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Why Automate Your Home

It's So Easy To Automate Your Home

Would you even consider throwing out your TV remote in favor of getting up to change the channel or volume? Not us! You'd have to pry our remotes away from us, kicking and screaming. That's what home automation is all about: the comfort, convenience and security of little devices like TV remotes. Once you have them, you can't imagine life without them.

Now, imagine extending the simple conveniences you already have, a little at a time, to include control for lighting, appliances, entertainment components, heating and air conditioning, communication, security, draperies and blinds and more – from anywhere and everywhere, automatically and remotely. That's a smart home – and that's Home Controls.

Convenience

An automated house is about the convenience of saving your time and effort by setting up your home to automatically do routine functions – such as watering your lawn, turning lights on and off, setting the thermostat, closing curtains and more.

Security

Automated houses offer the security of knowing your home will alert you if anything is amiss, and you can even look in on your home from anywhere in the world. Automating your home can make for a safer and healthier living environment!

Savings

Enjoy energy savings by giving your automated house the responsibility of regulating your lights, water heater, HVAC system, entertainment components, appliances and irrigation system, so these devices are on only when needed.

Inside A Smart Home

Automating your home is fun and exciting, and the possibilities are limited only by your imagination! Here are some of the options available for how to automate your home. Start out slowly, build onto your current automated house system, or incorporate all these systems into a new construction project!

Your entire automated home operates automatically when you program an intelligent controller to become the brains of your smart home. Control lighting, climate controls, entertainment components, irrigation, and any other systems in the Home Controls online catalog. After your automated house system is programmed, it operates on its own to decide what your home should do under various circumstances. You can also manually control your automated home system with user-friendly keypads and touchscreens, and even through a smart phone or the Internet!

Lighting & Appliance Control

  • Turn lights on or off and dim or brighten them from anywhere, inside or outside your automated house, without running any new wires! It's possible with powerline or RF/wireless control.
  • Program indoor and outdoor lights to turn on and off according to a schedule or event.
  • Automate light scenes entirely with one button push. For example, a keychain remote can initiate your "At Home" security mode and lighting scene, so you never again have to drive up to a dark home. Or your "Home Theater" scene might dim your lights, close the drapes, turn on entertainment components, and start the popcorn maker!
  • Control your lights and appliances with light sensors. If it gets dark, lights turn on and then off again a few hours later. When it gets light, automatically turn on your coffee pot and even your hair curlers.
  • Install an occupancy motion sensor in a room or hallway to have the lights turn on when someone enters, then off when the area is empty.
  • Sensors turn on outdoor lights when someone approaches. Turn on automated home lights when you're driving up the driveway with a keychain remote.

You'll get peace of mind knowing your family is protected with a security system when you automate your home. Security systems include control panels, keypads, sensors, sirens, locks, lights, access control and more. You can choose an integrated wired system or an easy-to-install wireless automated house system.

  • Sirens scare away intruders, and notify neighbors and authorities of burglary or fire.
  • Protect your family and home from fire with advanced smoke detectors that talk to your security or automation system.
  • Control your locks remotely, even from your cell phone.

Sensors

Sensors detect motion, temperature, light and more. Their uses when you automate your home are almost endless ...

  • Motion sensors can be installed on walls, on ceilings, in light switches, outdoors and more.
  • Incorporate door and window sensors into your security system, and use them as automation sensors when you are at home.
  • Glass break sensors alert your security system when a window is broken.
  • Perimeter sensors alert you when a person crosses your property line.
  • Driveway alerts let you know when visitors arrive.
  • Light sensors know when it's light or dark. If it gets dark, lights turn on and then off again a few hours later.
  • Flood sensors know if the washer or water heater breaks, and can even automatically shut off the water supply before a potential disaster.

Video & Cameras

  • Monitor your home with surveillance cameras. Choose from cameras that see in the dark, large and small cameras, bullet, dome and hooded cameras, and hidden cameras! Some cameras are even wireless!
  • View your home from any computer over the Internet from any PC or smart phone.
  • Install a camera at your front door to see who's knocking.
  • Time lapse and digital video recorded keep a log of what goes on around your home.
  • Monitors let you watch different areas of the house, like the pool area or nursery. Simple modulators even allow you to watch the video on your TV.

Structured wiring systems connect all of your home systems in one central location. Also known as a "connected home," wire management systems include a control panel in a centralized location and high-quality wire connecting to multi-media outlets throughout your automated house.

  • A structured wiring system can distribute the fastest, most reliable high-speed Internet throughout your home. These hard-wired connections give you crystal clear streaming video, hi-fi digital audio, reliable online gaming and blazing Internet.
  • Create your own hot spot. In-wall or in-ceiling wireless access points provide the greatest Wi-Fi coverage with pleasing aesthetics.
  • Protect your computer, phone, fax and cable connections with suppression plug strips. Protect your home's entire electrical system with whole-house surge suppressors.

Entertainment will never be the same once you upgrade to a smart home audio system.

  • Distribute music from one location throughout your entire home with a whole-home distribution system.
  • Control speaker volume in each room individually or all at the same time.
  • Choose from in-wall speakers, ceiling speakers, surround sound, subwoofers and more! Make outdoor entertainment fun with outdoor speakers – some even look like rocks!
  • Don't want to run wires throughout your home? Home Controls carries wireless audio distribution systems, too! Ideal for renters.
  • Expand your home theater system with HDMI and IR distribution components.
  • Transform your regular landline phone into a high-tech telecommunications system for your home.
  • Easily integrate your cell phone with your home phone.
  • Answer the door from any of your telephones, including cell phones.
  • Install an intercom system to talk with your family located in different parts of the house.

Environmental Control

Thermostats control everything from comfort to cost. After you automate your home, you can set your thermostats by occupancy or on a time schedule, enjoy multi-zone control, control from a distance and more.

Window & Drape Control

  • Set your drapes to automatically close on a schedule, by remote control or automatically when the sun shines directly in. A great natural energy saver!
  • Control windows by wall switch, remote control or an automation system. Automatically close them when it starts to rain. Perfect for skylights that are hard to reach!

Central Vacuum System

Central vacuum systems are the most efficient way to clean your automated house. The system includes a vacuum motor installed in a convenient location (like the garage), with tubing in the walls that connect to wall inlets in each room. When it's time to vacuum, simply insert a lightweight hose into a nearby inlet and your central vacuum system silently turns on.

Irrigation Systems

Program your irrigation system to operate on a set schedule by event (or even a set time before dawn).

We're Here To Help!

Need some help making a parts list for a new project? Want to compare similar systems? Can you benefit from reviews of new products? Home Controls can offer you an unbiased overview of available automation products – we might even suggest something you never considered.

We are committed to providing the best free technical support in the automation industry, and helping you with product advice, system design and of course, troubleshooting. Just call 858-693-8887.