(NAPSA)—What is a smart home? It can be many things. Sometimes referred to as an automated home, or connected home, it might offer basic technologies such as phone service and Internet access or include surround sound and high-definition plasma televisions. It might offer a way for you to control the lighting schemes in your house and yard and have security systems with cameras so that you can monitor your property over the Internet. Or it might even have a refrigera- tor that can turn into an oven just in time to cook your dinnerso that it’s ready to serve when you return from a long day at work. More and more productsfor the smart home are showing up at retailers across the country. The increased demand for these products and related technologies is leading to an increased demand for certified technicians, salespeople and installers with the right skills to support this growing industry. “There’s no doubt in my mind that the connected homeis the way of the future and a great opportunity for a career path,” said Mike Tangora, owner of a successful home integration company in Delmar, New York and a certified CompTIA Home Technology Integrator (HTI+”). Schools across the country are already teaching traditional computer hardware, software and networking skills, and students are proving their knowledge and becoming certified with vendorneutral qualifications such as CompTIA A+ and Network+”. These two skill areas form a solid foundation to build on when devel- Mike Tangora, CompTIA HTI+ certified Home TechnologyIntegrator, wires a central control panel. oping expertise in specialized areas such as smart hometechnology. The smart or automated home offers exciting opportunities for properly trained and certified employees. The Home Technology Integrator (CompTIA HTI+”) certification exam is the leading vendor-neutral certification for technicians servicing the automated homeindustry. Developed by the Internet Home Alliance and the Computing Technology Industry Association, the CompTIA HTI+ certification demonstrates the working knowledge and skill sets necessary to install and support the connected home “Increasingly homeownersin all price ranges are interested in adding structured wiring, basic connectivity and some audio visual options to their homes. The inevitable result is an increase in the need for technicians knowledgeable in this area,” said Tangora. More information about becoming CompTIA HTI+ certified is available at http://www.comptia.org/ certification/hti/default.aspx.
