Home Automation to Me (Wade)

What is home automation to me? To me, the perfect automated home must have the following characteristics:

A) It needs to be reliable.

My experience with current home automation devices show a pattern of unreliability. As I've stated several times in the past, the X10 stuff is horribly buggy. I get things that come on and shut off by themselves. In fact, this drove me to the point of disconnecting my X10 stuff just because I was tired of the lights coming on in the middle of the night while I was trying to sleep.

B) It needs to be affordable.

From what I've read, the good stuff (not the cheap-o x10 stuff) costs mulah. I'm not independently wealthy, so if it is cost prohibitive, then I don't own it.

C) It needs to be ubiquitous.

I'm pretty sure that this is one of the goals of openRemote, but it'll be interesting to see how mature we can make this. My dream automated home provides controls for lights, thermostat, locks (think car locks... why are automatic locks so prevalent in cars, but not houses?), garage doors, entertainment (stereo, tv, dvd, etc).

D) It needs to be extensible.

I can't think of everything, and I defy you to, as well. So when the next IPod comes out, or the next gotta have it gadget comes out, I want it to integrate seamlessly.

E) It needs to be standardized.

This goes along with the extensibility and ubiquity. Why is there a standard light socket in the U.S., and standard outlets, and everything else that ubiquitous, but not home automation? We need something that is standardized.

F) It needs to be asthetically seamless.

Some of the Home Automation stuff (including some X10 devices), are not seamless. I've got modules protruding from my sockets. Now granted, our current electrical fixtures aren't the most seamless things in the world... ever take the finishing plate off of an electrical outlet... pretty rough on the inside... but at least these things are somewhat integrated into our houses. From a Home Automation perspective, I want people to be able to come to my house and not know that my house is automated... From all appearances, it shouldn't be obvious.

And this is what a perfect Automated Home would be to me.