Home Automation

One of the exciting things about buying new construction is that we get to pick everything out the way we like it. I’ve been thinking more about home networking and how I want to wire the house. I have discovered home automation and the power of X10, a technology that basically allows devices to communicate with electricity.

It works like this…I install X10 outlets, light switches, motion sensors and a signal converter. I then install home automation software on my Mac along with a Powerlinc USB adapter so that the software can communicate with the signal converter. I am up and running for under $200.

I will now be able to control motion sensors, lights and appliances all from the comfort of my Mac. I don’t want everything in our new house to be automated, but just certain things. I will still be able to manually switch on a light just like the usual light switches out there.

Now imagine this…I place a motion sensor in the hallway outside the baby’s room. I get on my Mac and tell the motion sensor that whenever it detects motion between 11:00 pm and 7:00 am, to turn the lights on in the hallway and baby’s room by dimming them up 30%. Instant dim lighting that doesn’t hurt the eyes to guide our way to the baby’s room in the middle of the night. I can also tell the software to turn off those same lights after 3 minutes to save energy.

Or how about this…Upon pulling into the driveway at 9:00 pm, Sarah presses a button on her keychain that triggers the automation software to turn on the porch lights, hallway lights and kitchen lights. Sarah no longer has to enter a dark house while carrying the baby and grocery bags.

When we go on Vacation, I can set the software to turn on random lights at random times to give the sensation that we are still at home. I could even log on to the automation software through the internet and tell it to turn on the Sprinklers for an hour if I wanted to.

The possibilities are really endless. Controlling temperatures in different rooms. If the temperature outside is above 85 degrees, have the blinds be pulled down by a motorized mechanism. Putting motion sensors in the backyard and telling it when it detects an incoming intruder to set off land mines. Controlling a holiday light show that would put all others in the neighborhood to shame.

But as those possibilities grow, so do the costs. As of right now, it’s just the simple things that make life a little more interesting that intrigues me.