31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of cool ideas, December 7, 2003
This review is from: Build Your Own Smart Home (Build Your Own) (Paperback)
This is a fascinating book which gave me a lot of ideas for home improvement now and for my next home. Building a smart home is actually a pretty easy process, especially with a lot of the equipment which is currently available. The whole point of having a smart home is being able to control every aspect of your house regardless of where you are-be it in the next room or across the world.
Several sections are dedicated to designing, installing, and programming a home security system. This not only includes installing motion detectors, but also configuring your heating and cooling system to be remotely programmed, as well as your lights. Additional chapters cover projects for your garage and outside, kitchen and bathroom (how about a stove that shuts itself automatically when you forget or a toilet that is smart enough not to overflow), and even audio/visual systems and distribution mechanisms.
While smart homes may not be for everyone, there are a lot of cool ideas in this book. If you know (or are) someone who is interested in the idea of a smart home, you should definitely pick up a copy of this book. You'll find a lot of cool ideas as well as good advice for making your first smart home enhancements.
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1 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Missing Info, February 8, 2007
This review is from: Build Your Own Smart Home (Build Your Own) (Paperback)
This book is missing info about the control and equipment. How to cable the home is one thing, to make it all work is another, it's better to spend money on a contractor.
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