New technology monitors home from phone

The thermostats on the first floor of that home start to rise automatically at 5:30 a.m. every day and then lower the temperature at 8:30 a.m., once everyone has left the house. The thermostats adjust again when Lily Schweber comes home after school and at night they rise to warm the bedrooms upstairs while the family is sleeping.

Welcome to the “connected home,” the new way of managing your home's security system, lights, temperature and entertainment systems. By using an app on a smartphone or tablet, consumers now can turn lights on and off, let in a delivery person or see whether their kids are doing their homework — from anywhere in the world.

Programmable sensors and cameras help monitor movement, detect rising carbon monoxide levels and signal if there's rising water so consumers know about possible burglaries, water leaks and other emergencies immediately. Companies are touting peace of mind as well as lower homeowner's insurance and utility bills because of the extra layers of security and energy management.

AT&T Mobility developed its Digital Life system in Atlanta and has been testing the system there and in Dallas. The nation's No. 2 wireless company will start selling the packages in those cities and six other markets next month. The company is pushing the concept of having everything in your home remotely accessible from anywhere at any time, CEO Ralph de la Vega said.

“This way you know if the (coffee) pot is off, the garage doors are down and what the weather is like,” de la Vega said, no matter where you are.

For companies like AT&T Mobility and Comcast, already giants in the telecommunications industry, pushing into home automation is one way to expand their services and raise the competitive stakes.

AT&T is selling its package to any consumer, regardless of his or her wireless provider, giving the company the widest market options available.

Customers of Comcast's XFinity Home system also must have the company's broadband Internet. But Comcast's connected systems offer wider entertainment options that include Facebook and Pandora apps for your TV and the ability to download movies and TV shows and watch them on a smartphone or tablet.

“It's about taking your services with you or being at your house when you can't be,” said Charlie Herrin, Comcast's senior vice president of product design.

Home automation has been around for years, but the systems used to cost thousands of dollars, making them affordable only for the richest homeowners. Changes in technology and the ability to control the systems using smartphones and tablets have helped bring down the price and make them more widely available.

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