"Two Ends of a Spectrum: CEDIA and the DIY Crowd"

[Marc F Hult <MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

It is interesting (to me at least) to compare prognostications by pundits in
this newsgroup to those of professional market research.  For a mere $4200,
one can purchase the research report by ABIresearch. on Home Automation and
Control

 http://www.abiresearch.com/servlets/Download?RR-HAS-06br.pdf

The list of companies researched may be particularly revelatory to denizens
of comp.home.automation. For example, Adicon, Elk, HomeSeer are nowhere to be
seen in the various lists of 30+ major players.

As an unrepentant DIYer who has attended CEDIA conventions and who subscribes
to variety of industry rags,  I agree with ABIresearch's characterization of
the industry/market/effort as "Two Ends of a Spectrum: CEDIA and the DIY
Crowd".

The land grab for the middle has been predicted  for years. This research is
in that vein ("poised to make home automation and control a mainstream
phenomenon.").

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Home Automation and Control

Ten Mass Market Applications for Emerging Wireless and Powerline Technologies

For nearly 30 years, home automation and control systems have been relegated
to the status of niche technologies enjoyed only by those wealthy enough to
have expensive custom systems installed, or those with a hobbyist?s interest
in technical DIY projects. The vast mainstream market has largely been left
untapped. However, with the relatively recent introduction of new
technologies, such as Z-Wave, ZigBee, and INSTEON, and with the drive to
establish interoperability in use of these technologies, a host of new
vendors has entered the market, targeting mainstream households. This report
examines the technologies, companies, and market forces that are poised to
make home automation and control a mainstream phenomenon.


What Does This Report Answer?
How has the home automation and control market evolved to its present state?
What are the catalysts moving home automation and control from a niche market
to a mainstream opportunity?
How will RF-based products fare against powerline-based products as the
market evolves?
How will standalone subsystems (e.g. lighting control) intersect with
whole-home automation systems?
What factors are most likely to generate customer demand for home automation
and control products and overcome the perennial challenge of ?educating the
consumer? about the existence and benefits of home automation and control?
Which of the ten major home automation and control application segments will
see the most market traction over the next five years?
What roles are new channel partners playing in the adoption of home
automation and control technology?

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... Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECOntrol.org