Home Manager vs. Home Automation

HouseWide Utiliti designs professional "home manager systems" as opposed to
consumer electronics "home automation". What's the difference? Why is
the distinction important to me?
Consider the purpose of a " home manager system" compared to the purpose of
consumer electronics.

The Purpose -
The purpose of a home manager system differs dramatically from home automation.
The purpose of a home manager system is to perform “always On",
mundane, repetitive, routine house functions requiring minimal or no
user interaction in its operation of these functions. Home manager systems are
simple for any user - nothing fancy, nothing to figure out. High
reliability is required for a home manager system to fulfill its purpose.
Consumer electronics, on the other hand, are purposed for occasional
use to deliver brief, immediate user experiences and mostly dependent on
user control. Users of consumer electronics expect lots of operation
buttons, low reliability requiring repeated button presses and frequent
resets by turning the device "Off" then "On"again. In the above brief
description you can easily understand how the purpose of a home manager system
differs dramatically from the purpose of consumer electronics.

The Selection Process -
The selection process of a home manager system differs greatly from that of
consumer electronics. For example, a desirable home manager system is
invisible, untouched, silent and all but forgotten, yet it must reliably
perform thousands of functions each day automatically. The exact
opposite must be the case in a consumer electronic system. Consumer
electronics are highly visible and user dependent for operation.
Consumer electronics are notorious for poor operation design as
evidenced by multiple remote controls, innumerable buttons, system
lock-ups and planned obsolescence. The reasons for choosing a house
system differ from consumer electronics. When selecting a home manager system,
avoid the consumer electronics mind set because based on purpose and
selection process, you can easily understand a home manager system selection and
purchase is unique. Consumer electronics are selected on user dependent
features. Home manager systems are selected to be user independent.

Why Choose Design vs. Hardware?
Design is the most important element of an electronic house system; This is a lesson
learned from twenty years true life client support experiences. Most homeowners purchase a house to live in for 5 to 20 years or more. An electronic house system integrates into a house just as plumbing or ventilation systems. For this reason, homeowners expect to enjoy 10 to 20 years of service from their electronic house system investment (unlike 6 to 60 months for PCs, cell phones or consumer electronics). HouseWide Utility does Design house systems to meet and exceed the clients longer term intentions and expectations.

Are you planning to meet with an electronic house system representative regarding your interest in a house system? Naturally, when shopping for a house system, the visible hardware & visible technology are the first things presented by a sales consultant: color touch screens, high speed processors, music and video features. All impressive hardware and enticing technologies. However, the most important element, Design, is often the last “brick in the wall” considered, if not omitted entirely. Ultimately, the emphasis on hardware and technology prompts questions like, “What happens when home technologies advance?” “What happens if the hardware becomes obsolete after 5 years?” “Who will support this system in 2 years, in 10 years?” A consultants response may be, “we’ll replace hardware” or “we’ll add more technology”. Such answers reveal insufficient house system Design, potential long term deficiency and a bad investment value.

Always Choose Design over Hardware
So, if Design is so important, why are representatives not discussing Design in their consultations? The answer - because Design can be complex. Design cannot be sold in a box, picked up at Walmart or ordered over the Internet like hardware & technology can. Design, on the other hand, is defined by you, your house and the endless possibilities. A representative of hardware & technology alone, dares not attempt to design a house system adapted to you. Instead, hardware & technology representatives believe that you and your home will adapt to the house system sans Design. Yes, most house system representative are as confused by the endless possible design variations of your house and home, as you are confused by the myriad of house system choices of hardware, software, services, technology and host providers. 

It looks like we are back to where we started, right? Well, not really. We have established Design is essential to your achieving the intended purposes for a house system. And HouseWide Utility provides house system Design, as well as the hardware and technology. HouseWide Utility design abilities are boxed in twenty years of experience. Only after Design is considered should hardware, software, services and providers be determined. So, what are your intended home experiences? Are your intentions leaning toward “High Tech” or “Main Tech”.

Your Intended Home Experience
What is a house system? A house system is the convenience of light, the safety of smoke detectors, the security of a burglar alarm, the necessity of hot water, the pleasure of a pool, the relaxation of a spa, the routine of an alarm clock, the care of a night light, the beauty of lawn and flowers, the comfort of zoned central heating and cooling, the watchful guardian of the carbon monoxide (CO) detector, the accommodation of the electric gate and garage door opener, the drama of highlighted wall art, atmosphere of splashing water features, the moods of streaming music, the shielding protection of sun shades. This is the realm of a house system. These individual elements are not too sexy, not too fancy and not too techy. However, the purpose of a house systems is to reliably and conveniently manage these individual elements within your home for routine daily benefits of comfort, convenience, conservation, energy efficiency, safety and awareness. Is this your intention for your home experiences? If so, this is “Main Tech”.

Main Tech vs. High Tech
(A house system differs from consumer electronics.)
What is the difference between “Main Tech” and “High Tech”? As revealed above, the purpose of a house system is to routinely perform mundane house functions while minimizing user interaction with these functions and be operationally transparent. A house system is to be simple for the user; nothing fancy, nothing to figure out. A house system is reliable 24/7, year in and year out. A house system assists homeowners with comfort, convenience, conservation, energy efficiency, security and awareness. A majority of home owners, like yourself, intend a house system to be “Main Tech” like your house utility, as opposed to “High Tech” like your work and entertainment electronics.

Has the above house system description mentioned “high tech” computer processor speeds, operating system platforms, color graphic themes or data network protocols? No mention at all. Why is that? It is because the right Design for your intended home experiences renders the hardware and technology inconsequential to you, the user. We want it that way, right? A house system is “main tech”. Like your “main tech” house utility water pressure, gas pressure or AC current. Better Design, not just technology, delivers intended home experiences with daily benefits and long term value.
Your house system investment is all about daily benefits and long term values of which HouseWide Utility has provided our clients for decades.