Forbes

A study by Parks Associates, a Dallas-based consulting and research firm, estimates that about 20% of new homes built this year will contain some kind of "structured wiring" for computer networking, entertainment, and other uses. The study found that high-speed Internet access throughout the house ranks as the most popular reason for structured wiring, followed by monitored security systems, and then the ability to play music from one stereo system in several rooms.

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"Toasters probably won't have much to say," says Walker [CEO of Home Director Inc.], straight-faced, but that is a technical point, and she can't help herself because she is an engineer. Anyway, of the 1.5 million houses built last year, 120,000 got basic network wiring installed in the walls. Home Director wired 10,000 of those, at an average cost of $1,200 a home. That sounds tiny, but industry consultants Parks Associates in Dallas, Texas, see 2.5 million networked homes at r ...read more

Tricia Parks, another speaker at the conference and president of Parks Associates, a research company that studies the residential market, can understand Kirsch's predicament but sees hope on the horizon - even for those who aren't tech tycoons. Companies are racing to simplify the set-up process by setting standards and providing set-up services, she says. In fact, IBM is bringing together a group of companies that will visit your home and set up your network.

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