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What is home automation? What are smart homes? Home automation is the installation of modern technology that allows for added comfort, security, and convenience in a residential house. It used to be that movies and TV shows would give people demonstrations of what life would be like in the future, with all the gizmos and gadgets that would make life easier. Well, technology has not only caught up with the future, but the prices have also come down from the stratosphere to be more affordable to the average homeowner.

Imagine if your house could call or email you to let you know of a break-in.

Think about a house that would turn on the heat, turn on your lights, and turn on your favorite TV show as you're pulling into the driveway.

You could have a home that would remind you to pick up your drycleaning and your child from band practice.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a surround sound stereo that would lower the volume, or automatically mute completely, when the phone rings?

These are some of the possibilities that home automation can bring about. It's not just about adding new devices to your home, either. It's about bringing systems into your home that work with other systems to create a unified and controllable house that works for you.

Smart Homes can be installed behind the drywall when you're buiding a new house or you can upgrade your existing homes with wired or wireless technology. There are already a number of companies that offer home automation systems, including X-10, Insteon, mControl, and Z-Wave, to name a few.

Below is a list of just some of the features that can be integrated in to your home:
- Automatic Lighting Control
- Automatic Climate Control
- Closed Circuit TV Cameras & Security
- Automatic Blinds & Curtains
- Whole House Music & TV Networks
- Computer Networks
- Refrigerators that Order Food
- Ovens & Microwaves that Automatically Cook Food
- Remote and Mobile Phone System Activation

You can choose the level of integration and the levels of automation. You'll be able to decide of if you want the controls to be manual, to automatically turn on/off everyday at a specific time, to change when you enter/leave the room, or even to turn on/off when you call your house.

Some systems can be controlled with hardware installed within your house, or controlled by software set up in your computer that will talk to the hardware in the home. There are even more ways that these systems will control and activate themselves - - through "hard" wires, over power lines, through infra-red technology, via wireless, and more.

With the right system for your house and for your needs, you can truly own a home of the future today. Because these systems are so complex, it's smart to also talk to a professional home automation installer. You can sit down and talk about your desires, limitations, and budget and plan out how you can make your house work for you. And there are various budget levels possible, so a consultation with a smart home expert could save you a lot of time, money, and energy.

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Labels: Home Automation, Smart Homes