Unipalm: Home Automation will boom
According to Unipalm the home-automation market is set to reach the masses. The VARs (value-added reseller) should get on board now before the market becomes commoditised.
Home automation is an emerging market. Europe is about 1-1.5 years behind the US in terms of adoption. It’s all about IT and audiovisual (AV) integration and the manufacturers are just starting to educate the resellers about it.
At a recent training session at Unipalm, the IT resellers were asking how to do some of the AV stuff, while the AV guys were asking how to do IT stuff. This should lead to collaboration between AV and IT resellers.
At its simplest, home automation involves controlling a light or appliance with the same remote used to control the TV. But it can also involve a completely automated system that controls entertainment, heating, broadband, lighting and security from one or many types of digital computer control devices and panels.
Unipalm has just signed up home automation software vendor ConvergeX. It believes ConvergeX is the first company to have a complete home automation offering.
Under the agreement, Unipalm will provide specialist services that enable resellers to become authorised ConvergeX suppliers, able to provide installation, training and services. Resellers that understand both IT and AV will do well in home automation, as will those with data networking skills.
Home automation has been around for a some years (i.e. AMX, Crestron, Vantage) but things have happened to make it accessible to the average person, not just the wealthy. eaDHome got into the home automation market five years ago. Most people are asking for systems now. It’s definitely starting to take off.
Source: Unipalm (PDF)
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