One of the great high-tech consumer events of the year comes up the second week in January, the Consumer Electronics Show being held in Las Vegas, Jan. 6-9. If there is a gizmo or gadget you need, think you need or didn't know you needed, the CES is where to find it.

And in the thick of the conference this year are home networking systems that some in the real estate industry believe are about to markedly change the look of U.S. housing.

During the meetings a consortium of corporations will unveil what they are calling "the Digital Home Experience," that will give attendees a hands-on opportunity to see what the new systems will do. The Experience is being put together by 3Com, Compaq, Echelon, IBM Home Director, Intel, Intellon, Lucent and other companies.

According to a show spokesman, "the Experience will bring you the most cutting-edge information appliances, digital TV's, home computers, home networks and home automation devices giving you an up-close look at what the leaders in home technology have to offer."

Players in the home automation industry say that while hundreds of thousands of Americans currently have some form of high-tech system running in their homes, that number is expected to increase to tens of millions in the next few years.

"More people are equipping their houses with a full range of networked systems that can control everything ranging from programming their alarm systems to setting up their heating and lighting to distributing television and Internet connections," the spokesman said.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) defines a "home network" as a system that "facilitates communication among the appliances, home systems, entertainment products and information devices in a home, so they can work cooperatively and share information."

Networking allows human users to get information about the home's condition and remotely control home systems and appliances, as well as provide access to information and entertainment resources outside the home.

According to a recent CEA survey of 1000 consumers, a majority of respondents said they would embrace the new home technology providing it is immediately applicable to them.

"Entertainment content such as music and video are among the most popular types of content consumers would like distributed around the house, earning 59 and 47 percent respectively," said the CEA survey.

Said a CEA statement, "Just as the personal computer revolutionized the way we communicate, the home networking market could be the next phase of technology that changes how we live."

Published: December 26, 2000

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