Proof Positive Entry-Level Home Automation is Building Awareness

“Yes. Why?”

“They have a long commercial on TV right now about home automation, and this stuff looks pretty cool,” she yells.

That exchange was proof positive to me that the power of the mass-marketed home automation systems is influencing consumers. The fact my wife was unfamiliar with Vivint, the No. 3 company on the CE Pro 100, is likely because the Utah-based company hasn’t been active in New England until recently.

Now, you are probably wondering why my wife isn’t up to speed on the latest gadgetry CE Pro writes about. Well, it really hasn’t been brought to her attention, until she saw the commercial. Yes, she has seen TV ads from ADT, and even though the ads often focus on its Pulse home automation offering, she still automatically associates the ADT name with security. And the fact we live in a converted barn built in 1875 means automation hasn’t been much on her radar.

She’s also more focused on Food Network and HGTV, as are many of her friends. If she asked me to name a single celebrity chef on Food Network, I would draw a blank. I once asked her to name as many professional athletes as she could. She came up with nine, including Tiger Woods and Michael Vick, who she only knows from their non-sports-related activities that made the news. She also named “Lebron Jones.” You get the drift.

After I finished the dishes and joined her in the living room, I asked her what she thought of the Vivint commercial.

Her reply: “Maybe we should look into some home automation.”

Proof positive.