Mr. Jetson set his work aside. He put the files back in his desk. He rearranged the documents left on his desk so they were ready for the next day. He was done for the day. It had been a long day. Before heading home, he logged onto his own dedicated website. There he turned on the wine cooler located at his house. He adjusted his thermostat, warming the house for his arrival. He took a quick peak at the outer areas of the yard and garage. Then he logged off. He proceeded to his parked car. The trip home took just less than one hour. It gave him time to think. It didn't take him long to think how nice it would be to relax in the spa for a while. Mr. Jetson picked up his cell phone and called his spa. He requested 104 degrees. It would be just perfect by the time he arrived home. A hot spa and a cool glass of wine were just what he wanted.

Sound like an episode from the Jetson's famous futuristic cartoon? It could be, but it is not. Anyone with broadband access to Internet services can heat up their spa or home remotely. Sound great? They can do even more.

Mrs. Jetson had sorted the laundry in the morning. She had placed the towels in the washing machine. She forgot to turn it on. At the close of her busy day Mrs. Jetson called Mr. Jetson on her cell phone. She was headed to the grocery store to pick up some fresh fish. When Mr. Jetson told her to hurry home because he was looking forward to some spa time before cooking the fish, she recalled the dirty towels. She hung up with him and quickly dialed the washing machine. The towels would be clean and ready for the dryer before he got out of the spa. Good thing, because both the Jetson's loved warm clean towels after the spa. She could enjoy the rest of her commute home, unworried about the dirty towels.

After some relaxing moments in the spa, Mr. Jetson put the fish on the grill. Mrs. Jetson logged on to their home computer. Just weeks earlier they had installed cameras at the home of her parents. Unbeknownst to them, Mrs. Jetson peaked in on her parents at their home in a different city. Her father was asleep in his easy chair. Her mother busied herself while watching the evening news. Everything looked fine there. Just as dusk surrounded them, she turned on all their outdoor lights and the security outside cameras. Her parents usually neglected to do that. It took only a minute. Then she joined Mr. Jetson for a delightful meal and a second glass of chilled wine.

The Jetsons are fictitious characters I named after George and his wife, Judy. At one time the George Jetson's lives seemed unrealistic and unavailable to an average earth person. Thanks to wireless technologies and the Internet, today any one of us may experience a more secure and convenient life. Xanboo is one "futuristic" company that makes this possible. The Xanboo gateway facilitates communications between any electrical appliance, camera, or fixture and a PC or phone. In the near future, the communications could come from set-top boxes, game devices or some other device. In essence, a controller is installed at a home. Using wireless connections, 802.11, Bluetooth, UpnP or Powerline, any electrical item can be connected. For the small monthly fee, Xanboo reserves data storage and web access for their customers. From a central server outside the home network, Xanboo delivers a standard intuitive wireless access protocal (WAP) to a enabled graphic user interface (GUI). A customer connects to the Xanboo gateway and accesses their own individual website. There they maintain the ability to control, monitor and navigate any item in their home.

Most families know little about how to control electric costs. Aside from eliminating use of electrical appliances or limiting use of electricity, most homeowners have little information to base use decisions on. In California, efficient electrical use may mean the difference of availability or not. A Xanboo subscriber may connect all major appliances to their Xanboo controller. Wireless signals will send usage information while any product is in use. At any time during the day or night, a Xanboo customer may dial into the Internet and obtain their electrical use by appliance used. Software provided by Xanboo may be used to monitor electrical use. The software uses algorithms to present data graphically. The easy to use graphic displays provide energy usage and trends per kWH and percent of cost saved. Once homeowners know what it costs to run the dryer mid-afternoon or to heat the spa they may make informed decisions regarding electrical use.

Using knowledge obtained, consumers can set programmable schedules to control thermostat settings. Automatically, bi-annual time changes can be programmed to take effect. The annual filter swap can be scheduled based upon need, not a date.

The wireless connection between the Xanboo controller and an appliance provides control as well as analysis. Using a phone or a PC, one may connect directly to an appliance or fixture and control the use. Turn the light on or off. Raise or lower the temperature on a thermostat. Start the dishwasher or dryer. Activate sprinklers and alarm systems. Adjust flow of water or gas. Turning on and off appliances and fixtures require a wireless connection between the item and the home controller. It requires a RF protocol from the device. Today, thermostats, washers, dryers and spas don't come with a RF protocol. Appliance manufacturers are developing methods to retrofid existing appliances and manufacture new appliances with the capability.

In the future, consumers will be able to choose between a refrigerator or one "Internet enabled". The one "Internet enabled" will be one with RF capability. The one with the RF capability provides new marketing and sales opportunities for manufacturers. For home dwellers, these product enhancements allow a new lifestyle. RF protocol in appliances broadens opportunities for service providers and device manufacturers to expand their markets and lengthen the list of next generation broadband services.

The monthly fee for Xanboo also includes security enhancements for a home. Small cameras may be installed anywhere in a home or on the property. A wireless network connects the cameras to the controller, providing instant visual access to anywhere a camera can see. Using broadband access from the home, the homeowner may observe streaming video of their home from their Xanboo web site. The views may be stored for later viewing or seen in real time. The service includes notification of problems by e-mail or page. The benefits are many. Like the fictional Mrs. Jetson described earlier, children may "check in" on elderly parents. Parents may see their children. The home site may be monitored for security reasons.

Homes bought and sold today do not come with cameras, RF protocol appliances or wireless networks. New homes will. Apartment or condo builders would be well served to construct homes with the infrastructure needed and the capabilities for broadband access. Broadband access is needed to provide the bandwidth for streaming video and efficient data delivery. SmartHome is another company providing products and services for the "Jetson lifestyle." On their website are links to a number of home management and lifestyle enhancing products. The site explains how to plan for the infrastructure necessary, and provides links to current products for home theatres, energy management, security and more.

The SmartHome website (www.smarthome.com) also contains information and methods to use these new products in existing older homes. Although more complicated, it can be done. Apartment and condo owners could provide broadband access and the internal infrastructure for these emerging services "enabling" an additional revenue stream. Those who plan now, will be prepared for the growing list of products and services Internet enabled.

Think of the future. It is available today. After dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Jetson take in a movie. They don't leave their house. Mr. and Mrs. Jetson sit in their home theatre. The surround sound system and screen rival any found in a movie theatre. They order a movie from the studio or a distributor. It is downloaded using their broadband connection. Afterwards they log on to their PC to order their own version of the daily news. It is delivered to the TV screen. In half the time of the full nightly news, they hear the sports scores for their requested teams, get their local news, and hear only what has happened nationally since 6 pm. Mr. Jetson orders popcorn and white wine from the grocery store. He sends the order directly to the store before they log off. It will be delivered from the market the next day. Tomorrow will be another broadband day.

About the Author

Julie Dodd Thomas is the principal for Cogent Consulting, a small consulting firm specializing in the deployment of new technologies, management of communications regarding emerging technologies and implementation of technology in educational endeavors.