Public Speaking

Wayne Caswell is a frequent public speaker on topics related to the digital home, wireless and home networking, future studies, consumer advocacy, consumer electronics and broadband telecommunications.  Past public speaking engagements and events include the following, with repeat performances at many of the conferences.

1^st International Residential Gateway Conference: Opening Keynote Speaker
Wayne opened this first RG conference and set the tone for the entire event. The RG Conference was eventually expanded to include home networking and automation and renamed, “Connections,” a term Wayne coined to represent the connection of (1) homes and services, (2) devices on home networks, and (3) the personal contacts among conference attendees.

802.11 Planet: Speaker
Wayne’s presentation on “HomeRF: Cordless Convergence that Compliments” was well received, even in the competitively hostile environment of this conference, and several attendees stayed through lunch with questions.

ANSI/IISP Panel on Pervasive Computing: Speaker

APPLIANCEnet: Exhibitor, Panelist

Austin InnoTech Conference & Expo (in conjunction with the CIO Summit ): Speaker
“Fiber, Wireless and Bandwidth for TeleWork“ (November 2004) promoted the capacity of fiber optics and emerging wireless technologies for high-quality video conferencing to enable TeleWork applications, telemedicine, distance learning, digital entertainment, and e-commerce. While Austin fights over toll roads and light rail, other high-growth regions are driving economic development with TeleWork programs and high-speed fiber and wireless networks. They know technology innovation depends on sharing knowledge, and telecommunications infrastructure is just as vital to future economic growth as transportations systems were in the past, where companies, industries and cities benefited by being near highways, waterways, railroads and airports.

Bluetooth Conference (by ABI): Speaker
“Bluetooth & HomeRF: Residential Networking Made Easy”

BuilConn, Instructor
“Wirelss 101” (April 2004) was a 90-minute class, taught at BuilConn: The Networked Building Systems Forum in Dallas. Call if you’d like a similar class for your organization or would like the high-quality graphics.

COMDEX: Moderator, Speaker, Panelist, Pavilion Organizer, Booth Manager, Press Events Manager
Wayne worked through COMDEX senior executives to define and manage the Digital Home Networking Hot-Spot pavilion, has acted as booth manager for IBM and HomeRF exhibits, hosted press events, moderated discussion panels, and participated as a speaker on panels.

Community Forum on Abuses by Residential Homebuilders: Panelist (2009)
Representing Homeowners of Texas, Wayne gave examples of worker abuse and spoke on proposals pending before the legislature. This event was sponsored by the Workers Defense Project.

Connected@Home 2005: Moderator
“Developers and their Smart Communities” covers apartments and other multi-dwelling units (MDU’s), master-planned communities, and the legislative and legal issues of connecting them to broadband networks.

ConstrucTech Expo 2005: Speaker (twice)
“Big Broadband: Public Infrastructure or Private Monopolies“ starts with a critical assessment of U.S. broadband adoption and an objective of universal “adoption” of BIG broadband before then exploring various ways of getting it deployed. “Home Controls Industry Poised to Cross 30-year old Chasm” covers several new and disruptive technologies that finally can scale from do-it-yourself retrofit projects in small homes to very large homes with high-end automation systems and even commercial office buildings.

Consumer Electronics Show: Panelist, Booth Manager, Press Events Mgr
Wayne sold the home networking pavilion concept, managed HomeRF exhibits, hosted press events, and participated as a speaker on discussion panels. This HomeRF General Overview presents a good tutorial and comparison of wireless networking technologies. I’d sometimes use PowerPoint to create a Grabber Loop to attract people to our booth at shows smaller than CES.

Connections (by CABA & Parks Associates): Keynote, Panelist, Exhibitor
Wayne has been involved in this conference, sponsored jointly by CABA and Parks Associates, since it started as the 1st International Residential Gateway Conference.  He is credited for coming up with the name, “Connections,” which suggests the networking of devices in homes, homes and services, and interpersonal networking at the conference.

Digital Hollywood: Panelist
“Networking the Digital Home and the Residential Gateway – The TV Hub, Computer Hub, Telecommunications Hub” addressed key concepts in establishing the home as a media center by focusing on three primary technologies as the core home-media hubs: the telecommunications, the computer and the set-top box. These are the concepts behind the idea of “technology convergence.”

Electronic House Expo: Speaker, Exhibitor
Wayne has spoken on topics such as (1) Designing Wireless Networks to Avoid Common Pitfalls, (2) Wireless Configuration Choices, and (3) Integrating DSL & Wireless. He also managed a HomeRF booth.

EPRI’s Networked Home Workshop: Speaker

Forum (by Parks Associates, 2001): Speaker
While working on contract for Siemens and serving as the Marketing Chairman of the HomeRF Working Group, Wayne resented “A vision of Next Generation Phone Systems” based on planned enhancements to the HomeRF-based Gigaset cordless phone system.

Habitech (by Parks Associates): Speaker, Exhibitor
Wayne introduced IBM to the Home Systems industry at Habitech’94 on a $150 shoestring budget, with the help from IBM and Team OS/2 volunteers.  By getting IBM to provide display backdrops and demo equipment for a Dallas startup company, Wayne convinced Parks Associates to allow that booth to drive traffic to an IBM showroom at the Dallas InfoMart, where he coordinated presentations in two class rooms and a large amphitheater, as well as about a dozen demonstrations of IBM technologies that could apply to home networking, even before IBM had products for that industry.  The success of that first show resulted in Habitech becoming an official IBM PSP business show and used to launch IBM Home Director in 1996.

HomeRF Meetings: Speaker, Organizer
As Marketing Chairman (and later as Communications Chairman), Wayne coordinated several HomeRF public seminars and internal face-to-face meetings, working with the hotels, developing the agenda, scheduling speakers, creating presentation material and CD-ROM handouts, and speaking.

HomeNet Forum (by Marcus Evans, 2001): Speaker, Panelist
While working on contract for Siemens and serving as the Marketing Chairman of the HomeRF Working Group, Wayne resented “Networking the Household: Separating the Home from the Workplace” to explain how the home offers unique challenges for wireless networking that don’t exist in offices. Because HomeRF addressed known deficiencies of Wi-Fi, companies like IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola and Siemens supported it as the preferred technology for home use, and at one time HomeRF enjoyed 95% market share.

Home Networks European Conference (London): Speaker
IIR so wanted to have Wayne speak at this conference that they paid his travel expenses to London.

HomeRF Working Group Member Meetings & Public Seminars: Organizer, Speaker

IEEE Communications Society: Speaker
“Home & Building Automation & Controls,” (January 2006) This presentation to the IEEE Computer Society examines new and disruptive developments in the technologies used in homes, commercial buildings, and manufacturing lines to control lighting, HVAC, security, entertainment, appliances, and other devices. It summarized a market research report written for Parks Associates that also examined market drivers and remaining challenges while providing forecasts, company profiles, and descriptions of each of the enabling standards.

BIG Broadband and Gigabit-to-the-Home 
While most analysts call for speeds of 100 Mbps to enable multiple streams of HDTV, Wayne says that’s shortsighted. This presentation helps justify fiber-to-the-home and gigabit speeds with examples of applications that need that performance.

IEEE Consultants Network: Speaker
“Beyond the PC – 30:30 Vision(s) of Computing“ (updated Nov’10)
With a historical look at the past 30 years of personal computing, and a futurist’s look at the next 30, Wayne applied different perspectives in a talk that was thought provoking, controversial, and filled with outlandish predictions that will likely be proven way too conservative. A version of this talk was also presented at Launch Pad Job Club and Lee Hecht Harrison to give job seekers a perspective of technology paradigm shifts affecting them. (download handout)

IWPC Technical Workshop (on Wireless LANs & PANs using Unlicensed-Band Short Range Radios, Applications and Packaging): Speaker

PC Expo: Exhibitor, Speaker

POF2003 (Seattle): Opening Plenary Speaker
“Paving the Information Superhighway … with Fiber or Something Else?” (September 2003). This presentation during the 12th International Conference on Polymer Optical Fiber at the University of Washington in Seattle presented wireless as complementary to fiber. There were over 100 attendees from 14 countries.

Supercomm: Panelist