Of all the rooms in the so-called "smart house," the home office is in many ways at the head of the class. Thanks to high-speed Internet connections, wireless technologies and a host of gadgets, the virtual home office connects workers and students to the outside world at blazing speed.

	James Hilston, Post-Gazette Click illustration for larger image. Part One: Keeping up with technology demands new approaches when building homes Part Two: Home theater buyers need sound advice Part Three: High-tech kitchens let appliances do the cooking

In the past, homes might include small sewing rooms or studies or basement workshops as extra work spaces. But the in-demand extra room in new homes today is the home office.

Social trends and forces are at play here. There are many kinds of home office users. There are telecommuters who maintain a second office at home or use the home office as their sole work space. In either case, they need a dependable connection to their employer. Many professionals, like physicians and lawyers, maintain a second office at home. Others, including consultants, freelancers and home-based business owners, need a dedicated room to serve as their place of business. And with computers in so many homes, a home office area, however small, is becoming a necessity for everyday household activities like paying bills, tracking finances, doing homework and surfing the net.

Michael Sklack works more than a typical eight-hour day, and having a state-of-the-art wired home office makes his job easier, and more successful, he says.

Sklack is owner and president of MT Computers, a Monaca-based company that buys and sells remanufactured computers. Because his business relies heavily on Internet sales, working at home enables him to answer a potential buyer's question quickly, which he says is often the key to clinching a sale.

"With a home office, if it's wired properly, you can conduct your business better. I can answer questions at night."

Thanks to a wireless connection, his kids can also tie into the system from their laptop computers.

Sklack had structured wiring installed while the house was being built, which is the most cost-effective way. The office has the required hook-ups for high-speed and wireless Internet connections to run a business, and is also ready to add surround-sound and cable TV.

Even people who don't work at home are finding that a dedicated "smart" office can be one of the busiest rooms in the house. High-speed Internet connections are reshaping the way people not only work, but also the ways they learn and play.

People with school-age kids know what an important link a computer is in the education process, for homework, research and an at-home connection to the school system. Families are finding that the single PC is multiplying into several throughout the house.

Structured wiring

"Education has really pushed home technology," says Ava Binotto, president of Intelligent Automation Systems.

Her company installs systems made by Cutler-Hammer, a division of Eaton Electrical, and works with Signature Homes, a custom home builder that incorporates structured wiring in many of its new homes.

High-speed broadband or DSL Internet connections are making their way into more and more homes; about 25 percent of all U.S. households now have high-speed Internet access, according to FCC estimates. High-speed connections have made the Internet another option for home entertainment -- from online gaming to listening to music.

More people are downloading music or listening to Internet Web casts or commercial radio stations that stream their signal on the Web. Having a DSL or cable connection speeds up download times and improves sound quality on streaming broadcasts. With the widespread use of digital cameras, the home computer also has become the hub of family photograph storage and a way of sending copies to friends and family.

Wireless technology enables the smart home office to stretch beyond the four walls of the office itself. Laptop computers throughout the house can be connected to it. For example, if the printer is in mom or dad's office, kids can print out homework assignments from their laptops. Or if it's a sunny day, mom or dad can take their work out onto a deck or patio.

All of these trends have made some new home builders factor the wired home office into their drawing plans.

The heart of the smart office isn't so dazzling. In fact, it's invisible, tucked away behind the walls. It's the wiring that ties together all the office equipment and links the user to the outside world through phone and broadband connections. Structured wiring combines a home's telephone, Internet, cable and security wires into a line that supports all home systems.

The wiring backbone for the smart office is easiest and cheapest to do in new construction. Retrofitting an existing or older home is a bit more involved and a lot more costly.

"It's smarter to do it at the start of the game," says Daniel Sosso of Signature Homes. "We're trying to pre-wire as much as possible."

His company also adds extra runs leading up to the attic through a new house, so that if the owner wants to add the required wiring later, the conduit is in place.

'Just wire everything'

Another area company that specializes in installing smart home technology is MGM Automation, headed by the husband-and-wife team of Matthew and Melanie Mandros. Their company handles everything from home theater and sound systems to computer networks and automation touch screens.

With new construction, Mandros says, "You have a blank slate. You can wire the home office, and you can extend those technologies to the rest of the house. I tell people, just wire everything."

Mandros also advises thinking ahead to what the future needs of the work space might be. "You'll be able to take advantage of innovations well into the future. Even if you can't afford the computers, put the wires in because you might need it five years from now."

Once the office is wired, the fun really starts. The typical shopping list will include some or all of the following: computer, monitor, printer, fax machine, scanner, digital camera, Web cam, answering machine, cell phone, CD burner, data storage drives, shredder, surge protectors, and anti-virus and firewall software.

Now that many homes have more than one computer, all can be networked, enabling family members to share information and files easily. The user can access files from a laptop away from the office or print out information from a printer located elsewhere in the house.

The home office computer can also be networked to an employer's system outside the home. Web cameras make it possible to attend business meetings anywhere by videoconferencing. Voice over Internet phone technology allows a remote office worker's computer to serve as an extension to the company phone system, as if he or she were in the same building.

The home office can also include all the gee-whiz features of the rest of a smart home -- automatic window blinds or skylights, lighting and climate controls, security and multizone entertainment.

Closed circuit video cameras outside the home allow the user to see who's at the door without interrupting work, or keep an eye on their children playing outside. A new parent can have a "nanny cam" in the office to monitor what's going on in the nursery.

And you no longer have to be Bill Gates to afford it. The basic wiring for an entire home adds about $1,500 to $2,500 to the cost of building a new home, Sosso says.

"If you wrap it around your mortgage, it's pennies per month," Binotto says.

As far as adding to a home's resale value, it ultimately depends on the buyer. If the new owners need or want a wired office, they may be willing to pay more if it's ready to plug into.