Table lamps, wall sconces, and recessed ceiling fixtures—they all do one thing really well: illuminate your home so you can see what you’re doing. By tying these lights to a control system (see below), operating them becomes more convenient, efficient, and useful—not to mention increasingly multi-faceted. In addition to simply brightening the dark spaces of […]
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DIYers Display Their Automation Chops
3 amazing projects prove what’s possible when homeowners tackle automation on their own.
Interested in automating your home? There are options galore—from sophisticated systems that are best installed by a trained professional, those that you can buy and have installed by your Internet Service Provider, and packages of automation gear available online and at retail outlets that are designed to be set up by homeowners. The latter is […]
Get the GuideDIY or Professional Lighting Control: 5 Tips to Help You Choose
Automating your home’s lights is one of this year’s biggest home technology trends. Every week there are new launches for individual products or whole house lighting systems designed to make it easier to operate and customize your home’s lighting. Once you’ve deciding that automated lighting control is something you want for your home, the next […]
Get the GuideHow to Control Lights with Siri: Review of Lutron Caseta Smart Bridge with Homekit
You use Siri to search for directions, to find nearby pizza shops and to send hands-free text messages, but wouldn’t it be nice to also use Siri for home automation or home control? Sure, there are some patchwork ways to do that, namely with apps like IFTTT and some clever hacking, but I’ve found those […]
Get the GuideWhere and Why to Use a Lighting Control System
With home control systems and preprogrammed scenes, you can match your lighting to your mood.
With home control systems and preprogrammed scenes, you can match your lighting to your mood.
Get the GuideHome Lighting: New Smart Options for all Budgets
If you think residential lighting control is only for the rich and famous, it’s time to refresh your view. “Simple, affordable, reliable” is how David Weinstein, vice president of residential sales at Lutron, characterizes the changes in the U.S. lighting control market over the past five years. What was once a custom product category catering to the top one percent of the population has widened to a broad spectrum of wired and wireless offerings ranging from do-it-yourself lighting kits to professionally installed solutions.
Get the GuideGreen Homes: Getting an Efficiency Boost from Smart Home Systems
Technology today is making a bigger impact on our lives than ever before and, in many cases, can establish a green footprint by reducing the amount of energy resources our homes use. Adding electronic systems to use less energy may seem contradictory. But there are many devices available now that can lead to a greener, more energy-efficient way of life. When these devices are combined and integrated with a smart home automation system, a sustainable ripple effect occurs, including positive effects on the environment and your wallet. The following smart home products exemplify how technology can enhance not only the comfort and conveniences in your home, but also make it a greener place to live.
Get the GuideDimmer Switches Get Smart: The 10 Best Lighting Control Dimmers
The 10 best lighting control dimmers for a smart, automated home.
One of the core features of any residential lighting control system is its ability to dim the intensity of your home’s lights. Doing so saves electricity, improves your home’s aesthetic qualities, and enhances the overall functionality of the lights. Ordinary dimmer switches are able to accomplish these tasks, but why not invest in a switch with the additional smarts to adjust the brightness of the lights automatically and offer other innovative features? The following 10 dimmers switches (in no particular order of importance) are some of the brightest stars in the home lighting market. Be sure to check them out when you’re ready to swap your home’s old light switches for something smarter.
Get the GuideTop 5 Do-It-Yourself Smart Home Systems
The surge in broadband households with Wi-Fi has opened up the possibilities for smart homes in ways not possible before. No longer do you need a wiring infrastructure running from a central controller to switches and keypads throughout the house to enjoy a more connected home. Wireless control via Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, and other communications standards makes it possible to start building a DIY system for a couple of hundred dollars. They’re modular, too, so you can expand your system as budget allows.
Get the GuideTechnology that Stands Out
While hiding technology is currently the trend in homes, it wasn’t so long ago that showing it off was de rigueur. “A little over a decade ago, the trend was that people who could afford technology preferred to show it off. They weren’t modest about being ostentatious,” says Mark Hernandez of New York City-based electronics integration firm Cliqk. Yet despite trends, some electronics gear features such incredible industrial design that hiding it would be sinful.
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