Home Automation ... Some might think back on the 1962 cartoon series The Jetsons and how in retrospect the Home Automation products of today bear a striking resemblance to their idea of the future.

What you can do with Home Automation - We could talk all day about what Home Automation is and what it does and yet not scratch the surface, but here are just a few examples of the things you can do:

• Manage your in-home temperature settings to maximize comfort and energy efficiency
• Control music, video, and entertainment sources within your home
• Turn lights on and off as well as dim or brighten them to set a mood
• Interact with household appliances - brew coffee or cook dinner at pre-determined times
• Operate home security system components, cameras, door locks, and related items
• Open and close garage doors, window blinds, or curtains and be able to check all of these remotely
• ... the possibilities could be endless!

So, you might be wondering, How you can do all of this:

• Use your smartphone or tablet with apps designed for this purpose
• Use your home computer and a web browser
• Operate system control panels installed in your home
• Program individual devices or groups of devices to run automatically on a schedule

The future is now! Home Automation is becoming more popular, available, and affordable than ever before, and you too can join the excitement once you understand some basic concepts about how it all comes together.

Let's take a look at: How Home Automation devices communicate with each other.