Group Captain Smudger

Anyone know anything about the above, had it installed, etc.?
It's based around Cat 5e cabling thereby providing "future proof technology". All your gadgets and gizmos in the home - internet, e-mail, TV, DTV, audio, security, wireless networking - can be connected.

Any good? Overpriced? Overrated?

ajm

not sure about networkable household equipment, but I have installed a network to Cat 5e standard in my house as an ethernet LAN and to share broadband. I'm in IT so it was easy, but I'm sure anyone with a bit of nouse could wire their own home.

what would scooby do

Future proof - surely putting in last centuries technology is not good... ever heard of wireless / bluetooth ??

carl

An 802.11b/802.11g network would seem to me to be a far superior solution.

Andy Hall

There is some really cool kit available which allows you to switch all your media throughout the house with individual selection, volume etc. Wireless is great if you want to wander round the house with a laptop and dont want to pull your floors up etc, but it isnt the the last word. Wireless is still very slow compared with copper, wireless is just getting up to 54Mbps but we can pump 1000Mbps down copper. also there are security issues with wireless which can be over come but at a cost. If you want to see some of the kit, let me know and I can probably arrange a demo if you are anywhere near the midlands.

Cheers
Andy

camk

Andy,
Its true that copper/fibre is quicker but essentially your always likely to be limited once you step outside the house(eg. Broadband). I just cannot see beyond wireless now, all the big firms are pumping it , its going to be the next big step for comms.

Cheers
Campbell

C h a z

What you really need to be looking at is a Crestron system. This allows you to "hang" devices on its own network that can then be controlled using touch screens. These touch screens can either be har wired or wireless.
With the Crestron system you can control anypart of your house. We are currently installing a system for a guy in manchester which allows him to close doors and windows. Change lighting and heating settings. Lock and unlock doors and windows. He can view various parts of the property through the touchscreens basically anything he wants too. This is of course in addition to controlling all of the av gear in the house.

If you want some more information mail me and I'll go through it with you.

carl

Assuming you've just got a bunch of ordinary PCs, and not a massive database that all the PCs need to interrogate simultaneously just how quickly do you think you can get the data onto/off of the PCs' disks? Certainly no more than about 30 Mbit/s.

jonny32

The word "SAD" springs to mind ,can it wipe your *** ? bet its not that good !!

carl

jonny -- you must have had sufficient interest in the subject to click on the thread in the first place

C h a z

jonny 32,
Please don't forget that alot of the work home automation specialists do is for disabled people.

For all you know Group Captain Smudger cannot "wipe his ***"