Foreveryoung wrote:
Many years ago I was involved in a project called "Smart House". It was a joint effort between Canadian and US designers, thinkers, concept people and suppliers. A few homes were built both here and in the US. EVERYTHING was wired and computerized. All appliances, large and small, heating and cooling, lights, water heater and control, security systems, radio and TV plus untold other little gadgets and functions in a typical home. The information gathered (under the guise of letting the home owner control everything himself from a local or remote location) was astounding. In the end however, the extra costs required in building the homes added from 25% to 50% of the home costs and the project was quietly put out to pasture.
Would not surprise me if this Google/Nest thing is just another attempt to revive this original concept.
It's funny how things come around - well - no, it's not funny - it's timing and advancement. Yes the project you were in was too expensive - it was likely premature. More and more people are going for home automation, how else do you explain companies fully vested in selling the package, like Rogers - it's much more affordable now. IBM had a home management system decades ago (I still have some of the kits, new in their original box!). It didn't go anywhere - but it's going places now. IBM also created the all in one computer YEARS ahead of Apple - but their timing wasn't right. Apple did it better and look at the PC world now - there are TONS of options for an all in one computer, where people are actually asking for it now.