AT&T To Start Selling Home Automation Services

[GatorEye]

Another major player gets in the game:

http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/06/att...oring-centers/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-12261_3-57...ol;editorPicks

It's starting to look like the fact that smartphones and tablets are so common now, that users have a great interface always nearby to control their home. You can see all the major players getting in the game now with a platform to make it easy - Google, Microsoft, AT&T. You wonder what plans Apple has.

HS is going to see a lot of pressure here now with the big boys getting in. The fact we've been waiting for HS3 seemingly forever isn't helping.

[Rupp]

Another major player gets in the game:

http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/06/att...oring-centers/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-12261_3-57...ol;editorPicks

It's starting to look like the fact that smartphones and tablets are so common now, that users have a great interface always nearby to control their home. You can see all the major players getting in the game now with a platform to make it easy - Google, Microsoft, AT&T. You wonder what plans Apple has.

HS is going to see a lot of pressure here now with the big boys getting in. The fact we've been waiting for HS3 seemingly forever isn't helping.

The "big boys" have a lot to learn so I wouldn't count out HomeSeer just yet.

[wpiman]

The "big boys" have a lot to learn so I wouldn't count out HomeSeer just yet. Besides that what is HS3 bringing that you do not have in HomeSeer 2?

Whatever solutions they offer, they will be probably very vanilla and applicable to a large user base.

It might be nice in that they will be able to drive down the cost of the hardware.

[regm]

What worries me is that one of the bigger players will purchase the HomeSeer company. Look what happened when Google purchased SageTV. It was purchased for its intellectual property and effectively killed.

[mmn]

What worries me is that one of the bigger players will purchase the HomeSeer company. Look what happened when Google purchased SageTV. It was purchased for its intellectual property and effectively killed.

What he said...

Was just about to post the same sentiments.

Regards
Michael

[bernieb]

What worries me is that one of the bigger players will purchase the HomeSeer company. Look what happened when Google purchased SageTV. It was purchased for its intellectual property and effectively killed.

Same here ... and for the folks that remebers and used Slink-e, the developper was bought out by Microsoft if I recall correctly. I am sure that some of the Big Boys are actively looking at these forums for various reasons.

[Steve Q]

Same here ... and for the folks that remebers and used Slink-e, the developper was bought out by Microsoft if I recall correctly. I am sure that some of the Big Boys are actively looking at these forums for various reasons.

Hopefully one or more of the "big Boys" will or already has approached Homeseer to discuss a joint venture. It would really be great if Homeseer provided the brains and Apple or ATT or Comcast or MS could provide the marketing muscle to really bring home automation to the forefront! Maybe that's why we haven't seen Homeseer 3. Could it be the first Product from the "Biggest Boy"?

Steve Q

[Rupp]

HomeSeer installers are loving all the publicity of companies jumping in on the automation game. This will open markets for HomeSeer as the others will be so pigeon holed that they will not be expandable.

[orthoman]

Automation

In reference to an earlier post in this thread, any service offered by ATT or Verizon will have to very VERY plain vanilla and very "set down in stone" in order for companies like these to have any HOPE of offering decent customer service to so many people!! Can you imagine millions of people calling into a call center asking why their kitchen lights are'nt working right? (- Well sir, did you check the light bulb? Ok, next look at the light switch...) Or why Weather XML is not importing the right map into their webpage? The scope and breadth of things that you can do with HomeSeer would not be possible, just from a customer service/tech support angle alone. The is no question that the service from these providers would have to be "dumbed down" considerably.

[Uncle Michael]

If the cable companies do HA the way they handle DVR technology, then there is probably not much to worry about. But having MS or Google - or AT&T - buy HST is a worry. Those guys are definitely not interested in a niche market for a rag-tag group of hobbyists. They're looking for markets with billions in revenue.

[Rupp]

If the cable companies do HA the way they handle DVR technology, then there is probably not much to worry about. But having MS or Google - or AT&T - buy HST is a worry. Those guys are definitely not interested in a niche market for a rag-tag group of hobbyists. They're looking for markets with billions in revenue.

Let's hope this lights a fire under home automation as this can only be a good thing for use hobbyists. With this many companies jumping in it could/should drive out new products, hardware, software and finally my coworkers and friends will not look at me the way they do today.