OpenRemote home control delivered on iPhone

The software sends signals via WiFi to a hardware device which in turn is designed to work with home automation protocols you never heard of -- X10 and KNX.

I started writing about this technology in 2003, calling it Always On because, well, it is. Sensors, motes, and other low power devices can be controlled via a wireless network and then, remotely, via a cellular link.

One of my great fears from that time has proven true, in that the application spaces have parted and are becoming incompatible. Medical applications require FDA approval, while those in home automation need only please the market.

The other important point is that, while the medical market is being pioneered by real companies that can install and service their gear, OpenRemote remains, as of this writing, a hobbyist market.

That needs to change. To succeed OpenRemote gear needs to be productized, and turned into services companies can sell.

But I'm certain that's coming.