The Times: Britain:Internet house offers a life of virtual luxury
November 3 1999

Natalie Silver, marketing assistant for Laing, holds the control pad used
to run the high-tech house in Watford
Photograph: GAVIN FOGG

Internet house offers a life of virtual luxury

BY ADAM SHERWIN

IT LOOKS like any suburban family home, but behind the front door Europe's
first Internet house is waiting to revolutionise
the lives of its new owners.

The property of the future, built in Watford, has five bedrooms and comes
with a price tag of £500,000. It is available to
view until January and would be ideal for a family unfazed by the latest
domestic technology.

The home is packed with high-tech features. Heating and lighting can be
controlled from a palm-held Web pad from anywhere
inside the house and if the residents really must venture outside, the
heaters can also be operated via the Internet, so
that the house is warm when they return. Other features allow the owner,
using the Web pad, to monitor each room of the house,
as well as activate sprinklers in the garden.

In the kitchen, the barcodes on food tins enable a scanner to decide
whether there are enough ingredients left to make a meal.
If not, an order will be sent to a local supermarket. The coffee machine
and kettle can even be activated from the master
bedroom.

In the study, a PC is connected to a new network being piloted by the
Government, which gives access to health records, including
X-rays. It is also linked to a government system that allows people to
search for a new job, pay bills and apply for benefits.
The property can even repair itself. For example, if a drain is blocked, a
request to fix it is logged with a "virtual town
hall".

It is a house that appeals to all ages. A teenager has the ultimate
bedroom, with Sega Dreamcast computer games downloaded
at the touch of a button.

Anti-crime measures are also built in. The curtains are drawn automatically
from a laptop and a would-be burglar's face will
be caught on camera and distributed on the Internet within minutes.

The property was built by Laing Homes and wired up to the latest
technological developments by Cisco Systems, a leading American
company in networking for the Internet.

However, there is no room for its electronic marvels in the smallest room
in the house. Paul Hill, systems engineer for Cisco
Systems, said: "The Japanese have invented an Internet toilet, which weighs
what is deposited and tells you if you require
more roughage. We didn't think people were ready for that just yet."

The nerve centre is inconspicuously located in the broom cupboard, where
the connection for 72 power points, four ISDN lines,
four Compaq PCs and four Webcams are stored. However, nothing will operate
without the owner's password and the property
is protected by state-of-the-art anti-hacking systems. Entry still requires
a key.

The price of the house is largely owing to its position in Hertfordshire's
leafy, desirable commuter belt. Wiring up the entire
home to the Internet cost £8,000 and the house contains a further £20,000
of new technology, the prices of which will fall
in the years to come.

Bill Nuti, president of Cisco Systems, said: "The future is here now. This
house will help busy people to buy back their time
and let them have a happier lifestyle."

The Watford home is one of seven new houses on show in the estate. The
builders intend to construct future properties containing
similar technology.


www.lainghomes.co.uk

www.cisco.com/go/ihome

Adrian

[log in to unmask]
http://www.adrianhigg.freeisp.co.uk/



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