Automated Switching for the Home

The Basics of Home Automation

by Dave Rongey ©2007-2011 Summary: Home automation is about delivering practical control of your lighting and home electrical devices for your personal lifestyle which provides comfort and control and energy savings.

Extra Electrical Wiring is Not Needed for Some Home Automation Systems
	I believe that enabling new technologies to customize and schedule common lifestyle activities performed everyday is beneficial in any home. Simply stated, quality home automation makes life easier. Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition systems are extremely useful, they have been around for years and there are numerous applications for their use, especially with Home Electrical and Automation.
Controlling lights with single-button scene control and zone control adds new dimensions to a lighting system—a dimension you can’t achieve with a solo dimmer on the wall. In fact, home automation lighting is one of the most powerful methods Interior Designers use to change moods in a room.

Every room in the home benefits from home control and home automation. Here are just a few examples of popular applications:

• Kitchen and Dining Room: Create scenes for the different tasks such as dining, cooking and cleaning.
• Home Theater and Media Room: Create a dramatic “dim the lights before the show” integrated with your home theater system.
• Master Bedroom: Control zones of lights from the bedside to turn ON and OFF lights outside, downstairs or throughout the entire home.
• Landscape and Garden: Schedule when the garden path lights turn ON and OFF, or combine all the outdoor lights to activate at once for security.
• Staircase and Hallway: Ensure safety by turning on lights at appropriate lighting levels throughout the day and night.
• Living Room: Add elegance and intimacy. Lighting is one of the most powerful methods Interior Designers use to change moods in a room.
• Family Room and Great Room: Select a lighting scene for one person to read a good book, or the entire family to celebrate a birthday party.

Home automation is about delivering practical control of your lighting, home and personal lifestyle.

Automation manufacturers provide a variety of residential home automation products which provide a wide range of powerful levels of control and customization for your home.

Home Automation and Lighting

Enjoy convenience and energy savings with automated switching of outdoor lighting

Lighting displays have become a staple of American front yards and home automation programmable light switching makes the inconvenience of switching these displays ON and OFF every night a thing of the past… as well as providing an easy way to comply with town restrictions or energy management objectives.

Decorative Lighting In Brief:
Plug display lighting into an existing receptacle using a Plug-In Receiver Module
or replace the existing switch or receptacle controlling the lights with a Home Control Switch or
Receptacle Receiver Module. These modules are ideal for Christmas trees or other seasonal decorations, which can be awkward to unplug easily. A home automation programmer transmits unique coded commands over a home’s existing AC wiring, telling the Receiver Modules to initiate recurring timed events. Depending on the programmer chosen, lights can be made to go ON/OFF/DIM/BRIGHT at specific times or at dusk/dawn based on a built-in astronomical clock. All components are designed for use with the complete line of Home Controls products – allowing you to expand the system at any time.

NOTE: Do not replace previously installed GFCI Receptacles with home automation receptacles.
Home automation receptacles should be used with an approved rain tight cover which provides protection while in use, or other weatherproof cover in wet and damp locations. Check that all installations meet local electrical codes.

• Automate ON/OFF switching of holiday landscape displays
• Schedule ON/OFF times based on time of day or on dusk/dawn switching
using a built-in astronomical clock available with some models.
• Memory backup protects your programming during power failure

AUTOMATION PRODUCTS FOR HOLIDAY DECORATING APPLICATIONS
Controls System Packages for Home Automation Solutions

Table of Home Automation Controls
Automation Control	Purpose or Function
Basic Wall-Mount Programmer	Wall mounted programmer, (much like a thermostat). Easy program entry for desired home control functions.
Deluxe Programmer	A control station that provides one-touch access for up to 64 home lighting scenes.
Table Top Controller	A table top controller provides easy access to control home automation devices
Single Pole Wall Switch Receiver 15 Amp 120 Volt	Control incandescent or resistive lighting this wall switch receiver (for non-fluorescent lighting)
Scene Capable Dimming Wall Switch Receiver 600 W/VA	Control a lighting scene up to 600 watts with this wall switch receiver
Scene Capable Dimming Wall Switch Receiver 1000 W/VA	Control a lighting scene up to 1000 watts with this wall switch receiver.
15A/120V Split Duplex Receptacle	The top receptacle is controlled with home automation programming, while the bottom receptacle is energized all the time.
Incandescent Scene-Capable Plug-In Dimming Module	A plug-in module that can automatically control lighting and provides a full range dimming capabilities.
15A/1800W ON/OFF Plug-In Appliance Receiver Module	A plug-in module that is ideal for automatically controlling appliances with up to up to 15 amp capacity.
Light Fixture Relay Module	This light fixture control module can be at either an incandescent or fluorescent light fixture and performs On and OFF control functions from controllers.
Dimming Light Fixture Relay Module	This light fixture control module can be installed at an incandescent light fixture and performs On / OFF and Dimming control functions from controllers.
Amplifier/Repeater Module*	A module that amplifies and repeats command signals to maintain proper signal strength throughout the Home Automation network.

* Recommended in some installations to ensure system reliability
(Note: Do not replace previously installed GFCI Receptacles with Home Control Receptacles. Home Control Receptacles should be used with a Rain tight While-In-Use Cover or other weatherproof cover in wet and damp locations. Check that all installations meet local electrical codes.)