Recently Filed in System Essentials

Build a bigger home, deal with drastic temperature swings. Owners of new homes have come to expect that the temperature upstairs will be several degrees higher than the temperature downstairs. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can live in a home that’s comfortable on every floor by installing a zoned heating/cooling system while your new home is under construction. A zoned heating/cooling system treats each area of the house independently, based on its distinct needs. The temperature of each area is monitored… View this story
Climate Control • Climate Control Systems • Humidity Control • Thermostats and Sensors • Zone Controllers • Special Features • System Essentials • Home Control • Info and Answers

Security systems conjure unpleasant thoughts of burglary, vandalism and alarms blaring in the middle of the night. True, that’s what security systems do, but they can also add a new dimension of convenience and comfort to a new home if you plan appropriately. Sure, you can still buy a basic burglar alarm for your home (it’s an economical choice), and it can be installed in a couple of hours. But thanks to new innovations, many security systems can do so much more. Systems can now… View this story
Safety and Security • Closed Circuit TV • Home Security Systems • Remote Monitoring • Security Sensors • Surveillance • Web Cameras • Special Features • System Essentials • Security • Info and Answers

Lights are a necessity in any new home, and require as much, if not more, thought and consideration as any other amenity. Of course, you’ll need to decide where to mount each light switch for convenience. Then there’s the tough job of selecting a style of fixture that’ll complement the home once it’s finished. But more fundamental than these choices is the way in which you will control the lights of your home. And there’s no better way to do that than with a lighting… View this story
Touchpanels and Keypads • Fixtures and Switches • Lighting Control Systems • System Essentials • Home Control • Info and Answers

Of all the electronic amenities available to a new home, none are quite as enjoyable as a whole house music system. Distributing tunes from one stereo system to speakers in far corners of a house is nothing new. Handy homeowners have been stringing wire from their stereo receivers to new speakers for years. But there is a limit to how many speakers a standard stereo amplifier can support. Plus, you may have to hoof it back to the stereo system to adjust the volume or… View this story
Multiroom Audio • Multiroom Video • System Essentials • Audio • Multiroom AV • Info and Answers

Separately, a lighting control system, a smart climate control system, a security system and other systems afford convenience, comfort and luxury to any new home. But it’s when these and other systems operate synchronously that the benefits of living in a smart home make an enormous impact. United under a common control system (a home control system), independent “subsystems” can alter the atmosphere of the entire house with one press of a button. For example, a HOME button on a home control keypad could be… View this story
Home Security Systems • Remote Monitoring • Climate Control Systems • Home Control Systems • System Essentials • Home Control • Info and Answers

In the old days of computing, each monitor used its own modem line, its own printer and its own disk drive. The recent proliferation of networking systems in homes has completely erased the lines of demarcation. By installing a system of high-speed cabling into a home, you can share files and peripherals. With a high-speed Internet connection, Web pages whiz into the PC at rates 10 times faster than a normal telephone wire can handle. Much like the networking systems used in commercial settings, these… View this story
Ethernet • Internet • Patchboards • Powerline • Routers and Switches • WiFi • System Essentials • Networking • Info and Answers