Here are over 50 Practical Ideas for Home Automation

• Ideas for Convenience
• Ideas for Safety
• Ideas for Energy Savings

Ideas For Your Convenience

1. Control all lights and appliances around the house by remote control.
2. Execute macros or scene lighting sequences with many steps by pressing one button. This allows for "mood” lighting for daily use or entertaining in the home.
3. Have the outside lights come on at sunset so your house always looks its best.
4. Have normally used lights come on each evening automatically, then turn off at bedtime.
5. All incandescent lights in the house can be dimmers.
6. True three- and four-way dimming capabilities. Actually dim from two or three areas, as well as remotely.
7. Multiple switching points throughout the house for any light or group of lights.
8. Automatically control electric blinds and draperies.
9. Wake kids up with one button from master bedroom.
10. Time pools, tubs, sprinklers, fish tanks, hot water heaters, fans, battery chargers, air filters, humidifiers, heating/air conditioning, computers, copiers, printers, coffee pots, security systems, door locks, engine block heaters, space heaters, bathroom heaters, indoor plant watering, landscape lighting, safety lights, security lights, convenience lighting, etc., all with one smart interface. It even automatically adjusts for daylight savings time. When you leave on vacation, one button can change the timing or occurrence of any function you choose.
11. Time all pool functions--run pump longer in the summer than winter.
12. Turn off kids televisions at designated times each night.
13. Automatically check garage doors to make sure they are shut.
14. "Hot tub on" macro sets heater, pump, valves, lights and cleaner to appropriate settings.
15. Turn on bathroom light before you get out of bed.
16. Remotely switch off any equipment when left on inadvertently.
17. Operate devices from any phone in the home or anywhere in the world.
18. Increase versatility of sprinkler systems.
19. Turn on/off all your lights from your bed at night.
20. Start the coffee brewing automatically or timed before you get out of bed (even at different times each morning.)
21. Automatically mute or turn off stereo or TV when the phone rings.
22. When phone rings, system can announce name of caller over intercom (if caller ID in place).
23. Home system can have up to 8 mailboxes on main phone line.
24. Dim the lights, set up "mood” or "scene” lighting all automatically to create atmosphere.
25. Turn your cordless phone into a mobile controller to operate any function while walking around your house or property controlling your lights, sprinklers, pool pump and garage door.
26. If you have two telephone lines, the system can switch the line to your cordless phone, allowing you to make or receive calls on either line on a single-line phone.
27. Use your phone to turn on your lights, your dinner and your hot tub on your way home from work.
28. Operate any function in your home via Internet access.

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Enhanced Safety Ideas

29. Watch your children in the pool and your baby's room from any TV.
30. View your home via remote cameras from anywhere on your PC.
31. Scene-switch pushbutton sets a pool perimeter alarm that, when tripped, turns house siren on for three seconds.
32. Time of day sets pool alarms that have been manually turned off, so alarm cannot be forgotten in off position.
33. People with limited mobility can use hand-held remotes to control their surroundings, and call for help if needed.
34. When arriving late at night, one scene-switch pushbutton at garage, turns on selected lights to get you to a specific room, then turns them off after a time interval.
35. Have hall and stair lights come on at sunset, then dim later to act as night lights to enhance safety.
36. Vacation/security mode makes the house look and sound lived in while you’re away.
37. One remote in your car controls all the garage doors, gates, interior and exterior lights.
38. Turn multiple lights on before you enter a room , off as you leave, with one button.
39. When you pull into your driveway and open the garage door after dark, several lights in your home can come on. The garage door can close automatically. When you leave your home and you close the garage by remote, the system can turn your house lights off.
40. Have an "indicator" lamp in the home stay on when the front gate or the garage door is open; off when closed.
41. Automatically close, if open, garage door when alarm is set at bedtime.
42. Turn on inside and outside lights before you get home.
43. Turn on all inside and/or outside lights with one button if you hear a suspicious noise.
44. Arm and disarm alarm systems, locally or remotely, in selected zones.
45. Motion detector outside turns several inside lights on, with some realistic delays to simulate you are "at home”.
46. Motion sensor at front door or pool area switches the TV to a channel or PIP that displays the CCTV camera image.

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Energy Management Possibilities

46. Security status or Away Mode sets thermostats to economy settings and when you arrive home thermostats return to Comfort Mode.
47. Night mode settings go into effect at bedtime on all thermostats.
48. In vacation mode, automatically switch off water heater and any other selected function until turned on by phone, timer, pre-programming.
49. Allow dryer and washer to be powered only when economy rates are in effect.
50. Turn kids lights off from convenient locations or by time.
51. Remotely and/or automatically turn lights on and off in separate buildings (i.e. stables, barns, garage, office).

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