Recently Filed in Home Control

Q. Is there a system with a touchscreen wireless remote that will let me control EVERYTHING in my home? Lights, music, heat, security, video..... Thanks! - Todd/Seattle A. Actually there are many but I have to ask ... do you want to control them all with one system or have multiple systems? I will infer that you really want it all under one hood. A do-it-yourself guy has very limited options. Most of which consist of multiple systems loosely tied together via X10 devices and… View this story
Home Control • Touchpanels and Keypads • Remote Controls • Home Control • Ask a Pro

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. It’s an old cliche, but it still holds true today, especially if you’re thinking of having an automation system installed into your home. Automation systems, by nature, are able to perform some pretty amazing (and unusual) feats. They can regulate the temperature of fish tanks and hot tubs, snap on the lights when you step through the door and open the window shades precisely at 9 a.m. It’s this kind of magic that makes automation… View this story
Home Control • Home Control Systems • Touchpanels and Keypads • Home Control • Enhancements • Info and Answers • Optimize

It was the ultra-contemporary European-style Kreon light fixtures that set the tone for the technologies in this master suite. “Once we saw how modern they were, we knew we had to be just as sleek with our integration of the electronics,” says Edwin Melendez of Multimedia Innovations in Hallandale, Fla. One of the slickest implementations of high-tech is the 50-inch Runco high-def plasma display that traverses on a motorized track installed within the ceiling. A command from a portable AMX touchpanel activates the Trak-kit track… View this story
Bathroom • Bedroom • Home of the Year Awards 2009 • Multiroom AV • Home Control • Cool Homes • Slideshows

The ability to manage your home’s electronic systems from one main control system can make your household run smoother, feel better and save energy. The trick is to find a system that will meet all the demands of your household, now and in the future. Most systems can be tailored by a custom electronics professional to provide all the benefits you desire, but there are some key features that will make his job easier and your interaction with your system more enjoyable. We asked both… View this story
Climate Control • Home Control • Lighting Control • How To • Home Control • Info and Answers • Research

One full-scale automation system to cover a 10,000-square-foot home is impressive enough. But doubling that capacity and making sure everything still runs smoothly is another thing altogether. That was the challenge faced by electronics installer Home Systems when these New Jersey homeowners added a resort-size addition to a residence that had an existing Crestron automation system. “We designed a totally new Crestron system that would incorporate the new parts of the house and marry it to the old parts. And at the same time [we]… View this story
Home of the Year Awards 2009 • Multiroom AV • Home Control • Cool Homes • Slideshows

When you live in a high-rise, space can be tight. To give themselves more elbow room, the owners of this 17th-story residence bought three apartments and had the walls removed to create a 10,000-square-foot living space. During the renovation, the homeowners decided it would be worthwhile to put in some electronic systems—not just a basic security system and entertainment setup—but a sophisticated design that would automate everything from the window blinds and lights to the door locks and even the toe heaters in the bathroom.… View this story
Home of the Year Awards 2009 • Multiroom AV • Home Control • Cool Homes • Slideshows

You’ve probably stumbled across the term “two-way communications” when researching universal remote controls, home automation systems, even light dimmers. What does that mean, and how does it compare to “one-way?” In home-control speak, two-way refers to feedback. A two-way remote control, for example, may not only operate the thermostats remotely it would also be able to display (in real time) the thermostat’s settings. A one-way remote, on the other hand, could control the thermostats, but if you adjust the thermostat from the unit itself, it… View this story
Home Control • Remote Controls • Home Control • Info and Answers

It’s great to have software that can run the electronic devices in a home, but the big-sell to consumers is usually the device used to transmit commands to those devices. Many home control manufacturers design their own styles of handheld remotes, keypads and touchscreens to do the job, but there are some that focus solely on software and contract with other companies to develop the interface. Borg Displays is such a company. It has developed two new touchscreens, the Protege8 and the Protege15 for in-wall… View this story
Networking and Communication • Remote Controls • Home Control • Product News

When selecting a home control system, should you care if it’s compatible with Z-Wave or ZigBee? It depends. Both technologies enable two-way wireless control of various electronic devices including remote controls, dimmers and thermostats. Both employ mesh networking, which means that the more devices that are on the network, the more powerful the network becomes. ZigBee has a higher bandwidth, so it can accommodate richer information, such as metadata from your music library. Z-Wave has the benefit of being a real “standard,” meaning Z-Wave products… View this story
Home Control • Lighting Control • Home Control • Info and Answers • Research

Q. I am an architect currently designing my own home. We are Mac/iPod/iPhone users and would love to have a simple to use and not too expensive integrated home control system. What would you recommend? - RMR A. Here are a couple of suggestions, courtesy the pros at CE Pro. Reliable Communication Systems Intl. There is only one Apple based control system that I am aware of - Savant. The cost of this system may not be what you are looking for. If you are… View this story
Home Control • Home Control • Ask a Pro

A few weeks ago, I spoke with a custom electronics pro (CE Pro) about a project that involved automating a platform containing several disco lights and speakers to drop down from the ceiling. It was a first for his company, an outfit that has been around for more than 20 years, and he expects it to probably be their last. Not that devising the rigging was exceptionally difficult; it’s just unlikely that any future clients will ask for a drop-from-the-ceiling disco system ever again.  I… View this story
Home Control • Weird Stuff • Home Control • Info and Answers

Our Home of the Year sits among the Hollywood Hills, where the stars shine as brightly inside the homes as they do in the night sky. We’re familiar with some of the A-list technologies here—CinemaScope theater, 7.1-channel surround-sound, intricate TV concealment, extensive automation—but we don’t often see them shine together in such a spectacular location, with equally stunning results. This home can’t settle for anything less than red-carpet treatment. The residence was designed and built by Temple Home, whose co-owner, Xorin Balbes, has earned recognition… View this story
Home of the Year Awards 2009 • Home Theater • Multiroom AV • Home Control • Cool Homes • Slideshows