Smart Homes For Dummies

Make your home safer and increase its resale value Create a fully automated,21st–century wired home that meets your family′s needs Want to live in a cutting–edge, fully connected home? Now you can design the powerhouse network of your dreams without breaking your bank account. From listening to CDs throughout the house to connecting your PC with your HDTV to watching your house over the Web, you′ll discover all the latest trends and gadgets in home networking, automation, and control. Build your home network Turn your home into an entertainment center Access the Internet from any room Boost in–home wireless and cell phone signals Secure your home and property

Introduction 1 Part I: Future–Perfect Homes 9 Chapter 1: Mi Casa, Cool Casa 11 Chapter 2: Zen and the Art of Whole–Home Networking 23 Chapter 3: Cool Stuff Home Networks Can Do 47 Chapter 4: Timelines and Budgets 63 Part II: Making Your Home an Entertainment Center 71 Chapter 5: Breaking the Entertainment Bottleneck — Without Breaking the Bank 73 Chapter 6: Getting Video Where You Want It 95 Chapter 7: Wiring a Video Network 109 Chapter 8: Bringing You Music 129 Chapter 9: Running Audio Here, There, and Everywhere 145 Part III: Now We′re Communicating! 165 Chapter 10: Planning a Phone System 167 Chapter 11: : Making the Phone Connection 193 Part IV: Livin′ Off the Fat of the LAN 203 Chapter 12: A Cornucopia of Computers 205 Chapter 13: All Roads Lead to the Net 223 Chapter 14: Designing a Data LAN 247 Chapter 15: Choosing the Parts for a Wired Data LAN 259 Chapter 16: Alternatives to a Wired Data LAN 273 Part V: Keeping the Bad Guys at Bay — Security 295 Chapter 17: Home Security Boot Camp 297 Chapter 18: Wiring a Security System 313 Part VI: Putting It All Together — Home Automation and Control 323 Chapter 19: Home Automation Extravaganza 325 Chapter 20: Making Home Automation a Reality 345 Part VII: The Part of Tens 365 Chapter 21: Ten Common Pitfalls When Building Your Smart Home 367 Chapter 22: Top Ten Toys of the Future 373 Index 383

Danny Briere founded TeleChoice, Inc., a telecommunications consulting company, in 1985 and now serves as CEO of the company. Widely known throughout the telecommunications and networking industry, Danny has written more than one thousand articles about telecommunications topics and has authored or edited ten books, including Internet Telephony For Dummies , Wireless Home Networking For Dummies ( now in its second edition) , Wireless Hacks and Mods for Dummies, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 PC For Dummies, and Home Theater For Dummies . He is frequently quoted by leading publications on telecommunications and technology topics and can often be seen on major TV networks, providing analysis on the latest communications news and breakthroughs. Danny splits his time between Mansfield Center, Connecticut, and his island home on Great Diamond Island, Maine, with his wife and four children. Pat Hurley is Director of Research with TeleChoice, Inc., and specializes in emerging telecommunications and digital home technologies, particularly in all the latest consumer electronics, access gear, and home technologies, including wireless LANs, DSL, cable modems, satellite services, and homenetworking services. Pat frequently consults with the leading telecommunications carriers, equipment vendors, consumer goods manufacturers, and other players in the telecommunications and consumer electronics industries. Pat is the coauthor of Internet Telephony For Dummies , Smart Homes For Dummies , Wireless Home Networking For Dummies, Wireless Hacks and Mods for Dummies, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 PC For Dummies, and Home Theater For Dummies. He lives in San Diego, California, with his wife, a fiery red–headed toddler named Annabel, and two smelly dogs.