BY LAURA GUEVIN
Associate Editor, INTERNET TELEPHONY

A Better Coffeemaker Through Smart Networking

We've all heard the hype about intelligent appliances for the home. Refrigerators that will keep track of your food consumption habits and place a grocery order over IP when supplies are running low. Entertainment systems that monitor your audio/video preferences and can deliver your personal favorites to any room in your house. And then there's Bill Gates' mega-mansion, where small pins worn by inhabitants dictate the lighting, music, and climate conditions, based on each person's preferences. I, for one, have mostly shrugged off these innovations as excessive gadgetry -- more trouble to set up and implement than they're really worth.

Well, my opinion is slowly changing. I actually got excited earlier this week when a couple of X-10 modules and a remote control arrived at my home, and I was able to try out this "smart networking" concept. Setup is pretty simple. A receiver module with an antenna is plugged into a wall outlet, and an appliance is plugged into the same outlet. The module is controlled by a computer, telephone, or remote control (which I've been using) -- known as the controller. The user assigns a unique code to each module, and the controller transmits the code to the module.

Using the X-10 components, I was able to turn a lamp on and off -- and dim it in varying degrees, from anywhere in my house. But an even cooler application for me is control of my regular old coffeemaker. I used to have one of those programmable coffeemakers that would have a fresh pot waiting for me at wakeup time each morning. But it fried out after a few months, and I had to revert back to my old one. Now, when my alarm goes off in the morning, I have only to hit the remote control by my bedside and my morning jolt will be ready within minutes.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR BUSINESS
I know these are only minor applications, and I'm really anxious to try out more sophisticated programming like auto-timing my lights when I go away on vacation, getting my stereo and television hooked up, and maybe even bringing my alarm system online. The opportunities smart networking opens up for small or home businesses are even greater, and Home Wireless Networks is one company that offers an integrated, wireless voice and data network.

In the Home Wireless system, the controller (typically a PC or telephony), acts as a gateway device and handles all data communications among computers -- allowing them to share one connection to the Internet for handling voice, data, and fax. The company offers data jacks for networking PCs, and each comes with software for easy installation and setup. Phone jacks enable modems, fax machines, wired telephones, and digital satellite systems to communicate without wires, and the company also offers a multi-line, wireless handset. The handset features caller ID, call transfer, conference calling, and a directory feature.

Adding voice commands to the mix is the next logical step, of course, and the HAL 2000 system from Home Automated Living brings voice recognition, along with many other capabilities. The system's voice rec features are speaker independent, and suited for continuous, natural speech. The system also features sensor activation based on motion, sound, or temperature, and is compatible with open-air microphones. The company teamed up with ITRAN Communications and design firm Jackson and Tull last year to make automated voice switches that plug into an electrical outlet. The switches carry voice commands to the central PC over existing power lines, using built-in microphones and speakers. The HAL 2000 is capable of controlling electrical devices, all telephone functionality, and thermostat settings. It also offers a personal assistant that keeps track of users' shopping lists, and provides an Internet interface, and will fetch specific information like weather and TV listings. The system may be used on a PC running Windows 95 or 98.

Being able to send wireless voice commands to our computers, appliances, and home automation systems has serious value for home and business users. The products described above are only the tip of the iceberg of what's out there in the smart networking space. They also point to what seems to be a common goal in the telecom and datacom industries these days: Convergence. Smart networking moves all of our communications (internally, within a single building anyway) onto one network -- whether it be wireless, IP, or even electrical wires. If the current trend of unifying our external communications continues, the power of smart networking could extend well beyond a single building in enhancing our control over communications. Indeed, this simple technology could play a larger role in adding functionality and structure to the goal of the unified network.

Laura Guevin welcomes your comments at lguevin@tmcnet.com.