With the recent announcement from Steve Jobs that Apple will be releasing the iPad in the next 60 days, many people (including myself) were asking "What's the point of the iPad?"  After doing a search for this exact phrase and finding numerous discussions, it appears that people such as myself with both a MacBook and an iPhone aren't the target market, as those two devices pretty much cover off any computing I need to do.  No, the target market appears to be families with schedules to coordinate (calendar app) and notes to leave (using it as an electronic whiteboard) as well as people who may travel a lot and would prefer to pull out the über-thin iPad to read the paper or email vs a full-fledged laptop. 

For many people, pulling off a light switch coverplate and seeing what's behind may be the most practical first step into home automation.  Determining if your house's switches contain a neutral wire or not can help direct which home automation solution will offer you the least headache down the road. 

In the case where the majority of switches in your home do contain a neutral wire but there are one or two that don't, Insteon is now just as capable as it's wireless peers due to the recently released 2-Wire Switchlinc.  In this step-by-step guide I'll show you how to install the module, using a recently completed installation in our living room as an example.

In my recent X10 Home Automation review, one of our readers (Ray) asked for a more detailed comparison of prices for typical scenarios using X10, Insteon and Z-Wave.  It's a good question, and one that others have likely thought about as well when debating the merits of spending the extra on a second-generation system such as Insteon or Z-Wave versus the cheaper X10.  

I've created a couple of plausible scenarios below, however it would be great if this was more of a collaborative effort so if you have been doing some research yourself and have information to share (or have any questions) please post in the comments section below.