DENVER — Cisco’s booth was one of the busiest on the floor at the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo this week. In addition to set-top boxes with integrated Wi-Fi that it has been providing to the cable industry, the company is touting the Wi-Fi gateway that already exists in many homes as a potential hub for “Internet of Things” and connected home services.
Ken Morse, CTO of connected devices for Cisco, walked through one of its on-site demos leveraging a Wi-Fi gateway that integrates a solution that a utility company could offer that monitors and manages electricity usage, particularly at peak times.
“We’re showing that there’s a latent capability in here — the ability for the service provider to actually offer up space on these devices for other providers to come in and offer services that enhance the customer experience,” said Morse. Such an offering could mean additional revenue for the MSO, lower utility bills or other perks for the end customer, and more effective, efficient resource management for the utility company.
Hear about the use of the Wi-Fi gateway for the connected home in this video with Morse, and see more videos from the show here.