The coffee pot started automatically, so by the time Joe makes it downstairs,

there�s a fresh pot of java ready to go. Outside, he notices that the sprinklers
are
already spraying, giving the lawn a fresh drink of water. After a few minutes,
theyshutoffbythemselves.Ifithadrainedduringthenight,asensorinthelawn
would have indicated that the lawn had plenty of water, and an automated
sprinklingwouldn�thavebeennecessary.Assuch,thesprinklerwouldnothave
come on, saving on water usage.
The core of the Smart Home is its computer network. Of course, the term �com-
puter network� connotes a huge, NASA-style arrangement of dozens of
computers connected by miles of wiring to mysterious boxes with flashing
lights. The fact of the matter is you don�t have to turn your house into the bridge
of the starship Enterprise to develop a functional Smart Home. If you�re like 51
percent of Americans, you already have a home computer (according to the US
Census Bureau). You might even have two or more computers at various loca-
tionsthroughoutthehouse(thehomeoffice,yourson�sroom,thekitchen,andso
forth). In order for you to make your home local area network (LAN), all you
need to do is hook those two computers together. ALAN is also helpful to share
your computers� resources�the ability to share an Internet connection, share
hard drives, and access files and folders located on each computer. If you only
haveonecomputer�anddon�tseeaburningneedtobuyanotherone�youcan
still make your Smart Home work just fine.
In order to fully integrate our Smart Home, we�re going to use X10 modules
(moreonX10andwhatit�sallaboutinChapter2).Thesemodulesareusedtocon-
nect various appliances, lights, and other goodies with your computer or home
LAN. Can�t wait to get started on your home LAN? Flip ahead to Chapter 4
Possibly the most frightening aspect of Smart Home modification comes when
the notion of wiring is brought up. We won�t lie to you: snaking wire through
your house is a chore. However, you don�t have to put new wiring in your home
for each and every project. The fact is that new wiring will be necessary for only
very specialized projects. For example, if you decide you want whole-house
audioorvideo,it�sagoodideatoinstallsomecoaxialcableandspeakerwirebe-
tween your home entertainment center and the satellite rooms you wish to
connect�it is also helpful to have installed some Cat 5 cabling when connecting
your computers into a home LAN.
Theinclusionofnewwiringimprovessomeprojects,simplybecausethereis
nosignallossandthewiringprovidesabetterconnection.We�lltakesomeofthe
sting out of home rewiring in Chapter 2 and explain better when and where you
might need to undertake a wiring project.