Smart Home Hacks

Description:

So much of what is commonplace today was once considered impossible, or at least wishful thinking. Laser beams in the operating room, cars with built-in guidance systems, cell phones with email access. There's just no getting around the fact that technology always has, and always will be, very cool.

But technology isn't only cool; it's also very smart. That's why one of the hottest technological trends nowadays is the creation of smart homes.

At an increasing rate, people are turning their homes into state-of-the-art machines, complete with more switches, sensors, and actuators than you can shake a stick at. Whether you want to equip your home with motion detectors for added security, install computer-controlled lights for optimum convenience, or even mount an in-home web cam or two purely for entertainment, the world is now your oyster. Ah, but like anything highly technical, creating a smart home is typically easier said than done.

Thankfully, Smart Home Hacks takes the guesswork out of the process. Through a seemingly unending array of valuable tips, tools, and techniques, Smart Home Hacks explains in clear detail how to use Mac, Windows, or Linux to achieve the automated home of your dreams. In no time, you'll learn how to turn a loose collection of sensors and switches into a well-automated and well-functioning home no matter what your technical level may be.

Smart Home Hacks covers a litany of stand-alone and integrated smart home solutions designed to enhance safety, comfort, and convenience in new and existing homes. Kitchens, bedrooms, home offices, living rooms, and even bathrooms are all candidates for smart automation and therefore are all addressed in Smart Home Hacks.

Intelligently written by engineering guru and George Jetson wannabe, Gordon Meyer, Smart Home Hacks leaves no stone unturned. From what to purchase to how to use your remote control, it's the ultimate guide to understanding and implementing complete or partial home automation.

 

Credits  
Preface  
Chapter 1. A Foot in the Front Door 
       1. Know the X10 Address  
       2. Turn On a Light  
       3. Master Your Appliances  
       4. Send X10 Commands  
       5. Send X10 Commands Wirelessly  
       6. Keep Watch with Motion Detectors  
       7. Turn On the Lights When You Enter a Room  
       8. Turn On the Lights When They're Needed  
       9. Ring a Bell to Alert the House  
       10. Sense What's Happening  
       11. Control the Uncontrollable  
       12. Groom Your Home for X10  
       13. Set Addresses for Modules Without Dials  
       14. Increase the Spousal Approval Factor  
       15. Unplug Your Computer  
       16. Add a Brain to Your Smart Home  
       17. Get to Know XTension  
       18. Get to Know Indigo  
       19. Get to Know HomeSeer  
       20. Sync with the Sun  
       21. Choose the Right Controller  
       22. Maintain an X10 Library  
       23. Shop for Secret X10 Devices  
       24. Welcome to the State Machine  
Chapter 2. Office 
       25. Remember Important Events  
       26. Keep the Lights On While You Work  
       27. Know Who's Calling  
       28. Broadcast Announcements to the Whole House  
       29. Announce Events with Recorded Announcements  
       30. Send Pager Messages  
       31. Broadcast Messages on Your Home Network  
       32. Control Your Printer from Afar  
       33. Phone Your Home  
       34. Control Your Home with Phlink  
       35. Forward Phone Calls  
       36. Silence the House when You're on the Phone  
Chapter 3. Kitchen and Bath 
       37. Brew Your Morning Coffee  
       38. Detect the Beer Thief  
       39. Install a Kitchen Terminal  
       40. Install a Home TV Server  
       41. Control Your Heating Remotely  
       42. Monitor the Refrigerator Door  
       43. Heat the Toilet Seat  
       44. Detect Flooding  
       45. Monitor the Litter Box  
       46. Avoid Battery Memory Problems  
Chapter 4. Bedroom 
       47. Educate Your Alarm Clock  
       48. Put the House to Sleep for the Night  
       49. Lighting for Insomniacs  
       50. Adjust Lights as the Sun Rises  
       51. Simulate a Sunrise  
       52. Motorize Your Window Blinds  
       53. Outdo Big Ben  
Chapter 5. Garage and Yard 
       54. Monitor Your Driveway  
       55. Know If the Garage Door Is Open  
       56. Control Your Garage Door  
       57. Control Your Home from Your Car  
       58. See Through Walls  
       59. Use Indoor Modules in the Great Outdoors  
       60. Control Outdoor Lighting  
       61. Track Fuel Consumption  
       62. Know When the Mail Arrives  
       63. Mow the Lawn  
       64. Get the Weather  
       65. Safely Water the Garden  
       66. Foster Green Pastures with a Smart Sprinkler System  
       67. Stop Watering During Rainstorms  
       68. Adapt Sprinkler Schedules and Solar Water Heating to Available Sunlight  
Chapter 6. Security 
       69. Check for an Empty Home  
       70. Know Who's Home  
       71. Avoid False Intrusion Alarms  
       72. Nobody Here but Us Ghosts  
       73. Send Notifications of Home Events  
       74. Who's There?  
       75. Secure Your Construction Site  
       76. Monitor Your Summer Home  
       77. Protect Outdoor Cameras  
       78. Know When Windows and Doors Are Open  
       79. Bark like a Dog  
       80. Unite Your Alarm and Home Automation Systems  
       81. Instill Peace of Mind for the Elderly  
       82. Monitor Your Home with a Network Camera  
Chapter 7. Advanced Techniques 
       83. Improve the Response Time of Motion Detectors  
       84. Check for Dead Motion Detector Batteries  
       85. Outsmart Motion Detectors  
       86. Improve X10 Reliability  
       87. Avoid Common X10 Problems  
       88. Streamline Your AppleScripts  
       89. Harness Your Hamster to Power a Night Light  
       90. Get More Out of Your Motion Detectors  
       91. Track Home Events with iCal  
       92. Chart Home Automation Data  
       93. Share Your Home Automation Mac with Other Users  
       94. Remap X10 Addresses  
       95. Control Lights in a Group  
       96. Block Units for Easier Scripting  
       97. Calculate Elapsed Time  
       98. Identify Trouble Spots  
       99. Control Your Home from a Web Browser  
       100. Which Way Did She Go?  
Index