Home Automation Resources
Not too many years ago, getting into the home automation game was a cost prohibitive and something best left to the professional installers. I am not here to say you are going to duplicate a $10,000 custom install job. Well, let me say that I may not duplicate a custom $10,000 job, but based on some of the DIY jobs I have seen out there it is a real possibility.
Here are a few resources I found along the way that should help you get started.
Previous HA Posts
Home Automation Shopping List – A quick "Getting Started" shopping guide to home automation
Resources -HA Tech Related Companies
Z-Wave is a next-generation wireless ecosystem that lets all your home
electronics talk to each other, and to you, via remote control. It uses
simple, reliable, low-power radio waves that easily travel through
walls, floors and cabinets. Z-Wave control can be added to almost any
electronic device in your house, even devices that you wouldn’t
ordinarily think of as "intelligent," such as appliances, window
shades, thermostats and home lighting.
INSTEON is the best-selling, most reliable home automation technology.
Using both the existing wires (power line) in the home and
radio-frequency communication, INSTEON adds remote control and
automation to lighting, appliance and home control applications of all
types. From lighting control to integrated security systems, the new
home automation standard allows you to manage your home the way you
want. Easy to install and set up, INSTEON offers the flexibility and
dependability to make life more convenient, safe and fun.
X10
On second thought, don’t even go to this website.
The goal of the ZigBee Alliance is to provide the consumer with
ultimate flexibility, mobility, and ease of use by building wireless
intelligence and capabilities into everyday devices. ZigBee technology
will be embedded in a wide range of products and applications across
consumer, commercial, industrial and government markets worldwide. For
the first time, companies will have a standards-based wireless platform
optimized for the unique needs of remote monitoring and control
applications, including simplicity, reliability, low-cost and low-power.
Home Automation Companies
A HAI Omni or Lumina home control system is the brain of your automated
home. It controls and monitors systems in your home
to maximize your safety, comfort, convenience, and
energy savings.
Embedded Automation is a leader in the emerging markets of home automation and
media center systems. The mHome product line features
powerful new technologies that make home automation and media center systems
extremely robust solutions that are affordable and accessible to all users.
Control4 manufactures a complete line of affordable wired and wireless
home automation products, making safety, convenience, comfort and
economy available to virtually any homeowner in America. Control4
wireless products can be installed in any home in just a few hours,
without the need for extensive or expensive remodeling. Not only can
homeowners easily customize their Control4 system to meet their unique
lifestyles, but the modular nature of the products also enables
customers to start small and add to their systems over time. Our
products are capable of delivering a complete solution for the home
because they integrate the control of lighting, audio, video, landscape
and climate into a single cohesive system.
Life|ware™ brings your digital entertainment together with home
automation in Media Center-your music, TV, home videos, digital
pictures and more, available with your thermostats, lighting, audio
system, security system and surveillance cameras-all at the touch of a
button, from anywhere in your home.
Use HomeSeer to monitor and control lighting, appliances, climate,
security, telephones, irrigation, window shades and home entertainment
equipment. Then, control the system with your choice of in-wall button
controllers, touchscreens, wireless remotes, microphones, PDAs,
PocketPCs, telephones (voice and touch-tone control) and personal
computers. Mix and match any combination of interfaces you like to suit
the needs of your family.
If you want a quality Home Control System, but do not want to
pay the outrageous prices for high-end systems combined with
dealer installation and configuration charges, consider
HouseBot. HouseBot is a Home Control solution that provides
wireless control and status of many standard home automation and
control devices. It is also expandable to incorporate new
devices and custom hardware interfaces.
Indigo is an intelligent home control server that integrates an assortment of home control hardware modules
to provide unprecedented control of your home. Indigo’s built-in Web
server and client/server architecture give you control and access to
your home remotely from other Macs, PCs, internet tablets, PDAs, and
mobile phones (including the iPhone and iPod Touch). Save money,
conserve water, and reduce electrical usage by automating your home
with Indigo’s unlimited scheduling and control logic.
While traditional smart home technology has been expensive,
complicated, and often unreliable, ControlThink changes all that. With
this budget-priced innovative software on your PC, you can leverage
your existing computer investment to set up, configure, and control
your smart home with ease.
Cinemar Solutions, Inc. is one of the leading providers of home
automation and media management solutions for the general consumer. Our
Windows based software controls multiple systems from a single user
interface. Flexibility in design, easy use and customizable graphical
user interfaces are key to our continued success around the world.
Our
product (CQC, the Charmed Quark Controller) is a software-based,
control/automation and, media management system. That’s a string of
automation-speak, but it’s actually conceptually a fairly simple
product with a straightforward goal. In most homes there are various
systems, such as lighting, multi-zone audio, HVAC, home theater,
security, pool controller, sprinklers, and so forth.
Resource Sites
Cocoontech
Aimed at the DIY crowd and offers forums, tutorials, reviews, chat, and interaction with manufacturers and engineers.
One of the largest AV communities on the internet.