DIY Options in Home Control
Your adventures in the world of TechHome don’t have to start with a complete overhaul of your home and a meeting with a TechHome integrator. Depending on the size of your project, there a re many things a do-it-yourselfer can install and set up. With a DIY approach, not only do you get an enhancement to your home, you also get the satisfaction of learning how your system works first hand.
Many first-timers will start with something simple, like integrating control of a rack full of home theater equipment onto one advanced universal remote. Many consumers would love to toss aside their basket of remote controls for one remote that performed the tasks of all the others, and made it easy. Excellent products exist today to allow anyone that kind of control, without costing a fortune. Some advanced remotes include the control codes for thousands of products built into them, while others require the users to connect the remote to a computer and follow a guided setup procedure. Either way, a complex system can usually be set up in about an hour. After getting accustomed to your new-found control, you’ll wonder how you ever got by without it.
A slightly more advanced project would be integrating a room’s lighting control with the audio and video system. There are several products that allow the same remote control that turns on your TV and surround sound receiver to also control your lights. To add wireless control to lights you simply have to add wireless plug-in modules to lamps or replace the standard light switches with controllable light switches. A PC and a compatible remote are needed to synchronize the components and set up specific lighting scenes (such as Movie Mode, Mood Music, or Party Mode). Radio Frequency or other wireless technology extenders will allow you to control the system from separate rooms.
If you want to expand the system to your whole house, you can easily set up a remote to turn off all your house lights at once to save you the trouble of walking around the house every night shutting off lights.
Multi-room audio and video distribution can also be done with do-it-yourself products. Networked music systems, either wireless or powerline-networked, can make stored or streamed content available wherever you set up an access point. Several manufacturers offer multi-room bundles to make product selection easy.
A basic home security system is also an easy DIY project. You can start by installing wireless window and door sensors to alert you when they’re opened. These can be integrated with small security cameras that will begin recording when the sensors are triggered. Some systems will send you an email or mobile phone alert when a sensor had been tripped.
A word of warning: once you start to enjoy the convenience and control of a basic home automation system, you’re going to want more.
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