INTERIORS: Your doorbell, phone and baby monitor already work without unsightly plugs or wires - your telly, stereo and PC could be next. But how far away is the sleek, wireless home of the interiors brochure, asks Conor Pope.
The sleek stereo system you've just spent an obscene amount of money on is fantastic, a silver dream machine with all manner of woofers, tweeters and surround sound blasters. To its considerable credit, it also comes with a comforting blue display which gently flashes hello when you turn it on and silently bids you farewell when you leave the room. The speakers are funky - small but perfectly formed - and have enough power to make your next-door neighbour's ears bleed.
It's perfect. Except for one thing - the wires. They are everywhere, running under the couch, up the walls and behind bookshelves, getting caught under your feet and miraculously tying themselves into complex knots. They destroy the unit's perfect aesthetic.
As you untangle the mess to reposition your speakers six inches to the left, you could be forgiven for thinking that the wires which make the electronic equipment in your house hum should be completely redundant. In a world where we rely on mobile phones to communicate and everything from alarm systems to simple door bells can be operated wirelessly, why isn't other electronic equipment similarly inclined?
Wireless mice, keyboards and printers are common-place, but everything else - even the Internet fridge-cum-TV which is this year's, er, coolest, kitchen accessory - comes with wires attached.
Technical wizards are already using wireless networks to connect their computers, printers, laptops and even fridges, and to play MP3s throughout their homes. When blessed with summer sunshine, they can sit in their back gardens surfing the Web, listening to music, sending e-mails and generally being all zeitgeisty.
But what about the rest of us? Most people have masses of equipment in their home which relies on computer chips. Any list might include a laptop, a DVD player, a digital camera, a PDA, a printer and a PC. All this technology requires several connections and endless cabling, which combine to create enormous clutter.
This is where wireless (Wi-Fi) networks come in. They operate using radio frequencies which penetrate walls and floors. A typical network is made up of a wireless base station and a series of adapters, with a range of about 150 feet.
A recent study indicated that Wi-Fi is catching on faster in the home than in the workplace. Says Kevin McGuinness from Base Wireless, a company which enables wireless access for private homes: "Some homes these days have more than one computer or laptop, and as broadband spreads, home owners are looking for a way to share this broadband with their computers. Wireless networks are the most cost-effective way of achieving this," he says.
McGuinness points out that most home electronic equipment is controlled by microchips, which can be controlled without wires. "Manufactures are realising this, and developing their products with these capabilities. At present, you can connect not only your PC, laptop and printer to the Wi-Fi network, but also your stereo, TV, security system and game console."
Best of all, because a Wi-Fi network maintains an "always on" broadband Internet connection, it, and all components connected to it, can be operated remotely via the web. McGuinness dreams: "In the future, you may be lying on a beach in Spain and controlling a wireless robot doing the housework for you back home." Promises, promises, you may be forgiven for thinking.
But traditional electronics providers sound a note of caution. "The quality is not as good as traditional methods," says Michael O'Neill says of Blackrock-based Cloney Audio, which fits homes with high-end audio and video equipment. He advises people not to rely on wireless systems for audio or video just yet.
The service his shop offers may be as close as high-end users can get to a wireless world for some years to come, and involves burying hundreds of cables, which run the entire home's electronics, under the floors and the walls.
So an alternative way to create a wireless house involves, ironically, a multitude of wires. The cost of making a 12-room house wire-free in this way is approximately €40,000. The advantage of such a system for the user is that it is simple to use. Once set-up, it allows you to control almost all the electronic equipment in your home with a single remote control, and the sound and vision are nearly perfect.
Setting up a wireless network is much cheaper - the base station will set you back €200 and each adapter card is about €40 - so a full Wi-Fi network in a three-bedroom home should cost no more than €500.
The downside is that is more susceptible to outside interference. Microwaves, cordless phones and baby monitors share the radio frequency Wi-Fi operates on, which means that you could find a gentle hum and an irritating "bing" noise adding a new, and unwelcome, dimension to your favourite tunes every time the microwave is used. You may also find the brand new episode of The Simpsons interrupted by the neighbours' wailing baby.
"However, the wireless network would only see a temporary decrease in performance while these other devices are in use," McGuinness says, and adds that it is "not a show-stopping issue".
What is a show-stopper, however, is electricity. It cannot be transferred wirelessly (at least not without killing a house's inhabitants instantly) and unless you are prepared to pay big bills for batteries, then totally wire-free days are still some way off.
Wireless TVs and battery-powered stereo equipment are available, but they have to be charged frequently and, for most, would probably end up becoming more of a chore than they're worth.
"Everybody is inquiring about it, but there isn't really anything out there. It's a long way off. Wireless systems are great from a data-transfer point of view, but there is nothing as sensitive as the human eye or ear, and when it comes to audio or video, if you want the best, it has to be wired," Michael O'Neill says. So, the days of wire-filled clutter may be with us for a lot longer than that newly purchased, winking stereo.
UNWIRE YOUR HOME
Doorbell: Pro: Easy to install. Con: Batteries must be replaced regularly and can die without you being aware of their passing. Cost: EUR65.
Cordless Phone: Pros: Mobility, flexibility and privacy, plus it removes the need to untangle cables knotted by the fretful. Con: Not being able to find it when it rings. Cost: EUR30-EUR200.
Baby Monitor: Pro: When your baby cries, you know all about it. Con: When your baby cries, you know all about it. Cost: EUR30-EUR100.
Keyboard and mouse: Pro: Sitting on the couch with the keyboard on your knees is far better than hunching like a pretzel over a desk. Con: Losing your mouse. Cost: EUR90.
Stereo speakers: Pros: Reduce clutter dramatically and allow you to reposition the speakers. Cons: Sound is patchy, and the speakers eat batteries. Cost: Small wire-free speakers are available from EUR50.
Wi-Fi Network: Pro: Surfing the web in your garden while listening to MP3s stored on a PC upstairs makes "working from home" a joy. Con: Wi-Fi networks are susceptible to outside interference, and data you transmit using radio frequencies can in theory be intercepted. Cost: base statio, EUR200; adaptor cards for each networked item, EUR40. A Wi-Fi network with seven devices attached will cost EUR500.