In the study, by the Internet Home Alliance, 49 per cent of those surveyed who were presented with at least one home technology option made a purchase, and the option they chose the most was a home security system followed by pre-wiring for cable or satellite TV and a built-in home theater. The Internet Home Alliance performed a study of 400 consumers nationwide who are either owners of newly constructed homes or are looking to purchase newly constructed homes to discover what needs and wants drove them to make their decisions regarding purchasing, installing and maintaining home technologies. Alliance members CompUSA, Cisco, Hewlett Packard, SBC Communications Inc., Whirlpool, Invensys, Home Director, KB Home and CompTIA/HTI+ led the study, gathering information from focus groups held in Denver in June and Web-based surveys in September. Consumers said prewiring for cable and home security systems are the most important home technologies and should be offered as standard options in newly constructed homes. The options considered “somewhat important” were structured wiring, multizone HVAC, wireless home computer networks, community-wide high-speed Internet connections, energy management systems, air purification systems, home control/automation systems and lighting controls. Study participants also said they would prefer to have a certified professional install and maintain any infrastructure technologies. “We were delighted to learn that the concept of the connected home is, indeed, becoming a reality,” says Tim Woods, Internet Home Alliance’s vice president of ecosystems development. “The understanding of, and keen interest in, a wide array of technological products for new homes validates our belief that we are moving quickly towards a turning point where many of the futuristic products and services will integrate into being standard components of new homes.”
