25 Home Automation Projects for the Evil

TURN YOUR HOME SWEET HOME INTO AN AUTOMATED, EVIL GENIUS PARADISE!Your home may be your castle-but can it cook your dinner? Well, with the help of25 Home Automation Projects for the Evil Genius, you can teach it to do just that, along with dozens of other affordable, enjoyable things that will transform your humble abode into a wickedly automated living environment.But fear not-you don't need an engineering degree to complete the projects in this book. That's because technology maven Jerri L. Ledford skillfully provides you with a firm understanding of the basic wiring, networking, and equipment demands for home automation. She then leads you step by step through each application, offering clearly worded and heavily diagramed guidance that will truly satisfy your inner Evil Genius.With the help of just a few household tools, you'll be able to bring info-age automation to: Indoor and outdoor lighting Security and surveillance Climate regulation Entertainment systems Personal reminders Plant care Remote monitoring of kids and pets Keyless entry Wireless TV And many more!Plus, you'll gain access to discounts from a variety of home automation product manufacturers, to make your projects even more economical. With25 Home Automation Projects for the Evil Genius, easy living is now automatic!

Jerri Ledford (Magee, MS) is a freelance writer with more than 10 years experience. She’s had more than 700 articles appear in publications such as Intelligent Enterprise, Network World, Information Security Magazine, TechNet Magazine, and others. In addition to covering all aspects of business technology, Jerri writes and teaches technology courses for consumers at both Hewlett-Packard and CNET, and has written several consumer books, including The Rational Guide to Preventing Identity Theft (Rational Press, 2005), Cut the Cord! The Consumer’s Guide to VoIP (Course Technology – a division of PTR, 2005), and The Personal Cybersecurity Bible (Course Technology, 2005.)

Introduction to Home Automation	p. 1
Lights Please: Indoor Lighting	p. 5
Equipment Needed	p. 5
Understand Lighting Control	p. 5
Terminology	p. 6
The Equipment	p. 6
Installation Instructions	p. 7
Troubleshooting	p. 9
Selecting the Right Switch	p. 10
Intruder Alert: Outdoor Lighting	p. 13
Equipment Needed	p. 13
Installing Motion Sensor Lighting Indoors	p. 13
Troubleshooting	p. 15
Additional Security Monitoring Sensors	p. 15
Moving On
Whole House Automation: Installing an X-10 System	p. 19
Equipment Needed	p. 19
Installing an X-10 Computer Interface	p. 19
Understanding the X-10 System	p. 23
Moving On	p. 25
It's Getting Hot in Here: Control Your Climate	p. 27
Equipment Needed	p. 27
Installing the Thermostat	p. 28
Choosing the Right Thermostat	p. 32
Moving On	p. 33
Speak Up! Installing Voice Controls	p. 35
Equipment Needed	p. 35
Installing HAL	p. 35
Installing the Hardware	p. 37
Installing HAL	p. 37
How HAL Works	p. 40
Moving On	p. 41
What's at the Door? Installing a Surveillance Camera	p. 43
Equipment Needed	p. 43
Installing the Home Monitoring System	p. 43
Planning Camera Layout	p. 46
Moving On	p. 47
Shhh...I'm on the Phone	p. 49
Equipment Needed	p. 49
Caller ID Configuration	p. 49
Configuring Other Settings	p. 50
Home Entertainment Servers	p. 50
Moving On	p. 51
Music Everywhere: Audio Controls	p. 53
Equipment Needed	p. 53
Connecting the Hi-Fi Link	p. 53
Installing the Digital Music Center	p. 53
Choosing an Automation Installer	p. 56
Moving On	p. 57
Is Anyone There? Installing an Occupancy Sensor	p. 59
Equipment Needed	p. 59
Installing the Wireless Receiver	p. 59
Installing the Wireless Occupancy Sensor	p. 60
Setting the Seene	p. 60
Choosing the Right Browser Controls	p. 62
Moving On	p. 63
Today Is Trash Day: Automating Reminders	p. 65
Equipment Needed	p. 65
Setting Up Reminders	p. 65
Calendaring Applications	p. 66
Moving On	p. 67
No More Dead Lawns: Automating Watering Systems	p. 69
Equipment Needed	p. 69
Installing the Automatic Yard Watering System	p. 69
Programming the Automatic Watering System	p. 69
Alternatives to Windows-based Automation	p. 71
Moving On	p. 72
Watching from Afar: Monitoring Kids and Pets from Work	p. 73
Equipment Needed	p. 73
Installing the Hardware	p. 73
Installing the Webcam Software	p. 73
Accessing the Webcam from the Internet	p. 75
Choosing the Best Webcam	p. 76
Moving On	p. 76
Hot and Ready: Preheat the Oven from Your Cell Phone	p. 77
Equipment Needed	p. 77
Installing the Oven	p. 77
Programming the Oven	p. 77
You May Already Have X-10 Enabled Devices	p. 78
Moving On	p. 78
Who Let the Dogs Out: Creating Your Own Robo-Dog	p. 79
Equipment Needed	p. 79
Programming Your "Dog"	p. 79
Should You Network Your Home and Computer	p. 81
Moving On	p. 82
For the Birds: Installing a Bird Feeder Cam	p. 83
Equipment Needed	p. 83
Installing the Camera	p. 83
Configuring the Receiver	p. 85
Protecting Outdoor Cameras	p. 86
Moving On	p. 86
No Keys Necessary: Installing a Keyless Entry	p. 87
Equipment Needed	p. 87
Installing the Lock and Knob	p. 87
Programming the Lock and Remotes	p. 88
Understanding Remote Controls	p. 89
Moving On	p. 90
Romantic Settings: Creating Grouped Tasks to Control Your Environment	p. 91
Equipment Needed	p. 91
Speech Recognition	p. 91
Setting the Scène for Romance	p. 91
Adding Action to Your Group	p. 92
Running the Action Group	p. 93
Know Your X-10 Address	p. 93
Moving On	p. 94
Hello Dave: Creating Automation Personalization	p. 95
Equipment Needed	p. 95
How It Works	p. 95
Creating a House Mode	p. 95
Consideration for Whole House Audio	p. 98
Moving On	p. 98
TV Anywhere: Wireless Television throughout Your House	p. 99
Equipment Needed	p. 99
Installing the Software	p. 99
Connecting the Base Station	p. 100
Activating the Viewer	p. 100
Setting Up Channels	p. 101
Putting Location Free TV on Your PSP	p. 101
TV Anywhere. Literally	p. 102
Moving On	p. 103
Adding Sound Effects to Your Home Automation	p. 105
Equipment Needed	p. 105
What's a WAV File?	p. 105
Creating Sound Effects	p. 105
Putting Voice Activation to Work	p. 107
Moving On	p. 107
Did I Close That Door? Installing an Automatic Garage Door Closer	p. 109
Equipment Needed	p. 109
Installing the Autocloser	p. 109
Common X-10 Problems	p. 110
Moving On	p. 111
Automating Your Hot Tub	p. 113
Equipment Needed	p. 113
Installing the Switch	p. 113
Automating the Tub	p. 114
Controlling Appliances with X-10	p. 115
Moving On	p. 115
Add a Little Humor to Your House	p. 117
Equipment Needed	p. 117
Choosing a Motion Detector	p. 117
Somebody Let Me Out of Here	p. 117
More About Text-to- Speech	p. 118
Moving On	p. 119
Connecting to Your Favorite Entertainment	p. 121
Equipment Needed	p. 121
Hooking HAL Up	p. 121
Windows, Mac, and Linux	p. 122
Moving On	p. 123
Creating an Illusion of Occupancy: Vacation Controls	p. 125
Equipment Needed	p. 125
Setting Up a Schedule	p. 125
Other Safety Tips for When You're Traveling	p. 127
Moving On	p. 127
Automation Checklist	p. 129
Home Automation Resources	p. 135
Glossary	p. 143
Index	p. 147
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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25 Home Automation Projects for the Evil Genius

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