Best Buy's $15,000 ConnectedLife.Home in a box
By Richard Lawler 
posted Dec 26th 2006 8:07AM
posted Dec 26th 2006 8:07AM
Sure, a fully connected house with the ability to control things like the TV, lights and thermostat remotely sounds great, but at the end of the day someone's got to hook all of that stuff up, and it's not going to be us. Best Buy recently announced its plans to step in with a $15,000 one-size-fits-all solution, including Media PC, Xbox 360, wireless cameras, light switches and other equipment. Dubbed ConnectedLife.Home, the package doesn't require new wiring, thanks to Corinex's AnyWire Powerline Ethernet technology. Best Buy doesn't install the lighting equipment and wiring, but once the high voltage bits are in, an installer comes to connect and configure your existing A/V setup, and then train you on how to use it. Whole home integration is a buzzword we can expect to see gain more steam at CES and beyond, but it remains to be seen if Best Buy can convince the mass market that this is a better option than paying the kid down the street $15 to flip the HD switch on their new Xbox 360.
I can't imagine giving BestBuy $15k. I'd rather just pay someone to torture me for two years.
$15,000? Yikes... that thing better wake me up in the morning with oral gratification (and I dont mean a verbal compliment!)
Ya know.. I wonder how much all those pieces cost all together. That might not be a bad business to get into.
Good concept for those that wont take the time to do it themselves for $5000-7000 for the same or simular products.
its a hell of a lot less than 5k for a similar system. granted its not lifeware (which is where all of the cost comes in), lifeware is very nice but very expensive.
$15000 and they go cheap by not rewiring your house for proper ethernet... they just use power line networking in which you get 14mpbs, which is kinda poor. Even 802.11g is faster, but apparently $15k doesn't come with wireless networking. Pay the kid down the street.
15 Gs? Wow...Seems a bit much... I wonder how many would pay it? I think they'd stand a better chance if they set the price under 10 Gs
Best Buy can sell the product, but I believe they are out of their league when it comes to installing the product. Do they even understand that industry? Just because you sell security cameras and automated light switches doesn't mean that you are an expert.
I have been installing "real" home control systems as well as security systems for years. It comes down to "you get what you pay for". If you want to do this right, then you don't go to Best Buy.
Crestron and AMX type systems have been around for a long time and they do it right when it comes to home automation. You will spend more than $15,000.00, but it will be done right, which is why you will never find these manufacturers selling their product at Best Buy.
I myself have built several custom home control PC's that control all aspects of home automation from HVAC, security cameras, lighting, irrigation, and more. My system, like Crestron and AMX uses wireless touchscreen control for everything, not an MCE remote control. My PC also has DVR hardware and software for remote viewing of security cameras.
Anyway, I'm not selling my product. I'm just saying that maybe Best Buy and their installers should research the product that they are selling before they sell themselves as experts in the industry. The people that buy these products at Best Buy will be calling customer support quite often.
T.D.
CHicago
This is for Tim I would be very intrested in the sytem that you have we have a son with disabilitys who on occasion stops at home on his own it would be great to have a sytem like yours for security, and well being of our son.