The convenience of home automation

You arrive at your home, as you enter the living room the air conditioning gently starts up with a soft buzz, lights in the house automatically switches on as you enter the rooms and sets itself dim to your pre-programmed ‘welcome’ mode and the curtains open slightly towards the back garden just as you have set it for home arrival. This today is all very possible with home automation systems available on the market in these modern times.

Many people does not think twice to spend hundreds of thousands of your hard earned money on a luxury car with no amount of money being spared to have all the latest bells and whistles available. Why not do the same in your home? You probably spend more time in your house than in your car anyway and installing such a system will substantially increase the resale value of your home, which definitely is not the case with the luxury sedan in the garage.

As sophisticated technology becomes more affordable and readily available, so home automation will become an increasingly standard feature in the 21^st century home. Homeowners who choose to modernize their homes stand to receive a sizable return on their investment when it comes to the resale of the property.

Home automation systems are pre-programmed to your specific needs and preferences. These can be based on factors such as time of day, sunlight level, intrusion, your current mood, your movements within the house, or whether you are at home or out. Sensors in and around the house together with a central computer automatically controls heating and cooling, lights, irrigation and water features, security beams and locks, audio-visual equipment and even blinds, curtains and skylights.

Three basic mediums are in use within the various available systems:

Electrical systems

Electricity connections in the home are used to send signals to various devices to be turned on or off. The same system, also called power line or X10 systems can also determine the status of a device within the home.

Digital systems

A ‘bus’ or digitally connected system utilizes an extra cable alongside the conventional wiring of a device for the intelligent controlling of such a device.

Radio systems

The devices are inter-connected by means of radio signal transmitters and receivers.

Using one or a combination of the above mentioned systems, various controlled devices are deployed throughout your home to control the devices of your choice. Add personal remote controls and a central logical control computer and your home becomes more than a mere living space, it becomes an opulent experience!