Digital Home Thoughts: Is Home Automation the Next Big Thing?

"Many of us have seen sci-fi movies where the characters come home, walk in the front door, and their lights turn on for them. Perhaps they tell the house to switch on the TV or bring up the video phone with its wall-sized screen to call a friend. Unfortunately, we're not quite "there" yet with regard to commercially-available home automation technology. But you might be surprised at how much can be achieved by the enthusiast looking to advance his home into the 21st century. Let me show you some of the shipping protocols and options. Then, we'll walk through the purchase process and installation to see what it takes to turn a house into a modern-day electronic toy."

I've thought home automation was due to be the next big thing for years now, yet it never seems to quite take off. This article explores some of the reasons why as well as guide to setting up some Home Automation. We have some different home automation features in our home, but no real tied-together system. Anyone want to share their home automation successes and/or failures?