Home automation is the new way of making our homes practically run themselves. From the lighting to an email or text message letting you know your children are home from school automation is the new way of running your home. There are so many things you can set up to run automatically and the benefits are great as well.

How would you like to feel more at ease when it comes to security? Automated security can give you peace of mind when it comes to your family and home. There are alarms that will activate when an intruder tries to breach your home.

The same alarms can turn on all the lights, make the front lighting of your home flash, turn off the air and heating system in case of fire to keep it from spreading. The systems also have cell phone systems in case your house phone is not working due to the line being cut. Surveillance cameras can keep track of the property inside and out. There are cameras that can be set up to monitor every angle of your home so the windows as well as the doors can be covered.

The alarm system can be controlled using your telephone or the internet from another location such as your job. You can even use your PDA to control the system! There are so many new ways of setting you home up to be controlled automatically. What if your home was equipped with touch pads that would allow you to:

- Turn lights on and off in your home
- Turn on your favorite program
- Check on the children
- Adjust the lighting
- Scan your outside security cameras
- Turn your security system on or off
- Adjust the temperature of your home
- Turn sprinklers on or off

The homes of the future will be able to do this and more. Technology is catching up to the point where we will know everything that goes on at home no matter where we are.

One way automated systems work is by using a system such as X10. With X10 the existing wiring in your home is utilised as a communications channel to send messages between X10 devices (the data is made up of an address and a command from the controller to the device being controlled). These devices can be plugged in to a wall outlet or they can be installed in ceiling accessories. X10 has the advantage that no additional cables need to be run however some properties (dependent on how the wiring was installed) are not suited to it and X10 may be unreliable.

Another type is the C-Bus which is a two wire bus that transmits power and data. Although this type is normally used to control your lights it can be adjusted to control many other devices. One C-Bus can control 255 different things. There are also bridges which can be purchased to add to the C-Bus.

When looking for a home automation system there are various different types on the market therefore you should carefully consider your options when making a purchase.