Home Automation: A Complete Guide to Buying, Owning and Enjoying a Home Automation System

Smart home, automated home, connected home or intelligent home. Whatever you call it, a home that€s able to take the drudgery out of common, everyday tasks is something that every family can appreciate. In this inaugural book about home automation you€ll learn how to incorporate the right types of products and systems into your house to achieve a new level of comfort, convenience, safety and efficiency.

The book walks you step-by-step through the process of automating your home, and because automation systems are able to control just about anything electronic you can imagine, we€ve provided plenty of practical ideas. In 10 Key Features of a Home Automation System and Automation Ideas for Every System of Your House you€ll gather more than enough recommendations to get started in your automation endeavor.

No matter how many great ideas you gather from our Home Automation book, though, it€s important that the system you buy today incorporates the most recent iterations of control technologies. We€ve followed the automation trends, put them into perspective, and offer advice on the critical new updates, upgrades and upstarts you€ll want to look into when selecting a system.

In addition to deciding what you want your automation system to do, you€ll want to determine whether you€d like to install the system yourself or hire a professional to handle the task. Both methods offer their own unique set of advantages and disadvantages, so be sure to read DIY or Professionally Installed? before making your decision. You€ll also want to check out our comprehensive directory of home automation manufacturers before taking the plunge.

Finally, we finish the book with a series of finished automation installations, which range from a basic starter package in a condo to a full-blown, bells-and-whistles system for a bigger house. You€ll see what types of features that owners of these homes chose to incorporate and hear how automation is truly making a difference in their lives. The technology has been so carefully designed and meticulously installed, that you may not even notice it in the full-color photography of many of the rooms where lights, motorized window shades and A/V equipment have been automated to dim, brighten, turn on and off, open and close and adjust and reset, based on the time of day, occupancy or the single touch of a button.