Affordable Home Automation One Device at a Time

Every year we hear that the digital home is just around the corner. For those of us who can't afford to plunk down the sizable pile of dough it would take to automate every light, shade, electronic device, and door lock in our house, it's more like a few states away. For most of us, home automation will come one device at a time, one switch at a time.

Will West, CEO of Control4, says it will start with the TV for many homeowners. As more of us set up more complicated HDTVs and attach other entertainment devices to it, a simple-to-use remote to control entertainment is a good intro to home automation. Control4's touchscreen remote costs $695, and it syncs quickly with several entertainment devices to replace several remotes.

As families are ready, they can add light switches, climate controllers, thermometers, and keypads starting at $99 each. "You can build it out $100 at a time until you have a fully automated home without writing a $20,000 check," West said.

As Control4 continues to automate individual homes, the five-year-old company also is working with utility companies throughout the country to design electicity meters and software that will allow utilities to regulate the flow of electricity more efficiently during peak times. The same system would allow consumers to monitor their usage and change settings via their TV screens.

The company also announced at CES a partnership with Rhapsody to integrate the music service's offerings with the home automation system.