Are Smart Homes Really the Future?

Can smart homes truly be the future of homes? Do we really want wired or wireless, centrally controlled, ambient environments? Are we simply not satisfied with our current version of home? Some companies, like Siemens and HellermannTyton argue that the technology is ready to go. All we need is consumer demand. Unfortunately, consumer demand is the tricky part. But there is good news...at least for smart home manufacturers. Today's average consumer is less fearful of technology than previous generations and even older populations have demonstrated an increasing level of comfort with modern computer technologies (Demiris, 2004). Demiris found that "older individuals' perceptions of videophone and monitoring technology...(received) an overall positive attitude...". As for the future or present status of smart homes, in the UK a house can be structurally wired for approximately 15,000 pounds and with prices continuously going down, the smart home future is much closer than you think.

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