The company PCTVnet has developed a smart home concept based on the use of TV as a customer interface by using a configurable and extensive set-top box (HomePilot) with a multifunctional approach. HomePilot as a system has been tested and evaluated during 1998, and results show value added not only for customers, but also for network owners and suppliers. The test project evaluates possibilities of using HomePilot as a multifunctional tool that co-ordinates and processes information to actions defined by customers. The paper also gives a comprehensive description of the technology behind the HomePilot which has the vision to produce a flexible "smart home" based on open industry standards, and communication via contemporary leading technologies. During the winter of 1998, a pilot project that emphasise customer satisfaction, rate of use, technical functionality, and development possibilities has been carried out in co-operation with major utilities (network owners and suppliers). Results will be presented with focus on how the combination and integration of several functions (Internet, email, heat control, light control and ordinary TV) with common TV-interface are adapted. In the suppliers' point of view the HomePilot's properties for building customer loyalty in the competitive power market are evaluated and results presented. The customers' willingness for investment in this equipment as a function of different services are discussed. Critical success factors regarding large-scale introduction of HomePilot in a deregulated power market are discussed. Technical bottlenecks such as suitable equipment for home automation and lack of standards are also discussed.
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