Home Automation Security Entertainment Home Computer
Home Automation & Control
It’s too warm. It’s too cold. There’s someone knocking at the door. The music is too loud. Oops, I think I left the lights on in the upstairs closet. These are just some of the little “problems” that happen in everyone’s household. Of course, the solutions are easy enough. Just tweak the thermostat, open the door, and run upstairs to switch off the light. No big deal. But, if you plan to build a large, sprawling home, each jaunt to a door, a thermostat, a window shade or a light switch can add up to a whole lot of running around. Even completing these tasks in a modestly sized home can become tiring when you stop to think about the daily adjustments electronic systems require. Here’s where home automation systems earn their weight in gold. From several convenient locations in your home you can monitor, manage and operate all of your electronics. From motorized window shades and light fixtures to the stereo and security system, it’s all at your fingertips.
The ability to monitor and modify all the electronic systems in your house from central locations around your home is extremely handy. There’s no need to run to the stereo in the family room to turn down the music. Just do it from the kitchen by using a hand held remote control or a wall- mounted controller.
When a household is buzzing with activity, it’s easy to forget the details. Through the power of its internal software, a home automation system can remember to deactivate the landscape lights before sunrise, for example (this and other parameters can be programmed into the system during the installation process). Such programmability means that your home automation system can work around your family’s unique schedule and needs.
The Touch screen: One of the best ways for you and others to successfully manage and operate various electronic systems is through a touch screen. This laptop sized screen receives information about all the systems you might have in your home from a central processor. The screen then logically presents information about those systems and invites you to modify their settings. It’s as easy as withdrawing money from an ATM. In fact, the touch screen’s similarities to an ATM are what make it a particularly appealing type of control to have in a kitchen. Anyone who steps into the room should be able to operate the screen without any trouble.
You can also use the touch screen for things other than controlling your home’s electronic systems. For example, some touch screens can serve as computer monitors and access the Internet. A screen might also display TV programs. Last, but not least, it can become an invaluable piece of your home’s security system by displaying images captured by security cameras. The list of options for home automation goes on and on, and new options pop up every day. If you can dream it, DTI can make it happen.
Touch screens come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and styles. For a kitchen, you might choose a larger, TV-like touch screen that mounts to the surface of a wall. Place it near the entry to the kitchen, and you can press its buttons as soon as you walk into the room. Alternatively, you could use a portable unit that can be carried from the work station to the breakfast nook, and anywhere in between.
The options certainly don’t end there. A touch screen can be tailored to present information in any way that you find visually engaging and intuitive. It can dispense complete chapters of information, from who left the house and when, to the weather forecast for the next seven days. Or, if you prefer, you can set it to display only a menu of a few key systems control functions.
Along with wall mounted touch screens comes an abundant amount of wireless remote controls and keypads choices. In addition your computer and cell phone can be programmed to interface with your home automation system as well. Regardless of where you are the control of your home is always at your fingertips. |