South Carolina Builders in Touch with Home Owners Demand for New Technology.

A recent survey conducted in South Carolina, shows that SC Builders are in touch with the demands of New Home owners with regard to technology.

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CONTACT:
Nic Coppings    
BNS Wireless inc.
803 447 0028
803 419 0582
nic@bnswireless.com
www.bnswireless.com

South Carolina Builders in Touch with Home Owners Demand for New Technology.

Columbia, SC, 26 March 2003 - In a recent survey, Builder Members of the Home Builders Association of Greater Columbia, South Carolina were surveyed to examine the acceptance of new technology, in residential infrastructure by homebuilders. The focus of the survey was on the use of structured wiring and especially Ethernet networks in new homes.

Structured wiring enables the provision of advanced services, including high speed Internet, distributed audio and video, and extensive home controls. These wiring bundle are laid within the walls of homes.

The results of the survey were very conclusive with over 70% of the SC Builders offering structured wiring as a standard feature. Only 15% did not offer any kind of structured wiring. As far as computer networks are concerned the majority of builders do lay Cat 5 or 6 cables connected to wall jacks and terminated in wiring closets. In a similar study conducted by Parks Associates in 2000, a nationwide survey of builders showed that more than half of the US Home Builders indicated that they currently offered advanced whole- house networking in the form of structured wiring. In total 12% offered structured wiring as a standard feature. This shows that Columbia, SC builders are keeping up with customer demand and are indeed ahead of the majority of US builders with regard to providing structured wiring as standard.

Of those surveyed, 75% were unsure as to how wireless networks will impact current wiring practices. The impact of wireless networks on the home market has been staggering. With big corporate players like Microsoft and Intel recently becoming actively involved in the home market, major growth can be expected in the near term. It has been reported that Intel will spend over $300m launching its new Centiro chip, which is wirelessly enabled. In the past few days Linksys has been acquired by Cisco, in a move that will see Cisco moving into the home market for the first time in its history.

Recent studies predict that multiple PC homes in the US will increase from 29% at the end of 2002 to 39% by the end of 2006. This will lead to an increased demand for home Local Area Networks (LANs) be they wired or wireless. Over 21million US homes will have LANs for PC connectivity by 2006. This clearly demonstrates that the incorporation of Ethernet wiring in structured cabling bundles will be a necessity in the near future. Over 60% of multi-PC homes, have a laptop as one of the PCs. Wireless LANs allow flexibility and mobility, 2 factors not present with a wired network. Being able to use your laptop anywhere within the coverage area (300 feet or more) without being tethered by cables is one of the major advantages of a wireless network.

Where does wireless go from here? Already 802.11G networks allow streaming video to be wirelessly broadcast. Soon almost all entertainment networks will be wirelessly connected. Most emerging consumer electronic products are enabled for home networkability, allowing them to share multimedia content stored on a hard drive or available from a broadband Internet Connection.

Wireless networks will soon form the backbone of entire home networks. Including a wireless router as part of your structured wiring package, may allow builders to gain a competitive advantage over other builders in the local area. Wireless is becoming a selling word and having a wireless network preinstalled will enable builders yet another advantage when convincing buyers to purchase their homes.

The Home Builders Association of Greater Columbia (www.columbiabuilders.com) is a local professional association comprised of residential homebuilders from the South Carolina midlands including Columbia and Camden. They include small-, moderate- and large-volume homebuilders, multifamily and commercial builders and remodeling contractors. Associated with these builders is a broad spectrum of professionals supporting the building industry in its many facets. They include subcontractors, retail and wholesale suppliers, architects, engineers, mortgage lenders, realtors and others.

BNS Wireless (www.bnswireless.com) is an associate member of the HBAGC. They are Certified Wireless Consulting Providers, a title held by only twelve companies in the United States. As a full service computer networking company, they are one of the leading installers of wireless networks in the South Carolina home market and are recognized for their technical expertise and ability to deliver wireless networking solutions.

For information: http://www.bnswireless.com or
Contact: nic@bnswireless.com
Phone: 803-447-0028

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