Patent ID: 8295185

Claim:
A network comprising: a remote server located at a first location remote from a second location for performing a monitoring operation; a gateway; a wide area network (WAN) connected between the remote server and said gateway and operative to allow the remote server to communicate with the gateway; a data device at the second location; a wall-attachable addressable outlet connectable to said data device, wherein said wall-attachable addressable outlet is mounted in a wall and has an assigned address; and a wired local area network (LAN) at the second location to couple the gateway to the wall-attachable addressable outlet in order to couple the data device to the wide area network, wherein the wired local area network is composed of wiring that is one of telephone wiring, power wiring and CATV wiring, wherein the network is operative to allow the wall-attachable addressable outlet to send messages to the remote server to enable the remote server to perform the monitoring operation, and wherein said wall-attachable addressable outlet comprises a processing circuitry operative to send messages over said local area network indicating the operating condition of said wall-attachable addressable outlet.