According to Risdon, what's really unique about Lagotek's approach is that installing roughly four HIP controllers in a home forms a mesh network that creates a platform for running home applications. Much like the Internet, a mesh network is a series of networked devices that keep the network up and running so long as one of the devices is functioning. Up to now, products like Smarthome's Insteon lighting switches or Z-Wave receptacles and dimmers were touted as mesh networks, but, in reality, they were single applications that used a mesh network as a transport.

“Applications like Insteon and Z-Wave are using a mesh network as the fastest way to route a command to any given location,” says Risdon. “We're building a mesh network to create an integrated operating platform,” he explains.

INSIDE THE MESH

Here's an inside look at Lagotek's mesh network: Each HIP 100 controller has a touchscreen, temperature sensors, a microphone, a speaker, and an infrared wireless control. It also has a proximity sensor that switches to “ready” when a person walks into the house, a feature that helps homeowners control energy costs.

In a standard home you might have two controllers downstairs and two upstairs, typically situated in rooms where people spend most of their time. Downstairs, they're likely to be near the family room and the kitchen; upstairs, they may be in the master bedroom and the home office. There's also an HIP 200 wireless interface hub attached to the HVAC system. The HIP 200 wirelessly receives any changes in temperature the homeowner keys in on the HIP 100. The installers are also running 24-volt, low-voltage wires to the dampers that control the air flow in the heating and cooling system. One note: Homeowners can control the network via the touchscreen, a remote control device, or a PDA. Lagotek will support cell phones later this year in its second release.

For lighting, all standard lighting switches are replaced with Z-Wave dimmers and receptacles. The basic idea is that whenever homeowners want to control one or more lights, they would attach a Z-Wave receptacle or dimmer.

The surveillance cameras installed are all Wi-Fi models that the controllers recognize as soon as they are installed. Both the cameras and the controllers work similar to the way a laptop with a built-in wireless card would recognize a Linksys or Netgear router when a user logs on.

Lagotek plans to market to home builders and support CEDIAinstallers for installation and product support. Risdon says the system costs roughly 2 percent of the value of the home. So on a $400,000 home, Lagotek's wireless mesh network would cost about $8,000.

At that price, Lagotek's system won't be the first choice of production builders, but Risdon hopes that by slowly building up a following with custom builders, homeowners will start to see the value.