Originally Posted By: Cris
Originally Posted By: tonyc
They really have to get it right out of the gate, with some big-name manufacturers and some seriously useful features.


Agreed, more than the technology actually working and being very cool without a "killer app" it will be hard to take any hold.

I'd like to automate a few things in my home, and like the idea of just slipping in an EI when I am ready, but what worries me about the idea is that the manufacturer needs to put in a log of redundant electronics in say a light switch on the assumption that at some point someone might want to internet enable it in the future. That to me sounds like an excuse to charge a lot more for a light switch. And it would need to be in everything, already, which is of course impossible.

From a consumer point of view I need to see what this thing can do, and if I were EI marketing team that is what I would be doing right now, reworking existing devices to show the world what it's all about.


Oh we have lots of interesting things - mouse traps, lighting, power control, power monitoring, motion sensors, environmental sensors, irrigation controllers, etc etc. Some of these make more sense with an imp card (eg the mouse trap), some make more sense with an imp integrated (also an option). One reason we're not shouting too much about things is that we're rushed off our feet with all the vendors we're currently working with and so drumming up yet more business hasn't been a priority, though that'll obviously change smile

There are many devices on their way which are imp enabled. Early next year, when the commercial service officially starts, there will be everything from pet feeders, access control, HVAC (very consumer) to elder monitoring (service-based) to parking lot access control (very commercial)... and a lot more inbetween.

None of this working (well, communicating... they still run code without wifi) when the internet is down is not an issue for these applications; the vendors accept this because the systems they were thinking of were already 100% internet-tied too - no loss there.


Edited by altman (19/11/2012 03:38)