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… View this story
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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… View this story
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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… View this story
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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… View this story
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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… 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… 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,… View this story
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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… View this story
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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… View this story
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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… View this story
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