What about commercial? Does anybody know automation in that industry? Such as schools, hotels universities etc..
To reply to etc6849 in regards to whether he thinks this is a good industry: My personal opinion is that home automation is on the verge of explosion. It is supposed to grow 50x in the next 5 years. There have been studies to show that in the near future automation could save hotels 30-40% energy savings. That is an insane number and any hotels not to jump on board is going to hurt them. Automation is spreading through public schools and universities. surveillance is really growing fast and automation will follow. Personally I think this industry is going to be huge in the next ten years. There will be lots of money to be made.
You are confusing two VERY different animals. Particularly when you consider hotels, schools and universities. Take for example a university project. First, any given building may have as many as ten thousand I/O points, controlled in real time via advanced PID loops (far too advanced for any of the typical controllers from HAI, ELK, Crestron*, AMX or any other resi vendor you may be aware of)that span many controllers that could be separated by thousands of feet all controlling critical equipment (air handlers that will blow all the windows out of a 200,00 sq.ft. building). Then multiply that by all of the buildings under the facilities management for that campus. Then add all the additional buildings on satellite campuses. Then network them all, build a graphical interface, generate alarms and offer 24/7/365 service/support. Umm, not viable.
Look, you're right building automation is growing at a rate that is higher than resi (which has great potential for growth if not so explosive) but, the market is not something that one just decides to do. A small company will have a minimum of half a dozen licensed engineers, a dozen or more commissioning techs, as many as two dozen install techs, support staff and more. A one man show isn't gonna get so much as a single project.
Instead, focus on light commercial and resi. Know what the hell you're doing. Don't promise anything that you aren't 100% sure of and then deliver.
*Crestron is flirting with the BAS market and I think they can make a play on front end integration. Unless they retool, though, they will have their a$$es handed to them if they attempt BAS on a full scale. Real players like Siemens, Andover/Schneider and Johnson Controls will eat their lunch and laugh all the way to the bank. The next two years could be interesting on that front.
