Home technology: Automate with a touch of a button

EL PASO, Texas — Joshua Meyer feels good about his home's security when he has to travel for business.

With a touch of a button on his door handle, he can set the alarm throughout his east El Paso home. And once he's gone, video cameras help keep an eye on the place.

AT A GLANCE

What you can do with system

• Check up on the baby sitter while at work, or your home while on vacation, through an Internet-connected video camera.

• Adjust the thermostat while you lie in bed, or before you leave work for the day.

• Heat the hot tub or turn on the oven on your cell before you leave work for the day.

• Eliminate the need to walk around the house turning off lights before exiting the home or going to sleep, turn off all house lights with the touch of a single button.

• Set a series of events for your morning routine, designate the thermostat to warm the room, have lights gradually increase intensity, ensure that the coffee begins brewing and the television turns on.

• Program your security system to alert you through email or phone when the system detects activity in the home while you are away.

• Organize and control every component of the home entertainment system — television, DVD, VCR and whole-house audio — with a single touch-screen remote from anywhere in the home.

• See who is at the front door without leaving the comfort and safety of your couch through a display on your TV screen showing the visitor at the front door.

• Control all scheduled tasks, such as watering the lawn and outdoor lighting with a simple computer program.

• Ensure pets are automatically fed, provided new water and clean litter while you are away from home.

Source: Smarthome.com

Yet when Meyer talks about the Vivint system, he admits he has more fun talking about the gadget side of wireless control systems.

For many 30-somethings who have grown up with technology, discovering what they can do with a home automation system is as much fun or more fun than using it. And while safety is a reason for looking into these systems, it's not the only one.

Sometimes called smart technology, home technology has reached a point that makes it possible for people to control many aspects of their home — such temperature, fans, garage doors and indoor and outdoor lighting — from a simple remote keypad.

For people with smart phones, which is an increasingly large population, the control is even closer — in their hand.

Eric Reynolds, operations manager for Vivint in El Paso, said home automation makes sense for people who have grown up with technology at their fingertips.