Cable Forum - Networks? Monitoring? Be at home even when you're not?!

Hahaha... So, where do the realms of networks and monitoring tools take us? Do we really really want to monitor *everything*? It's nice to know that you can though, check this out! Kinda cool eh? Or not?

On a similar note, I met this dude at a few events over the last year or so... He has networked his whole house [using X.10 and IPv6] so that he can control everything remotely... yes, from doors, blinds, lights, heating, TV/Audio, security and webcams - he can even feed and speak to his dogs whilst away from the house - Slides 16 and 17 here give a /rough/ vision of this.

So, with all this technology available *now* [albeit to those that /can/] do you reckon this has a *real* use in everyday life, or are they just gadgets, gizmos and nice things to have for those capable of implementing and maintaining them?

hmmm.... It's very cool in theory, I know for sure that there must be many benefits to this - for example, you wouldn't necessarily *need* keys to open your front door - use a laptop or palm PC to access your WLAN [which is nicely secured of course] from the driveway and gain access that way instead - should you need/want to. Alternatively, a friend has turned up at your humble abode and realises that you aren't in and so gives you a call to see when you'll be home - a click of a button will allow you to permit them entry and even put the kettle on for them ;) You could even set it up so that an MMS sends you an alert should your burgular alarm go off or motion sensors detect movement whilst you're away - providing you with almost live shots of the action - a quick call to the constabulary would soon initiate the corrective action, or you could [having logged on] simply 'shout' down the microphone and into your home's 'PA' system to scare them off... How's about that then?! The future's cetainly bright...