Imagine yourself standing before a crew of cameramen, production assistants, actors, and lighting technicians, with all of these people looking to you to make something happen on the set. You are the director. You control the script (what will take place?), the set (where do you want this scene to happen?), and the players ( how many of them will be in this scene at once?). Now imagine your new home as a place where you can be the "director" of nearly every electronic event that takes place there, all from one master panel.

Don't worry; you still control the vertical, the horizontal, and you have not entered the "Outer Limits." You are experiencing the capabilities of " Home Director," a home network connection center now available in many new homes throughout the U.S., powered by IBM. Home Director leaves nothing to amateurs. Satellite TV viewing, high-speed modems for faster Internet service, networked computers in each bedroom, lighting and security for your entire home, closed circuit monitoring for your kids in the backyard pool, a home theatre system - all are "directed" by you from one "control board."

With today's consumers growing up in the technology age, homebuilders recognize that the homes and communities they build will need to take advantage of the benefits that technology delivers. Internet connectivity, digital satellite or cable television, multiple telephone lines into the home, and advanced home theatre systems are just a few of things homebuyers are demanding. According to Home Director spokesperson Andrew Hayden, the key to meeting these needs is delivering a solution that not only addresses these technologies, but also delivers the promise of emerging ones, such as DSL, cable modems and residential gateways, that will be available tomorrow.

Homebuyers are keen on new technology infrastructures, making home-based work, educational resources, and entertainment easily available. Over the past few years, builders have seen a dramatic increase in the demand for advanced wiring systems for telephones, video and computer networking as well as home entertainment, security and automated lighting systems.

Home Director, Inc., based in Morrisville, N.C., was launched in January, 2000, as an independent spin-off of the former IBM Home Networking Solutions Unit. Strategic relationships with a variety of industries make technologies offered by Home Director possible. Companies like SecurityLink from Ameritech/SBC Communications, Bell Atlantic, APS Energy Services/Cox Communications are driving the convergence of voice, video and data technologies within the home.

Already, production homebuilders like Centex, Pulte, Lennar, Ryland, and Shea Homes have jumped into the abyss of "smart" home technology, with many of their new home communities offering basic advanced wiring as a standard feature, and upgrades for even more sophisticated hook-ups as options through their design centers. Homebuilders are beginning to see people leaving older, established communities in favor of new home neighborhoods in order to take advantage of some of these technologies unavailable to them due to infrastructure limitations inherent in older areas.

In bustling Las Vegas, Nevada, master-planned areas, such as "Summerlin" have made home automation, entertainment, and communication an important selling feature, allowing homeowners to install the necessary wiring support during the home construction process, customizing their home networking system, making it operational at move-in. Homebuilding giant Lennar Corporation, has begun including master panels for automated wiring as a standard feature in their homes at the new northern California 5,000-resident Natomas Park community. In the process, the new homes are also prepared for the eventual "Intranet" network for the exclusive use of Natomas Park residents.

For starter homes the basic network, with high-speed phone and data lines is popular. The location of Internet lines, phone lines and fax modem lines are easily changed, and expansions can be made for more line locations with the eventual addition of home offices, nurseries or new rooms built on to the existing structure. Also included in the basic network is video distribution, featuring whole-house amplification for cable and antenna Satellite passthrough, allowing the changeover for wall plates for newer technology, such as HDTV and cable modems.

Move-up buyers may opt for additional applications to the basic system, such as digital voice and data, made flexible with multiple lines for the entire family, the Internet and the office. Cable/antenna, satellite and VCR/DVD signals can be sent to multiple locations, using only one VCR attached to one television, but viewable all over the home. Living even larger within Home Director capabilities can include premium video distribution, making home theatre available throughout the house, and in-home camera support for both security and child-monitoring purposes. Using this technology, homeowners can "check up" on their house and its occupants from anywhere via computer.

With most homes in the United States wired to 1950's standards, it's not surprising that the technology explosion of the past few decades has created the mandate for homebuilders to offer the most up-to-date and expandable automation systems for their newest homes. It makes one wonder what could possibly come next, however, if the next two decades produces as much technology as the 80's and 90's. Those of us that were happy just to have two TV sets in our house while growing up may find ourselves in later middle age displaying that "deer in the headlights" expression when our adult children and grandchildren speak of the newest advances.

Published: June 9, 2000

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A veteran of the real estate and homebuilding industries since 1986, Dena Kouremetis first joined Realty Times as a new homes writer in 1998. Since then, she has authored four books, written consumer columns on new homes issues for websites and newspapers all across the country, contributed to builder trade magazines, appeared as a guest expert on several radio shows and even created a ten-chapter podcast for LendingTree.com’s homebuilder website, iNest.com, now available on iTunes, entitled Uncharted Waters; Navigating the Purchase of a New Production Home. Kouremetis recently joined her local Folsom, CA Coldwell Banker office as a broker associate while continuing to write for the real estate industry. For the past three years, she has been training real estate agents for both the resale and new homes industries, putting her experience, research expertise and gift of expression to work to help others entering the business.