Among the few signs of intelligence from my dumber-than-a-driveway house is a cable-issued remote control that turns on the cable box, television and audio-video receiver with a single button.
Outlet timers in the living room and den turn on lamps at dusk and off at bedtime. Does an automatic garage-door opener count?
This old house really felt its age until recently, when a quickie makeover by home-automation specialist Control 4 provided a real-life look-see at what it's like to live in a Smart Home.
My home's still no candidate for a MacArthur Fellowship, but I am now controlling those two lights and kitchen lighting, all the television equipment in two rooms, music in four rooms, the heating and cooling systems, an outdoor security camera and even the front-door lock from a Control 4 touch screen, iPad, iPhone or Droid smartphone. While I'm away, I can adjust the temperature, even unlock the door for the pet-sitter, via the Web.
And when the door-lock batteries run low, I'll get an email notification. That, my friends, is brilliant.
With the housing market moribund, basic home automation services are turning up everywhere, from cable companies to retailers like Lowe's, which recently announced a series of do-it-yourself kits called Iris for home monitoring and heating-cooling control. Where a cable installation might control a single room or home security, a Control 4 system can take over the entire house. Because it has a standard user interface and operates using an Ethernet/Internet connection, directly wired or wireless, and an additional wireless technology called ZigBee to control its light switches, the installations cost considerably less than top-end specialists like Crestron.
Still expensive, but figure maybe $1,000 a room. Each system is installed and maintained by a Control 4 specialist who can also update and add programming features remotely.
The brains of the system I auditioned were two controllers, the flagship HC-800 ($999) with a 1.8-gigahertz dual-core processor for multiple zones stationed in an upstairs home-theater room and the HC-250 ($599), a single-room controller for the TV setup in the downstairs den. Each also had a companion SR-250 ($199) remote control, a slick little powerhouse (requiring four AA batteries) that not only controls the equipment in the room but also ties into the entire home-automation system.
On the remote's OLED screen, for instance, I could turn on the kitchen lights, turn down the too-loud music in the upstairs home-theater or adjust the thermostat. Another option, displayed on the television, duplicates the on-screen menu on Control 4's 7-inch portable touch screen ($999).
In a permanent installation, I'd prefer Control 4's in-wall touch screen ($899), as well as control over both the home-security system and the outdoor lights. I'd also go slow on swapping out light switches: Control 4's ZigBee-enabled switches cost $129 each.
And I'd want more music in the house. A Speaker Point ($399 wired, $449 wireless) stashed into a kitchen cabinet brought Internet radio to the in-ceiling speakers. A Speaker Point in the basement created another zone with speakers in the living room and sunroom. Apple's Airplay technology brought my music library or a music service like Slacker or Spotify wirelessly from a Wi-Fi-connected iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.
A few tips on saving money: The Speaker Point can accommodate a second set of speakers, like those in the sunroom. An iPad with Control 4's MyHome app ($199 for one device, $499 unlimited) can replace a touch screen. (Control over the Web through with 4Sight costs $99 annually.) And you can control anything that plugs into a wall outlet using a $129 Control 4 outlet dimmer.
The average computer user will find programming software available for the homeowner, Composer HE ($149), too complex. Without formal training, I added Internet radio stations, programmed a touch-screen button to automatically play a specific station in two audio zones and not much more.
That might be by design. Control 4 appears determined to relieve the homeowner of any concerns about home automation. Not many people will argue as long as they know which buttons to press.
What: Control 4 home-automation system
Price: Varies; control4.com
Hot: A suddenly smart house is at your command.
Not: Expensive, with extensive licensing fees. Most changes to programming must be done by the installer.
