Home automation is still evolving, and getting it to work requires knowledge of both household electrical wiring and computer networking. But once everything is hooked up
correctly, it can change the way you interact with your home. We show you how you can use your smart phone as a remote control for your lights, heat and security in your home.
Home
automation exists in the curious realm where screwdrivers and drywall meet PCs
and routers. The category is still evolving--there are multiple, incompatible
standards--and getting this stuff to work requires knowledge of both household
electrical wiring and computer networking, but once everything is hooked up
correctly, it can change the way you interact with your home.
Last
month, I wrote about installing Insteon networked lighting in my home, which
allowed me to link up switches and outlets throughout my house regardless of
which branch circuit they were on.
The
Insteon system works by sending data signals over radio frequency (RF) waves
and your home's power lines. As each device receives a signal, it rebroadcasts
it, creating a mesh network that bounces commands instantly from one end of the
house to the other. It's an effective system for connecting lighting switches
and loads without extra wiring, but it also forms the basis for a more
sophisticated home automation network.
Meshed Networks
Insteon's SmartLinc bridges the
home automation network with your local area network's Wi-Fi router (left) via
an Ethernet cable. The SmartLinc serves up a Web page interface (right) for
programming and controlling all of your home-control devices from a PC or
cellphone. (Photograph by Brad DeCecco)
Home
automation is a broad and even somewhat vague concept. And plenty of companies
sell systems that do everything from basic lighting control to full integration
of home entertainment systems, motorized window blinds, climate control and
home security. Many of these "whole home automation" systems from
companies such as HAI and Crestron are geared toward the installer market and
can cost many thousands of dollars. Other systems, such as SmartLabs' Insteon
and the competing Z-Wave system, tend to be more flexible and aimed at DIYers.
Obviously,
since I had already outfitted my house with Insteon's lighting controls, it
made sense to build upon that system. The first step was to integrate my
networked lighting into my home's data network. Insteon has a variety of
different network interfaces, but I went with the $120 SmartLinc controller.
The SmartLinc serves up its own Web page on your home network, allowing you to
control your system from a browser window on any computer in the house, or via
cellphones with Wi-Fi capability.
Installation
is simple: Just plug the SmartLinc into a wall outlet, then connect it to your
Wi-Fi router via an Ethernet cable. The Web interface allows you to set up
virtual On/Off switches for any Insteon controller.
More
advanced users can even set up control of their home systems from outside the
home network. By enabling "port forwarding" on your household router,
you can access and control your systems from anywhere with Internet service.
Remote Climate
Control
To
integrate climate control with a home automation network, upgrade to a
thermostat (left) that can interface with a compatible RF transceiver.
(Photograph by Brad DeCecco)
Once
the Insteon system was linked into my router, I was able to expand automation
to other home systems such as climate control. If my wife and I decided to go
out for dinner directly from work, I could log into the SmartLinc from my
iPhone and change my thermostat's program--no need to heat the house when no one's
there.
Hooking
up that system was a bit more complicated and expensive than I anticipated. To
use Insteon's RF-based thermostat adapter ($100), I needed to replace my
existing Honeywell digital thermostat with a compatible Venstar T1800
thermostat ($95). I also needed a two-pack of plug-in RF Access Points ($70) to
link the thermostat with the SmartLinc. As I discovered during my previous
lighting installation, the toughest part of swapping in Insteon equipment is
deciphering the wiring of your existing system.
It
took me 2 hours of experimentation and three calls to an Insteon rep to get my
Venstar thermostat installed correctly. But after that, hooking it into the
SmartLinc's Web interface took only a minute or so--such is the gulf between my
technological and household electrical faculties.
As
I complete each new home automation project, my ambitions for the system grow.
And there is a surprising array of Insteon equipment available to link into
your network, from sprinkler controls to outdoor lighting to automatic
pet-feeding systems. Sure, this sort of remote household micromanagement can
get ridiculous, but ask yourself, which is worse karmically: Interrupting
dinner with the family to check e-mail on a BlackBerry, or pausing for a moment
at the office to water your lawn with your iPhone?
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