Published: 13 November 2014
Category: Industry News
Getting fast broadband to all our homes is proving difficult, but Smart Wiring™ is the one standard that still works for everyone says John Fennell.
Dale Alcock Homes is one of WA’s leading residential companies, building around 650 houses a year mostly in new estates around Perth. They were also one of the first builders in the country to promote Smart Wiring™ to their customers, an offer that’s fast become standard.
“Technology is on the mind of nearly all our clients these days, especially if they have young families or teenagers as they’re conscious their homes will need to be able to handle a lot of high-tech demands,” Cameron Lade from Dale Alcock Homes said.
“We work with Intelligent Homes here in Perth for smart wiring expertise and encourage all our customers to meet with them to discuss what and where they may want the technology.”
“We always emphasize the need to think about wiring while they have the chance, that wireless will not be able to handle everything, and that they can add on extra’s like more data outlets for smart TVs, CBus for lighting control or even built in speakers,” Cameron said.
Raising Your Standards
But they’re not alone. At last count Smart Wiring™ was being installed in over a third of all new homes and much the same for renovations right around the country-even if WA is still one of the most enthusiastic adopters.
Smart Wiring™ is first and foremost a standard and not a product, which means it simply sets out all the processes, requirements and hardware involved in wiring a home to handle technology. Individual builders, electricians, cablers or home integrators then adapt the Smart Wiring™ standard to match their own commercial interests, skills and marketing.
Most of Australia’s biggest builders now offer some form of Smart Wiring™. The fact that it was developed by the electrical and telecommunication industry is a big plus, but so is its flexibility.
While there’s a simple entry package to provide basic telecommunication, data and entertainment options, a home’s final install or system can be as big-or as little-as someone’s budget and interests allow. In the end Smart Wiring™ is a very broad tent, designed to support communications, entertainment, energy management, security, digital home health, ageing and assisted living, intelligent light and power, and even electric car charging & electricity storage in a home, apartment or office.
Smart Wiring™ stands out for other reasons too. Not only is it constantly being adapted to keep pace with new technology like 4K ultra HD video streaming, but is backed up with training options and accreditation so companies or individual cablers can advertize their expertise to standout in a market that’s has its fair share of unlicensed, unskilled cowboys. It also helps that it’s now recognized by some of the country’s biggest companies and organizations, including Telstra, Optus, the NBN Co, Qualcomm, NECA, ACMA and the Housing Industry Association.
NBN Ready?
Probably the biggest reason that electricians & cablers need to be on top of technology is the NBN. We may still be waiting to see just how the promised “superfast broadband” might actually happen-it’s looking like fibre to the node down the street and not right to the premises-there’s no doubt 10 million homes and businesses will ultimately get some sort of NBN access.
That’s not helping the public all that much though. Over two thirds of people recently said they don’t know when they’ll get the NBN and nearly the same numbers said they don’t know where to go for more information. Similar deal when asked how the NBN’s fibre broadband box will connect to their homes, how it will affect their telephone or internet, and what they thought they should do, if anything, to the insides of their homes to get fast broadband around the house.
Which means consumers want advice and a guaranteed way to get broadband and technology working at home. Sound like a great business opportunity to you?
More information: www.smartwiredhouse.com.au