Verizon to unveil its smart home automation system at CES
By siliconindia   |   Friday, 31 December 2010, 11:30 IST   |    2 Comments
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Basking Ridge: Verizon has announced that the company will be unveiling its new Home Monitoring and Control Service at the International Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas next week. A pilot program for the system will be conducted in New Jersey beginning in January. The system will be widely available within the first half of 2011. The service will allow a user to monitor the security cameras, control and adjust lights, control locks, thermostats and other appliances from a smart phone, computer, or an FIOS TV. Commenting on the testing of the system, Eric Bruno, Vice President of Product Management for Verizon said, "What we'll be testing in these homes is just the beginning. We're giving customers a remote control for their homes that they can use to cut CO2 emissions and their energy bills and give them anytime, anywhere access and control of their homes. The concept of the connected home has been discussed for many years, and now Verizon's high-IQ networks are making that concept a reality by converting customers' homes into bandwidth-rich ecosystems that enable a wide variety of customizable options." Leveraging its existing high-speed FIOS broadband network, Verizon has been planning to foray into home automation but has to share the market with a few other players now. Microsoft Hohm along with PowerCost Monitor had ventured into this by offering home electricity managing systems earlier. GE also offers a smart-grid home-monitoring system. The internet giant Google provides a PowerMeter home-monitoring system to U.K. residents.

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