Longview Hills @ Newport Oregon

Home Automation...

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If you have the flashing red light system in your home now... Then you have the very foundation of automating your home in place. To make your home perform for you all that needs to be done is for you to plug in devices from the same outfit that made what you allready have and you are on your way. Later you can buy a module that can be programed to do everything automatically... even when you are away from home. It is not hard to do all the technology has been reduced to easy to follow instructions.

Here are some of the things my home will do... the module that controls the whole house knows all about daylight savings time and the geographical zone where we live. I told it so on the computer program that came with it. So it faithfully turns on the mood lighting all over the house based on when the sun sets that day. Then it dims them to a soft and pleasing level. That includes rope lighting buried in the soffets of the curtain balistrades and up lighting that is located on the floor that shines through plant foilage to give pleasing shadows against the ceiling. And spot lighting to accentuate baskets and other home chatzkis. Outside this feature turns on the patio malibu lighting placed strategically to illuminate garden features and provide safe lighting for walking on the patio. This all happens simultaneously. The dining room, living room, den and masterbedroom, and hall. At midnight these lights all shut down and the hall light is turned back on but dimmed to the level of a night light and at sunrise for that day this light is turned off. At 7:00 pm the coffee pot is turned on and starts brewing coffee at 12 noon it is turned off.

As you walk through the house there are sensors that detect movement. For instance, we spend a lot of time in the den and walk back and forth between the kitchen via the hall and the bathroom. The hall is lit already but as you pass through the bathroom the light comes on and will turn off again if it sees no movement in 3 minutes. Continuing on to the service porch a sensor triggers the mood lighting above the kitchen cupboards and will go of it sees no movement 15 minutes later. Now the kitchen is lit by soft light and you can get to the refrigerator for that coke. But, should you venture further into the kitchen another sensor turns on the kitchen overhead lights and will turn them off after no movement is seen for 15 minutes.

Outside a sensor is placed so that movement detected in the driveway or walkway turns on porch and driveway lights and additional patio lighting. Inside the garage.. if one opens the door to go inside and it is dark the lights come on automaticaly and go of f after you leave.

These lights also can be turned off and on and dimmed to any level you desire with a hand held remote control that also will turn your TV and VCR on and off. This remote will turn on every controlled light in the house or turn them all off and will turn on everyone individually. We keep 3 remotes around the house but the one on the nightstand by the bed could be the most useful if you heard an unexpected noise.

Many of you have called an electrician to put in a switch that you can turn a light on and walk across the room and turn it off at another. This usually involves cutting holes in the ceiling and walls and is pretty pricey. With this one module you don't have to do that anymore! the new switch you put in goes on the wall with velcro and looks like any other switch but it will control the light and dim it as well.

Well, I am sure I forgot some features but the intent here was to show you what has been done but there are so many other things that can be done that you are only limited by your imagination.

Now, knowing that you have the basis for this system allready if you have the red light installed do you want to learn the how to? I am thinking of starting a Home Automation club. At meetings there would be no structure or leader. Folks would just talk about things they want to do and how to do them... much like the computer club works.

Would you be interested? Women can handle this as easily as men... it's a fun and rewarding hobby.