Smart homes should be within the expectations of all future customers, CEDIA Region 1 education manager Geoff Meads says in the opening of the 1st Smart Building Conference.
Taking place a day before ISE 2013, the Smart Buildings Conference is an InfoComm/CEDIA joint venture attracting not only installers, distributors and manufacturers but also architects, design consultants, developers, electrical contractors and other stakeholders within the construction sector.
Once the reserve of wealthier customers, CEDIA proposes the smart home market should be open to all incomes. "We need to start delivering great homes for the average family," Meads says. "For homes with just 2 or 3 bedrooms."
Meads points out two potential connected home market drivers-- prospective home buyers and elderly customers looking into telemedicine.
The conference also hosts STEP (Sustainable Technology Environments Program) Foundation director Allen Weidman, who urges installers to move into smart building technology (SBT).
"Think beyond AV," Weidman says. "Start with smart spaces, then go on to claim smart buildings!"