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Engadget HD delves into Home Automation with mPanel review
If you've always though the idea of Home Automation was cool, but thought it was too expensive, you should head over to Engadget HD as they check out the first affordable Home Automation in-wall touch panel from Embedded Automation -- of course we use the word affordable very loosely around here, as there's nothing cheap about a $1000 7-inch touch screen, but compared to the $7000 panels out there, it's a steal. To find out what we liked, other than the price, ease of install, openness, and out of the box experience, click on through to the HD side.
Embedded Automation's mPanel Review
We just love the idea of having a connected home where every device in our house -- you know, like the HDTV -- is integrated together. Unfortunately for the most part, the connected home is financially out of our reach -- as it is for most Americans. Affordability is one of the reasons why we've keep our eye on Embedded Automation and its new mPanel in particular. While most 7-inch in-wall touch panels cost at least $3,000 (some as much as $7,000!), the new mPanel hit the streets last week at $999. This might not seem cheap in the world of netbooks and $200 Blu-ray players that we usually cover at Engadget, but it does bring a cool gadget into our price range. The mPanel seems like even more of a deal when you consider that it is a full-on Windows CE touch screen computer that does POE (Power over Ethernet) and even has a built in amplifier for audio. Of course it is only one of many pieces necessary to bring our dreams of a connected home to reality, but one we definitely enjoyed putting through the paces. %Gallery-34815%
