The Home Electronics curriculum is designed to fulfill the growing requirement of trained professionals in the area of Home Technology Automation. In fact, home technology integrators anticipate seeing nearly 15 percent growth in their business in 2007, according to a January survey by CE Pro magazine. That follows a year (2006) in which integrators said they experienced revenue growth of 35 percent. But home technology integration firms face a challenge in finding individuals with the right skills.

The Home Technology: Tools, Products, and Services course presents the major commercial participants, common practices, and prevalent consumer perception of HTI benefits. The course discusses the concept of an Integrated Home Network (IHN) and the tools, equipment, and expertise required to build it. The course also describes the historical events that have led the industry to its current state as well as the working principles, design approach, and technical and marketing concepts.

Students learn how to use industry information to better qualify sales prospects for HTI products, systems, and services and to better support customers. They develop a broad understanding of the various products and systems for meeting customer requirements.

PREREQUISITES: None

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the HTI field, including industry participants and participant associations, occupational opportunities, and certification programs.
2. Identify methods that are common across HTI industry products and solutions, including structured wiring and centralized control/distributed access architectures for home computing, home theater, lighting, security, and HVAC and water.
3. Define an IHN.
4. Define technical terminology, including acronyms, for the HTI industry.
5. Identify the phases in HTI projects.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of HTI projects.
7. Demonstrate the ability to present HTI products, systems, and services to residential customers, sales prospects, and other members of project teams.
8. Describe the various subsystems that make up an IHN.
9. Identify the prospects for HTI products, systems, and services that can be met with the technology available today.
10. Identify the tools required to build an IHN.
11. Identify the roles in an IHN construction project team.
12. Demonstrate an understanding of the benefits of structured wiring and centralized control/distributed access.

• Discuss the historical interest of house owners in home automation systems.
• Identify the IHN as the contemporary response to the need for home automation.
• Identify the benefits and features of an IHN.
• Discuss the basic components of an IHN.
• Identify the key subsystem components of an IHN.
• Describe the importance of integrated subsystems for an IHN.
• Discuss the use of structured wiring for reliable data communication within an IHN.
• Discuss the benefits of intelligent appliances within an IHN.
• Identify the phases of HTI projects.
• Identify the occupational roles and project participants, including prospects, and customers.
• Identify the tools that each of the occupational roles utilize in an HTI project.
• Discuss growth opportunities for HTI occupational roles.

• Discuss the role of Consumer Electronics Association, Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA), and major industry participants.
• Discuss the role of CompTIA and major industry participants in the training area, including the Internet Home Alliance (IHA).
• Discuss Cisco Systems and its efforts.
• Identify other groups that impact HTI, including personnel from the building trades, licensed electricians, HVAC specialists, and plumbers.
• Discuss the impact of regulations by the Federal, State, and Municipal governments on HTI.
• Discuss the role of industrial automation solutions in HTI.

• Discuss the increasing market for HTI products, systems, and services.
• Identify the profile of customers for HTI products, systems, and services.
• Identify the key benefits that customers look for from an HTI IHN.

• Identify the key components of an HTI IHN that will deliver the desired benefits to the customer.
• Describe the need for on-going customer support.
• Discuss the impact of HTI on other residential applications, including assisted living and the home office.

• Define key HTI terms and acronyms.
• Define the central control/distributed access model and its impact on HTI IHN systems.
• Discuss the importance of Ethernet networking for key features of HTI.
• Identify applications for wireless HTI components and systems and discuss the growing importance of wireless for HTI.