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WHAT
IS HOME AUTOMATION
Simply, home automation is anything that
gives you remote or automatic control of things
in & around the home. The systems that you can control include:
Lighting, Appliances, Heating and cooling, Security and monitoring
systems, Entertainment (home audio and video), Communications (telephones
and intercoms, internet), Lawn sprinklers, Curtain movements, Pool
filter pump, Spa heater, Filtration unit, Gate/garage door motor,
Shade motor control, Roof sprinklers, Electric strikes, Keyless
entry etc.
The concept of home automation is to connect
all of these systems and devices to a central controller
so that they can be controlled from anywhere and react to one another.
For example, as you arrive home, your home-automation system can
automatically turn off the sprinklers, open the garage door, unlock
the front door and disable the alarm, light the downstairs, and
turn on the TV. Or if you power on the DVD player, it might automatically
dim the lights, draw the shades, and direct all calls to voicemail.
This
central controller can be accessed and controlled through interfaces
like keypad, wired or wireless touch-screens (with/without video),
universal remotes, mobile devices such as a cell phone or PDA, any
PC, at home, in the office, or on the road.
The central controller has various peripheral devices connected
to it so that it can receive and send signals to them for appropriate
controls. These peripheral devices can be Lighting Controllers,
Switches, Lighting Dimmers, Wireless security transmitters, Door contactors,
PIR sensors, Infrared keyfobs, Fire/smoke detectors, Sprinklers, Sirens,
audio controllers, speakers, temperature sensors, thermostats, cameras,
televisions, CCTV, appliances etc.
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