Recently Filed in Home Control

Got a bath renovation on your mind? Believe it or not, you can make your bathroom green—or at least greener than it’s been. Start with the easy stuff like energy conservation. Lighting control systems and occupancy sensors can help you save on electricity. Even installing an inexpensive dimmer switch can allow you to keep a very dim light on at night, and this uses far less electricity. Occupancy sensors like Wattstopper/Legrand’s Vacancy Sensors and Lightolier’s IntelliSight can be installed fairly easily as well. These will… View this story
Climate Control • Home Control • Lighting Control • Bathroom • Green Technology • Home Control • Info and Answers

When it comes to computer-based control, Mac users are a tad limited. Now Perceptive Automation wants to add options for Mac fans, with its latest software. Just announced, Indigo 3.0 is a major update, allowing Mac users to remotely access almost any aspect of their home control. That means you can turn lights on and off while you’re on vacation, water the lawn on a hot day, or crank up the hot tub before you leave the office—all from any web browser. The new version… View this story
Home Control Systems • Powerline • Software • Home Control • Product News

In a previous blog entry, Saving Energy with Wire Mesh Networks, we mentioned the need for systems that can monitor your energy use—and savings if you’re using a photovoltaic solar system, for example. Some expensive systems are out there, but do you need to spend five figures just to be able to better monitor your electricity consumption? Tom Pirelli and Ron Mocogni of Solaris Home Systems don’t think so. I wrote about Pirelli’s house, Lucia, which won our Home of the Year Silver award for… View this story
Climate Control • Green Technology • Home Control • Info and Answers

A green home? For Electronic House’s Home of the Year? Yes and you bet. For the first time, our grand-prize winner is an energy-efficient, sustainable home that’s made largely from environmentally friendly materials. And yes, it has plenty of electronics. In fact, the home’s control system, lighting and shading systems help to save energy. Energy efficiency and sustainability are important to many of us today, and this home proves that you can be a good steward of the Earth while enjoying the benefits of the… View this story
Climate Control Systems • Home Control Systems • Shades and Blinds • Green Technology • Home of the Year Awards 2008 • Multiroom AV • Home Control • Cool Homes • Slideshows

The equipment rack holds not one media server but two. At the front door there’s a fingerprint scanner, a surveillance camera and an intercom nestled within a sleek, modern pedestal. Outside, a weather station instructs the draperies and thermostats to adjust. And those are just a few of the innovative high-tech features in Wolfgang and Cornelia Haerle’s 5,000-square-foot automated home. “We considered every possibility before we started building,” says Wolfgang. He and his wife even went so far as to place an LCD TV behind… View this story
Digital Media Servers • Home Security Systems • Locks and Hardware • Security Sensors • Home Control Systems • Touchpanels and Keypads • Home of the Year Awards 2008 • Home Theater • Home Control • Cool Homes • Slideshows

There are solar panels on the roof. There are monitors in the house that display energy savings. And there are efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) throughout. All very green—and very automated. We should say very, very automated. Lights come on and turn off automatically. Blinds shut when it’s time to cool the home. Beyond the energy-saving green functions of this abode, a sophisticated home control system provides security alerts in a woman’s voice—yes, the house talks—and can be controlled by voice commands. Incoming phone calls… View this story
Home Security Systems • Surveillance • Climate Control Systems • Thermostats and Sensors • Home Control Systems • Voice Recognition • Lighting Control Systems • Shades and Blinds • Green Technology • Home of the Year Awards 2008 • Home Control • Cool Homes • Slideshows

Managing four kids in a normal-size home can be hard enough. Keeping track of them in a house that measures 20,000 square feet could have been nearly impossible for the owners of this sprawling estate, had it not been for the home management system that was installed into the residence by Electronics Design Group (EDG) of Piscataway, NJ. A team of home systems designers divided the residence into several zones, each of which could be controlled independently from a Crestron home management system. From any… View this story
Climate Control Systems • Home Control Systems • Home of the Year Awards 2008 • Home Theater • Multiroom AV • Home Control • Cool Homes • Slideshows

So you want home control but shudder at the thought of the thousands of dollars it will cost you. Fear not, says Homemanageables, which has introduced its Starter Kit control solution for the budget-minded homeowner. The kit allows homeowners to control lights, appliances, thermostats, doors and windows via the Internet, cell phone or Homemanageables’ toll-free voice command system, the company says. And it’s all for $199, plus a $9.95 monthly fee. There’s a 30-day free trial, if you just want to check it out and… View this story
Climate Control • Home Control • Home Control Systems • Lighting Control • Fixtures and Switches • Home Control • Product News

Q. I had $27,000 worth of home automation from Control4 installed during the pre-construction phase of my dream home in late 2005. The dealer was a “gold” dealer recommended by Control4, but my system has never worked as promised. I’ve had power surges, data loss, and constant crashes with the DVD and CD controllers. My dealer is gone and no other dealer wants to put the time into trouble shooting the poor installation. What should I do? - Rob, Chattanooga, TN You are stuck in… View this story
Home Control • Home Control • Ask a Pro

It could soon be lights out for most incandescent reflector lamps. Those cone-shaped bulbs that look so pretty in your TV or dining rooms could soon be eliminated, according to a new release from the Home Lighting Control Alliance (HLCA). The bulbs are typically used in ceiling-recessed “cans” or track lighting, and their reflective coating typically displays off a nice “spotlight” effect. With these bulbs gone, the hope is that demand will shift to halogen and exempted incandescent lamps, which boasts better dimming as well… View this story
Fixtures and Switches • Manufacturers • Home Control • Product News

Ah, the wonderful world of widgets and web-fed information. Now coming to your home automation system straight to the touchpanels and systems of Crestron, which has announced support for Windows SideShow. SideShow’s the great Windows tool available from Vista editions that gives access to content such as news feeds, sports scores, stock tickers, weather alerts, media guides, appointment notifications, flight reservations, email messages and more via a network connection to your PC. This always alert world of SideShow content can be viewed on all Crestron… View this story
Home Control • Home Control Systems • Touchpanels and Keypads • Miscellaneous • Web Services • Home Control • Enhancements • Product News

Keypads might not have quite the same wow factor as LCD touchpanels, but you can’t live without them in your home automation systems. They’re still pretty darn sleek devices to have on your walls, and many do a good job of blending into the decor. The new Cameo keypads from Crestron are beauties, with finished, rounded buttons and auto-dimmable backlit engraving to stand out in any light condition. Button caps for the Cameo devices come in three sizes, so you can have anywhere from two… View this story
Home Control • Touchpanels and Keypads • Lighting Control • Multiroom AV • Home Control • Enhancements • Product News