How Big should
my Home be before I consider Automating?
Well,
now... the answer to the above question depends entirely upon you. It's
obviously more common that people with larger homes will spend the big
bucks to integrate their home electronics. But at the same time it's
becoming increasingly common that small to mid-size homes are "getting
smart."
If
you're the kind of person who enjoys this stuff (and I'm guessing you
are), then I can only say there's no reason NOT to apply intelligence
to your home.
Think
with me for a second: When people build million-dollar homes
and pay tens of thousands of dollars for high-end automation...Why do
they do it?
Hmmmm.....
Is
it because their house is so big that they just have
to have it? No! While automation adds to
convenience and security, it's usually because they want it
AND they can afford to pay someone else to do it.
But
actually, it isn't true that home automation is only practical in a
"big" residence. There are all kinds of
applications for smart home technologies regardless of the size of your
home, and at least one of them is going to suit your fancy. And
besides, you don't have to spend "tens of thousands" to have
a really nice setup in your own modest home).
I've
been doing various things with HA for a number of years. I
actually got my start in a previous business I owned in which I did a
lot of distributed audio/video and home theater. Since A/V
and Home Theater can be cumbersome in advanced settings (i.e. which
button & what remote???) I found it necessary to seek out
products which could simplify (automate) the steps necessary to fire up
the system. From there it was a small leap to integrate other
systems (heating & a/c, security, lighting, etc.).
The
point is that for you, it might be your A/V that turns
you on. Or it could be that your focal point of interest is
Security; or Lighting Control; or your Telephone/Intercom system.
If
you're relatively new to system integration, I'd recommend you pick one
system that you'd like to develop first - and dig into it!
You'll find that if you follow your interests, you'll soon come up with
lots of ways to make life simpler and more interesting at home.
There's
just one other thing you should be aware of
before you dive in: If at some point down the road you might
wish to integrate other subsystems, then plan on using an "open
architecture." Whatever you do now, just make sure you can
interface with it via X10, infra-red, contact-closure... at least one
of the standards which are common across the industry. It
would be a serious bummer to spend time, money, and energy on a
lighting system only to find out later that there's no way to introduce
external control.
This
"one step at a time" approach makes it easy for anyone to get into this
field. And a side benefit of using an open architecture is
that it usually is less expensive than
proprietary systems!
These
days, you don't have to have a lot of money or a big home
to enjoy automation. If you want a quick and inexpensive way
to begin, plop down thirty or forty bucks for some X10 modules
& then start playing!
I
think we'll have some great stuff for you in the months
ahead. Tech tips & product reviews among other
things. Meanwhile, to give you a jump start on some things
here's some recommendations:
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