Tech Smart Homes.........     Automate Your Home

 

Home automation has become increasingly popular because of personal computers, broadband Internet access and sophisticated electronic appliances. Homeowners can quickly and inexpensively automate lighting, appliances, heating, cooling, security, entertainment, communications and even lawn sprinklers. Gone are the days of going to work and worrying whether the coffee pot was left on. Now homeowners can simply log-in to turn it off.

A home network is necessary for automation, especially if homeowners want remote access. Most automated homes
take advantage of these home network sources:

Bullett Power line technology supports lighting, appliances
and security.
Bullett Radio signals (wireless) can be used to control lighting, appliances and security applications, as well as entertainment and communications systems.
Bullett Structured wiring, the most reliable and robust network, supports entertainment and communications systems.

Available since the 1970s, the power line technology X-10
has been the most popular home-automation technology. It
is estimated that 10 million X-10 products are in use today.

However, newer home automation companies offering cutting-edge technologies are trying to win marketshare. Smarthome's Insteon uses both radio signals and your home's power line and outlets, and can be used with X-10 products. Both Zigbee and
Z-Wave are based on wireless technology and have partnered with many companies to widely distribute their products.

An easy way to automate a home is to purchase a starter
kit from Radio Shack or Home Depot. Similar products and information can be found online at Automated Outlet (www.automatedoutlet.com), Smarthome (www.smarthome.com), the X-10 Superstore (www.x10-store.com) and the Wired Home Weblog (www.wiredhome-weblog.com).