There have been a lot of big predictions about the future of home automation, and our gradual slide toward a full-on Jetsons lifestyle. Unfortunately, with the costs of newly invented limited production technologies and their accompanying installation fees, those big predictions have been held back by big bills.

Insteon hopes to help solve these problems.

Rather than having a specialist wire up your entire home with a complex system, Insteon works by plugging one base into your wireless Internet router, which can then connect to a system of relatively inexpensive adapters that work with all your existing appliances, devices and outlets.

Several varieties of sensor are available from the company –– wired into light switches, on the front of regular outlets, controlled by motion detection or keypads –– and range in cost from $30 to $70.

The devices are all interconnected, and by two different methods, adding redundancy for greater stability. Signals are sent among all of the devices wirelessly by radio waves and through the internal wiring of the house.

The signals that are sent can be used in several different ways:

First, a user can simply log on to a website, or load up a phone or tablet app, and control the power to that outlet or device or light switch directly and remotely from wherever in the world they are.

If even that is too much work, the app or website can be used to program in times when you would want lights to turn on, or an appliance to start working, or a thermostat to change your homes temperature, warming it up for your arrival home.

The Insteon system can even set lights to turn on or off, based on that day’s sunrise or sunset times.

It can also integrate with existing automation, or home security, systems.

While it could pre-start a crockpot or a rice cooker while you’re away, it is not entirely able to do all of Rosie the Robot’s work. Yet.