Jordan O'BrienConsumer tech site CNET is spending big money on promoting the ‘smart home’, with the publication seeing exponential growth in the category over the last few years.
While CNET has already been testing smart technologies and appliances since 2013, the website owned by media conglomerate CBS has just spent considerable cash buying a 5,800sqft house in Louisville, Kentucky.
The company’s goal is to help educate consumers about smart home technologies; including connected locks, thermostats and smart appliances.
Rather than reviewing the technologies in a lab environment, like it has done until now, CNET believes that by putting the tech in a residential environment it will be able to better educate consumers.
CNET has already announced that it is looking for more staff to cover the smart home sector, so this can be seen a big vote of confidence in the market.
While the house has not yet been kitted out with the latest technologies, CNET will be covering the build on its website over the next few months; showing consumers just what they can expect from a state-of-the-art home cinema and home automation technologies.
Just 30 minutes away from downtown Louisville, the house boasts four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a three-car garage and a swimming pool – giving the company plenty of space to try out the latest smart home gadgets.
While the project is aimed at consumers, the greater awareness could benefit custom installers.
CNET is the highest-read technology news source on the Internet and covers everything from smartphones to high-end home cinema set-ups.