Home Automation

New technologies are emerging and are replacing old and "out-of-date" gadgets. One such technology is the integration of all the devices
in home to build a fully automated home. Changing lifestyle patterns and consumer willingness to invest increasingly significant amounts
in home improvement will fuel the desire for intelligent, fully automated living space. The home automated innovation fantasy with ovens
that automatically cook and laundry equipment that would turn-on in the middle of the night to save homeowner energy cost is no longer
a vision of the future but a reality.

In-Stat/MDR calculated that home automation revenue will hit $5.3 billion by 2007.Some of the traditional automation companies
like Samsung, Honeywell, Invensys, Motorola, Texas Instruments, Mitsubishi, and Philips are looking to capitalize on new market
opportunities in home automation. Honeywell, Siemens, and the Schneider Group are the most prominent forces in the European
home automation market, jointly accounting for a 38-percent share of the total 2002 European home automation market.

Another important aspect in home automation is the networking capability that allows different equipments to share the information's
and signals each other. Network technologies such as Zigbee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Ultra Wide band will affect the home automation
landscape by altering the way nodes connect and share information, and thus altering consumer lifestyles and the availability of choice.
These technologies present numerous opportunities to network home control systems, such as lighting, security, HVAC, entertainment,
and appliances.