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CEBUS - WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN?

Bob Hetherington, Editor HTI News

There seems to be a great mystery to the CEBUS protocol implementation. On the one hand we have CEBUS developers saying that it's here now and it works and on the other we have the home automation consumers saying OK, where can I buy some stuff to get started? While I 'm not an expert in the field I have made some queries and done some research on the subject. My understanding of the present situation is this:

• CEBUS as a protocol is real and there are systems out there (have a look at the B.C. Advanced House article in this issue).

• The systems that are in place have all been test projects financed by Utilities, Governments etc. The components used in these projects were developed specifically for the individual projects in small batch runs (therefore at high costs).

• No general consumer products are yet available (ie light switches, appliance modules, controllers etc.). Why? Because the market has not been proven at the price levels necessary to make it work for both the manufacturer and the customer.

• Rumors abound that the products are just around the corner but as yet I have not seen any definite product announcements.

So, where do we go from here. In my opinion, for CEBUS to fly it's going to take one or two large electronics companies to commit themselves to the protocol and start production of "CEBUS Systems" comprised of the controllers and devices. Simply waiting for one company to start selling light switches and another to sell controllers etc. will probably not occur.

The next question then is ... Are any companies seriously developing "Whole House CEBUS Systems" and if so when will they be available. I can't answer this question at present but would like to challenge the CEBUS community to come out of the closet and let us know what's happening. If you are "in the know" please send me Email and I'll compile the information I receive for the next issue of this newsletter.