Re: X10 replacement?

[Marc_F_Hult <MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 16:16:17 GMT, Joerg
<notthisjoergsch@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
<ldaVg.19687$Ij.8613@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

>
>Exactly that is what will keep HA a small niche market. The Home Depot
>site isn't a very effective web site and most people I know have never
>visited it. They go straight to the store. If stuff ain't there it most
>likely doesn't exist, in their eyes.

There seems to be an assumption that the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) market is the
principal driver for HA acceptance for most folks. I'm skeptical.

I submit (with no data to back it up) that the bleeding edge, early adopter,
DIY market is not a robust leading indicator of HA success and market
penetration. IOW, the opinions of pundits in this newsgroup don't mean much.

I'd venture to claim that a distinct minority of US/Canadian/Europeans would
not even tackle the simple replacement of all the on-off toggle switches in
their apartment/house with even _non-automated_ dimmer switches.

The problem has been that market has been stuck on the DIY low-cost crowd and
Crestron/AMX markets because builders/installers/electricians can't make $ on
the installs because of post-sale issues.

HA will be broadly accepted when the majority of median-priced _new_ homes
come with the added 1-3% added cost of dependable HA already included in the
purchase. And someone has made money in the process.


My 7 Cents ... Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECOntrol.org