ntold hours have gone into the planning of your "Dream Home." You've decided on the architectural style, how many bedrooms you need and have developed the floor plan that's tailored to how your family lives. Don't make a mistake now.
It's absolutely crucial that, in today's rapidly advancing technology market, you take the time to also make sure that you have "dreamed" big enough with regard to your family's current and future technology lifestyle. Surprisingly, the time to plan for security, home entertainment, lighting, motorized window treatments, and eventual "smart" appliances is during the construction process.

The Emergence of the Home Electronics Specialist

Tucked within the framing of your new home are the wires that connect everything that provide your family with safety, convenience and enjoyment. Gone are the days of an electrician routinely installing wiring for two phone lines and cable television. More and more homeowners want to network computers, access the Internet, watch satellite television, automate their home, protect it with a security system and enjoy audio throughout the entire house. In order to facilitate these functions, more than just wiring is required. A plan for the installation of the infrastructure that enables current and
future technology innovations is a major component of the home planning process and impacts your home's future resale value. The Home Electronics Specialist has joined the planning team as a valued player.

Local Area Network (LAN)

Most existing homes still use wiring technology from the 1950's making it impossible to accommodate the new generation of communications technology. Utility and cable companies are working on broadband technology that increases the flow of information in faster and more powerful signals. Internet access and downloads are accelerating with business-grade, enhanced Category 5 telecommunications lines. You can now plug into what's called an "Ethernet" to network all of your home
computers and peripherals.

In response, more and more consultants are recommending and designing local area networks that integrate these new technologies for the home. A LAN brings multiple telephone jacks, cable hookups and standard outlets to every room in the home. The owner can then access all of his electronics (wired and wireless networks) through one multi-functional outlet or a remote. Your Home Electronics Specialist will make sure that all of your technologies are integrated, with the structured
cabling required, and formulate a design enabling them to interface with each other- providing you with the utmost in multi-media flexibility.

Architects recommend designing homes that utilize conduit, a plastic tubing that is installed throughout the house, that enables the homeowner to install or change technologies during the lifetime of the home. This addresses the anticipation of continually upgrading technologies.

Appraisers and real estate agents believe that the upfront investment in a fully-equipped, integrated home (especially the home office) will offer a high return: retrieving up to 100 percent of the homeowner's electronic investment.

Distributed Audio Systems

One of the fastest growing trends is seen in the expansion of the consumer and builder demand for multi-room audio. An industry consultant states that market penetration in new homes will go from a 6 percent level recorded in 2001 to better than one-in-five new homes by mid-decade. The products available continue to improve in quality, installation ease and range of available price points.There's nothing like walking around your home with beautiful music following you from room to room. Studies show that a person is happier and more productive while listening to music. Better yet, you'll be happy that you no longer have to buy expensive stereo systems for each room.

Step one is to decide in which rooms you would like music. Don't overlook the master bath or outdoor areas. Then decide which room or rooms you would like surround sound. Movie watching becomes a new experience when enveloped by a Dolby Digital or DTS surround system. The next step is deciding how much control of the components you would like from each room. This ranges from a single, in-wall volume control to a remote control or a multi-source keypad control. This last option lets you listen to different music in various rooms from the same system and lets you have control of your music without disturbing what your spouse or house guests might be listening to.

The most efficient design for a whole house audio system is to locate all of the components (audio receivers, satellite receivers, CD player, DVD Player tape deck, hi-fi VCR etc.) in one location. Speaker selection and speaker placement will have the greatest impact on quality of sound from room to room. In-ceiling and in-wall speakers have become extremely popular because of their near invisibility and vastly improved sound quality.

Home Cinemas/Surround Sound

Home cinemas are one of the most exciting trends of the expanding technology era. Driven by the busy lifestyles of families, realtors say that home theaters and media rooms are in demand because families use them to spend quality time together. By combining a large screen and surround sound, just about any room can recreate, and even surpass, the movie theater experience. Advanced acoustic philosophy, visual techniques, and user inter-faces will be considered by your consultant
in his selection of components, layout, and construction to achieve the home theater results you desire.

Most movies and TV programs are broadcast in some form of Dolby surround sound, especially on digital satellite systems. DVD's are encoded in Dolby Digital or DTS surround sound. So you will want to add surround sound to any room (not just the theater) where you enjoy watching TV or movies.

Digital Satellite

TV wiring used to be easy. A few years ago, we had air antenna or cable. Today we have revolutionary new choices like digital satellite systems and High-Definition TV or HDTV. Digital satellite systems have already excited much of the nation with their incredible digital pictures and awesome digital sound. DSS will enhance the performance of any TV, home theater, audio system or computer. A single 18" dish can now feed up to 8 satellite receivers. High Definition TV is available with a new dish.

Additionally, Direct PC allows your computer to download from the Internet at speeds up to 100 times faster than phone modems. Your home can also be wired to send audio/video signals from one or more components to every TV in the house. With this wiring scheme, you have the ability to watch a movie from a single DVD player on any TV in the house. No chance of missing a key scene in the movie because you're making popcorn- just watch it on your kitchen TV and then when you get
tired, finish the movie in your bedroom. A home that is pre-wired for these new technologies makes installation easier, less expensive and much nicer looking.

Multi-Room A/V

Enhance your audio-visual systems with communications options like paging, room monitoring (Baby Cam), or installation of a door camera with 2-way speakers.

Smart Appliances

Industry experts predict that we will soon have a "kitchen chamber" that has the ability to freeze, cook and hold food, in addition to reading bar codes and compiling a grocery list prior to doing the shopping online. Indeed LGE has developed an Internet microwave oven that has an embedded modem and LCD panel that enables customers to download recipes from the Internet, automatically set the correct cooking directions, and "sense" when the food is done. It is also designed to allow a direct connection to grocery stores for shopping. Whirlpool also is working on the introduction of a smart range,
dishwasher and microwave for their first phase of "smart" appliances. Industry standardization is the key here. Your wiring and network infrastructure should be forward-thinking enough to accommodate the evolution of future technologies.

Home Automation Systems (perhaps your LAN) that integrate all of your home's sub-systems and products into one network designed to make your home more efficient and enhance your quality of life. You can now experience the convenience and control that lets you monitor your home's ambience, climate, security and energy use from the internet, anywhere in the world. Many systems are more affordable than you might imagine and easier than ever to use.

Let Technology Fuel Your Imagination and Potentially Line Your Pockets

It's not too late to dream big. Bring in the consultant, and think through your family's current and future technology lifestyle. It will enhance your quality of life, save you money and have a positive impact on your home's resale value. In short it's a "smart" move.

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