Community Magazine November 2008

40 Community Magazine involved in walking alone in the dark to the front door. Active Home even has a motion detector device that can activate the lawn sprinkler system upon detecting intruders, to keep away even relatively minor nui- sances, such as the neighbor’s dog. But the main security features that come with home automation involve surveillance cameras. Digital technology now allows for viewing these cameras from the internet, and even from a cell phone, so that you can see what’s going on in and around your home while at work or on vacation. Phone systems with inward access even allow you to monitor the sound of any room with a telephone. Unfortunately for kids, this also enables parents to check on them when they’re home alone. American Home Automation provides a more sophisticated security service to be used when housekeepers or other workers come to the home while the owners are away. The housekeeper activates a preset code to disarm the home’s security system, and the cameras turn on the moment the code is entered. The homeowner can then login at any time to observe the house- keeper, to make sure she is doing her work, and not snooping around in search of valu- ables. Steven Harary of HomeTech Innovations installs lighting networks that interface with the home’s security system as an additional safety feature. When the alarm is sounded, all the outdoor lights flash to alert the entire neighborhood. Not only will the neighbors hear the alarm, but they will also immedi- ately identify which house on the block has been burglarized. With the Touch of a Button The second alluring benefit of these sys- tems is sheer convenience, the ability to do more with less effort. A person reading in bed can, upon deciding to turn in, sim- ply tap a button on his night table control panel to turn his entire house into “night mode.” That single switch can shut the lights, set the burglar alarm, close the blinds, adjust the thermostat, and even lock all doors and windows. One can use the same touchpad to determine which lights should turn on when the alarm rings in the morn- ing, and when and to what temperature the heat or air conditioning should be activated. One highly popular auto- mation feature is the central- ization of home entertain- ment systems. All music and media files can be stored on a central server, and accessed individually by every room connected to the network. So, Mom can be listening to a lecture in the kitchen, while the kids enjoy Uncle Moishy in their bedroom and Dad hears classical music in his office – all using the same media server. And, programs can be downloaded from the internet and then transferred directly to the DVD player or TiVo. Sonos markets wireless systems that allow users to play music directly from internet radio or any other media in any room, and to control each room’s music from a remote device anywhere in the house. For the ultimate in entertaining, Harary sets up systems which include a micro- phone that can be piped into as many or as few speakers in the house as necessary. In addition to being able to broadcast a Torah class from a visiting guest speaker from one end of the house to another, the kids can have a blast filling the basement with the sound of concert quality live karaoke rendi- tions of their favorite Barney songs. As automation systems begin expanding to include more appliances, the conve- niences they offer become almost endless. Samsung’s Smart Oven microwave has a scanner that can read the bar code on certain foods and set itself auto- matically. Just wave the package in front of the sensor, and put the food in. The oven figures out the rest. TMIO’s Intelligent Oven is so intelligent that it doubles as a refrigera- tor, and can be operated from the internet. Pull out a Pyrex of raw spanach u’jibin (spinach quiche) and a tray of mini pizzas and mushroom turnovers from the freezer in the morning, throw them in the Intelligent Oven and the food will stay at a refrigerated temperature all day. Then, as your schedule requires, set the oven to bake, and start cooking dinner right from your cell phone. Caught in unexpected traffic? Use your cell phone to set the oven to keep the food warm until you arrive. Similarly, other automation functions can be controlled by cell phone. If the air conditioning is set to turn on at 4 PM but you’re coming home earlier than expected, simply place a call to the AC and tell it to start running at 3:30. Lowering the Electric Bill The growing popularity of automated systems also has a lot to do with saving money. Rising energy costs have homeown- ers around the country searching for ways to minimize energy consumption, and the home automation industry has responded in kind. Automating a home’s lighting ensures that the desired light shut off when they are accidentally left on. And the convenience of a central, remote control panel makes the process work well even for the careless or lazy. The systems are so advanced that they can track sunrise and sunset throughout the year to ensure that the outside lights go