25 Home Automation Projects for the Evil Genius

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 of 25 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. With 25 Home Automation Projects for the Evil Genius, easy living is now automatic!

INTRODUCTION TO HOME AUTOMATION
Chapter 1: Lights Please: Indoor Lighting
Chapter 2: Intruder Alert: Outdoor Lighting
Chapter 3: Whole House Automation: Installing an X-10 System
Chapter 4: It's Getting Hot in Here: Control Your Climate
Chapter 5: Speak Up! Installing Voice Controls
Chapter 6: What's at the Door? Installing a Surveillance Camera
Chapter 7: Shhh...I'm on the Phone
Chapter 8: Music Everywhere: Audio Controls
Chapter 9: Is Anyone There? Installing an Occupancy Sensor
Chapter 10: Today Is Trash Day: Automating Reminders
Chapter 11: No More Dead Lawns: Automating Watering Systems
Chapter 12: Watching from Afar: Monitoring Kids and Pets from Work
Chapter 13: Hot and Ready: Preheat the Oven from Your Cell Phone
Chapter 14: Who Let the Dogs Out: Creating Your Own Robo-Dog
Chapter 15: For the Birds: Installing a Bird Feeder Cam
Chapter 16: No Keys Necessary: Installing a Keyless Entry
Chapter 17: Romantic Settings: Creating Grouped Tasks to Control Your Environment
Chapter 18: Hello Dave: Creating Automation Personalization
Chapter 19: TV Anywhere: Wireless Television Throughout Your House
Chapter 20: Adding Sound Effects to Your Home Automation
Chapter 21: Did I Close That Door? Installing an Automatic Garage Door Closer
Chapter 22: Automating Your Hot Tub
Chapter 23: Add a Little Humor to Your House
Chapter 24: Connecting to Your Favorite Entertainment
Chapter 25: Creating an Illusion of Occupancy: Vacation Controls
APPENDIX A: AUTOMATION CHECKLIST
APPENDIX B: HOME AUTOMATION RESOURCES
GLOSSARY
INDEX

About the Author:

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.)

Softcover
288 Pages