How to Automate a Home

The home of the future is here. Imagine, being able to control an appliance, room temperature and alarm systems from a computer located miles away from your house or at the click of a remote control. Welcome to the world of home automation.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Lay the Groundwork

1. Decide on what you want to automate. There are many different automation protocols available, with some performing specific tasks better than others. For lighting and appliances, you may want a simple X-10 or HomePlug setup. For more complicated automation, Z-Wave may be the way to go.

2. Choose your software. The automation software you choose can dictate which protocol you choose. Among the more popular are: ActiveHome, which works with the X-10 protocol, and HomeSeer, which is designed for homes using Z-Wave or X-10 devices.

3. Pick a dedicated system, which works with its own protocol. These include HAL, which accepts voice commands to do everything from searching the Internet to turning on a light bulb, Home Control for Windows Media Center, which works with HAI automation devices and automates everything from home security systems to appliances, or Netplace, which is a dedicated computer system that works with its own modules.

4. Check the packaging for conflicts before you buy. Radio-frequency controlled devices, such as X-10, may have a problem coexisting with other RF systems working within your home. Others may have conflicts with microwave ovens or wireless phones.

Use X-10

5. Install the software you're going to use before setting up the devices. X-10 is basically an RF system and can either work with a remote control or be controlled from your computer.

6. Assign each lamp or appliance a unique number. This is done by setting the dial on the X-10 plug-in modules to a specific number that can be recognized when you hit it on the remote. You can also set up a group of lights to work using only one number.

7. Plug the appliance or light into the X-10 module, and plug the module into a wall outlet. Test your settings by hitting the number you've assigned to the module on your remote control.

8. Use the software to set up specific times you want your lights or appliances to turn on or off.

Use Z-Wave

9. Install the software that came with your Z-Wave appliance or module. Z-Wave appliances come with an automation chip installed in them, so they're easy to set up.

10. Attach any non-Z-Wave appliances to a Z-Wave module. There's no need to set a code. The software will recognize the appliance as a separately controlled device.

11. Plug the module into any wall outlook, and test it by trying to turn it on and off using your computer.

12. Install the software on any computers you'll be using to remotely control your devices. These can be in your office, on a laptop or anywhere else in the world that has Internet access.