the digital house comes of age
BY harvey marks
Imagine a home that instantly and effortlessly does your bidding or beams Internet programming to your television or stereo, meets your family’s needs for comfort and security and even helps you save energy.
If that sounds like sheer science fantasy, then you
haven’t been paying attention to the wireless revolution sweeping America. According to current statistics, about 20 million Americans now have digital home networks, up from just 2.5 million in 1998. Along with faster computing performance and other obvious advantages, these broadband connections also make it possible to set up wireless command centers to automate functions in your home.
WHAT'S FOR YOU?
Many automated functions are readily available through standardized systems and components that easily can be installed in your home. However, there’s virtually no limit to the possibilities, and individualized systems can be created to meet unique lifestyle needs.
Want to enhance the pleasure, comfort and security your home provides? A wireless system can be programmed to turn lights on at sunrise or sunset or various other times of day. It can provide lighting scenes for different rooms and for activities as varied as reading, TV watching or entertaining. Such a system can help you save energy by controlling your thermostat to correspond to sleep schedules, room occupancy or outside temperature. And it can increase your security by providing an early warning about smoke or fire or other hazardous conditions, then automatically illuminate your family’s best evacuation route.
ENTERTAINING POSSIBILITIES
Sophisticated whole-house automation systems won’t fit every taste or budget. However, increasing numbers of homeowners are turning their computers into networks for beaming information from the Internet to their stereos and TVs. Imagine turning your television into a computer monitor to surf the net. Or how about inviting the gang over for a slide show presentation of your vacation pictures beamed straight from your laptop to your large screen TV? For radio lovers, Apple’s iTunes and other services and products, such as the AirPort Express, offer a number of pure-music and other channels that you can stream directly from your computer
to your stereo system.
To get started, you’ll need a router, which is basically a small radio transmitter that sits on your desk, and a receiver that hooks up to your television, stereo or other device. Routers can cost as little as $50, but before you buy, you’ll want to spend a little time doing research. If you have a large, multistory home, it may be difficult for a single router to send a strong signal to every part of it.
Security issues also are a concern. According to the experts, fully securing a wireless network is a difficult, if not impossible, task. Knowledgeable and determined hackers can penetrate virtually any wireless network. But basic security measures available with most wireless systems can at least keep amateurs out of your network and lead more knowledgeable intruders to move on to easier targets.
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RESOURCES
APPLE
www.apple.com
AUDIO VIDEO DESIGNERS
?6706 Misty Dale Drive, KATY TX
281.856.8367
DELL
WWW.DELL.COM
HOME AUTOMATION, INC.
WWW.HOMEAUTO.COM
HOME SYNTHESIS
281.932.7755
WWW.HOMESYNTHESIS.COM
MICROSOFT
WWW.MICROSOFT.COM
MOTOROLA
WWW.MOTOROLA.COM
PARROT
WWW.PARROT.BIZ
RESIDENTIAL DIGITAL INTEGRATION
281.460.0200
SMART HOME
WWW.SMARTHOME.COM
VERIZON
WWW.VERIZON.COM |
