chief demands when working with integrators to design the ideal smart home. The first is to install souped up entertainment systems in their living room that can play music and DVDs, stream digital content throughout the home and act as gaming platforms. The second is to set up home offices that allow them to work as productively at home as they can at the office, while still enjoying entertainment content.
Test Center engineers assembled the "Smart Home" using the following products, all of which are being exhibited at XChange, which is sponsored by CRN parent company CMP Media. All connections are via an 802.11b wireless network.
Living Room
MSI MEGA 651 PC
Price: $299
\
DistributorsL ASI, Avus, D&H Distributing, MA Labs, Maxgroup
\
MSI Computer Corp.
\
(636) 913-0828
\
\
\
At the heart of the Smart Home's living room is the MSI multimedia PC, an all-in-one, fully integrated entertainment PC based on a Pentium 4 architecture. The Multimedia PC includes an integrated CD player, cable TV tuner, DVD writer, MP3 player, hi-fi stereo, AM/FM tuner and remote control. The drawback of most entertainment PCs is that they still look like computers, but the MSI Multimedia PC has the size and design of a CD player and fits easily into a home entertainment center. Located on the front of the PC are a six-in-one flash memory card reader and ports for Firewire, USB, headphone and microphone. The Multimedia PC is a quiet, low-power PC.
\
\
BENQ PDP 46W1 PLASMA DISPLAY
\
\
Price: $4,995
\
Distributors: ICG, Ingram Micro, Stampede, Tech Data
\
BenQ America Corp.
\
(866) 700-2367
\
\
\
The MSI Multimedia PC is attached to a 46-inch plasma display from BenQ. The display can serve as a full television or PC display, has high-quality speakers and includes brackets for wall mounting or free standing.
\
\
BENQ PB8220 DIGITAL PROJECTOR
\
\
Price: $3,795
\
Distributors: ICG, Ingram Micro, Stampede, Tech Data
\
BenQ America Corp.
\
(866) 700-2367
\
\
\
For homeowners looking for a complete home theater experience, nothing compares to the big-screen feel that a high quality projector provides. Digital projectors are a great way to watch DVDs or TV, and can be attached to multimedia PCs.
\
\
NC220W 802.11B WIRELESS NETWORK CAMERA SERVER
\
\
Price: $250
\
Distributors: D&H Distributing, Ingram Micro, Tech Data
\
Hawking Technologies
\
(949) 790-0800
\
\
\
The Hawking Wireless Camera easily connects to 802.11b wireless or wired networks and offers excellent home surveillance, general security or monitoring of a child's room. It can also be set up for use as a Webcam and can send video clips via e-mail.
\
\
HAWKING WIRELESS FIREWALL ROUTER
Price: $79
\
Distributrs: D&H Distributing, Ingram Micro, Tech Data
\
Hawking Technologies
\
(949) 790-0800
\
\
\
The Hawking Wireless 802.11b wireless router can act as the main networking hub of the Smart Home. The router contains a four-port 10/100 switch, and provides key benefits such as a firewall and wireless access, while allowing home owners to easily share a single broadband connection.
\
\
Home Office/Den
VONAGE DIGITAL VOICE
Price: Starts at $25.99/month, plus $29.00 activation fee
\
Distributors: Direct from vendor
\
Vonage
\
(732) 528-2600
\
\
\
Phone service in the Smart Home is provided by Vonage Digital Voice, a consumer VoIP solution that has the potential to replace standard telephone lines. Based upon Cisco VoIP technology, Vonage provides a local phone number that in all aspects acts as a standard telephone. Vonage can provide two lines per unit, uses a flat-rate pricing model for unlimited local and long distance calling, which starts at $29.99/month depending on specific service options selected. The service provides voice mail, web administration, and can be set up to send an e-mail message when a voice mail message is received. The unit is plugged into the Smart Home's wireless router.
\
\
TALKSWITCH 48NLS
\
\
Price: $1,395
\
Distributors: Direct from vendor
\
Centrpoint Technologies
\
(888) 332-9322
\
\
\
Plugged into the Vonage Digital Voice is the TalkSwitch 48 NLS, a home PBX that brings enterprise-level telephone features to the SOHO market, ranging from voice mail to follow-me capabilities, and it provides up to 16 incoming phone lines, allowing even the smallest business or home office to mimic a large corporation.
\
\
TOSHIBA IK-WB11A WIRELESS VIDEO CAMERA
\
\
Price: $799.99
\
Distributors: D&H Distributing, Tech Data
\
Toshiba America
\
(800) 316-0920
\
\
\
The Toshiba wireless camera provides security and web cam capability in the Smart Home's office. The IK-WB11A attaches to a wireless or wired network, includes pan and tilt capabilities, and can be used indoors or outside.
\
\
HAI OMNI PRO II CONTROLLER
\
\
Price: $299 - $1,500, based upon configuration
\
Distributors: Direct from vendor
\
Home Automation Inc.
\
(504) 736-9810
\
\
\
The Omni Pro II combines a sophisticated alarm system with intelligent home control functionality, controlling the Smart Home's lighting, home security, heating and air systems and home automation. Leveraging both Ethernet and X-10 technology, the Omni Pro 2 allows even the least tech savvy resident to control all the elements of a house while either in the home or from remote locations. The Omni Pro II can be accessed via a LCD touch panel interface, PC browser in the smart home or custom software on one of the home's PCs.
\
\
SONY VAIO PCV-W510G DESKTOP PC
\
\
Price: $1,599.99
\
Distributors: Ingram Micro, Tech Data
\
Sony Electronics
\
(858) 942-7797
\
\
\
The Sony VAIO PCV-W510G is an all-in-one home office PC and flat-panel display. The Pentium 4-based unit integrates standard Windows XP PC functionality with a cable TV tuner, DVD burning capability, CD player, wide-screen technology and enhanced audio. It is particularly useful as a home-office PC or for users who work with video and audio. Heavy on the entertainment side, the unit is designed to be the only PC one needs at home.
\
\
PELHAM SLOANE PS 1500
\
\
Price: Starting at $1,369, $2,099 as configured
\
Distributor: Micro Warehouse
\
Pelham Sloane Inc.
\
(203) 259-4357
\
\
\
Pelham Sloane's All-In-One PC is geared toward both education and general business use, making it ideal for anywhere in the home. The PS1500 is especially suitable for a child's room because it's easy to use, requires minimal desktop space and has no accessories that can be lost.
\
\
SONY VAIO PCV-PCG-GRT100P2 LAPTOP
\
\
Price: $1,449.99
\
Distributors: Ingram Micro, Tech Data
\
Sony Electronics
\
(858) 942-7797
\
\
\
Today's workers need a highly portable, robust notebook computer to allow them to work as productively at home as at work. The Sony Vaio provides those capabilities in this laptop, which melds portable entertainment with traditional PC functionality for the mobile professional.
\
\
LEXMARK X215 MULTIFUNCTION PRINTER
\
\
Price: $499.99
\
Distributors: Ingram Micro, Synnex Information Technologies, Tech Data
\
Lexmark International
\
(859) 232-2000
\
\
\
The Lexmark X215 is an all-in-one printer that brings faxing, scanning, printing and copying capabilities to the SOHO environment in a convenient-to-use, small-footprint package.
\
\
BELKIN UPS 500VA
\
\
Price: $79.99
\
Distributors: Ingram Micro, Synnex Information Technologies, Tech Data
\
Belkin Corp.
\
(800) 223-5546
\
\
\
Beyond outlet strips to protect against surges, UPSes such as Belkin's Home Office UPS 500VA With Broadband Protection are essential for protecting more sophisticated electronic equipment in the home.
\
\