We're not quite in the George Jetson age of smart homes that clean
themselves and make us our favorite dish at the asking, but with a few
robots, we're getting close. With your computer and a few plug-in
receivers, you can dim the lights for a romantic date, start the
romantic music, and set the right temperature on the thermostat with one
control panel; you can also cue up the Web Cam, but we're not assuming
anything about your dating life.
So how much home automation
do you want? You could go the easy route with a few receivers hooked to
your appliances and a transceiver hooked up to your computer. That's
enough to turn a few lights on and off. Or, if you want more, like the
ability to turn things on and off remotely, you might want to spend some
cash on more sophisticated tools. And if you want the full-blown
Supergenius Home of the Future, like Bill Gates' Xanadu, with
screens of changing artwork and sensors that gauge your guests' personal
environmental preferences, that can be yours too-for three or four
million bucks.
Class Valedictorian
Maybe you only want to play with a few functions in your home, and you
certainly don't want to hassle with networking hubs and interior wiring.
We're right there with you. That's why X10's ActiveHome (starting
at $50) is so great-it gives you a taste of home automation with none of
the hassles. The system runs entirely off your PC from software and a
desktop transceiver. With ActiveHome's $149 version, you get 14
components, including the transceiver and software, 3 appliance modules
(for coffee pots, stereos, whatever), 4 lamp modules, a wall switcher,
and a motion sensor.
For another 70 bucks you can
add the X10 XCam2 with XRay Vision, a camera which lets you
monitor anything-or anyone-in your home from any PC, even via the
Internet. The X10 line isn't Xanadu, but it's a lot of brainpower for
the money, especially since there's very little setup involved. Also
cool: X-10's MP3 Anywhere 2000 Kit ($50). This kit is the easiest
way to play all the MP3 files from your computer's hard drive on, say,
the stereo system in your living room (courtesy a wireless connection).
Phi Beta Kappa
If you're not at home and you want the apres-dinner coffee brewing or
the hot tub nice and toasty by the time you get there, step up to Home
Automated Living's HAL2000. HAL2000 operates much like X10, with
software, modules, and the like, but sweetens the deal with remote
telephone access to your smart features and also voice recognition. If
you're on your way home, dial HAL2000 on the cell, punch in a code, and
then just tell it what to do and voila! You and your date are heating up
in the tub minutes after your arrival. The HAL2000 comes with software
and a few hardware modules, and also an interactive control panel. But
it also works with other X10 compatible systems. At $399, it's a nice
middle ground between the basic X10 and more complicated Smart Home
solutions.
Nobel Prize
Of course, if you want complicated, we have that too. For more power now
or for compatibility if you decide to really automate your home from top
to bottom, invest $1,300 in JDS Technologies' Stargate system.
Stargate is not only more sophisticated than less expensive systems, it
actually requires that you have some familiarity with programming and
installation to get it up and working. Scary thought, but the payoff is
worth it. Stargate will control as little or as much as you have in your
house-if you're an X10 kind of guy, you can control it all from the
Stargate panel, which responds to X10 signals.
If you're already hard-wired
for automated lighting or security, Stargate will put it all together
for you from a single panel or even one button. It also adds special
tricks to your existing systems, such as the ability to show
closed-circuit camera shots on your TV when security sensors detect
motion. Stargate also has an infrared expansion port that houses up to
500 infrared commands for your entertainment system, and an elaborate
telephone system that controls caller ID and Voice Mail. You can spend
more on home automation-much, much more. But Stargate is a good bet for
do-it-yourselfers who already have a few smart home tricks in place.
