Ask HN: Home Automation businesses?

[herval]

I found this discussion ongoing at Scott Adams' quite interesting: http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/home_servers/

I know there are dozens and dozens of open source initiatives to build 'the house of tomorrow', and even Microsoft is investing big on it's luxury robotic house.

Which begs the question: what do you think of home automation as a business? Is it still a far-fetched idea for the rich and famous?

[brk]

Been there, done that.

The industry and market-base is still way too fractured.

One of the biggest limiting factors is that in order to be very useful and functional, there has to be a moderate degree of programmability in the device that is acting as the server/controller for the home. This limits the effective market to geeks and tinkerers, who are also the most common build-vs-buy crowd.

Homeowners, in the general sense, do not want to pay monthly fees for service and are leery of installing a system that controls their home that they feel they have little or no personal control or understanding of.

Where the HA industry has seen some decent business is in specialized lighting and HVAC control systems.

[dag]

I used to install automation and A/V equipment in boardrooms.

I'm curious, do home users go for automated blinds, room lighting, or TV controls?

[herval]

with the current tendency of cheaper and cheaper netbooks (and small cpus in general), I guess programmability is quite attainable, no?

BTW, what do you think of the microsoft home initiative?

[CyberFonic]

Integration is the big challenge. The proprietary solutions are either expensive or very limited. Open source solutions tend to be oriented towards DYIers with the right tools and attitude.

As the 12:00 blinking VCR phenomena shows, the majority of people are just not into doing this sort of stuff for themselves. Only a full service solution will meet their needs and to do that well is very expensive and people change their mind when they find out how much it is going to cost.

In 2009, it still is for the Rich and Famous and the DIYers.

[noodle]

i think that the only way that it will become a seriously profitable business that will be useful to the masses, not just the rich and famous, is if someone could justify it via a cost-benefit analysis. prove that whatever you're going to do will be worth the customers' money.

otherwise, if its just frivolousness, you'll stay inside the realm of the people with the money to toss around.

[herval]

I always see that as the main argument for companies that sell home automation: you will save X in energy, save Y in time...

What if people WANT frivolity? Look at the web: the most popular websites are all basically focused on chatting with people and watching silly videos. Maybe something like Boxee (who takes the usual appletv thingie and turns it into a 'social' stuff) would tickle?

(can't think of anything interesting enough though - comparing your fridge with your neighbors is booooring at best!)

[future09]

What aspect of the industry are you thinking of getting in to? Security? Lighting? Media distribution? All of the above?

Are you planning on installing a pre existing product line (eg cresteon, amx, control4) or creating a product like linux mce or misterhouse?

[DenisM]

FWIW, my friends are working on home automation in this startup http://www.lagotek.com

[mooism2]

I can see home automation for the masses possibly coming in on the back of smart meters.