Automated System Feature Explanations

This explains the completely automated features of your Home Automation Control System.

System Controller
This is the device that contains all the programming and controls the rest of your automation system. It takes information from sensors around your building, and commands from you through the user interfaces (touch screens, keypads, etc.) makes decisions based upon its programming, and controls the various devices and systems in your building or gives you information on the touch screens and other display devices or through spoken responses. It is the heart and brains of your automation system.

Touch Switches
The same decorative touch pads used for the architectural dimming lighting subsystem can be used to control system features. Or we can provide touch pads like those shown in the last section of this document that can control the architectural dimming system. Your system controller can interface with the lighting control to tell it when every button is pressed on any lighting touch pads. In some locations a touch pad may be installed that will control only automation features while in some areas extra buttons will be added to the normal lighting control buttons. You can control different features simply by pushing a button on a touch pad. This means that you can have a button on a lighting control pad in the living room that is labeled FM radio. Pressing this button would activate the distributed audio system and cause the FM radio to be played in the room.

We will work with your lighting designer to insure the orderly integration of extra automation control buttons with the normal lighting buttons. Automation control buttons will be grouped in such a way that like features accessed from different touch pads will be in the same position on each touch pad. This allows you to easily control features from any appropriate touch pad without having to physically read the button designations.

Each button, except for single buttons having their own faceplate and controlling a single room's light (such as a closet or bathroom), will be labeled or engraved with the name of the feature it controls. A small light will glow to let you know whether a feature has been activated. In selected areas your system can make spoken announcements over your audio speakers so that you know your touch pad command has been executed.

Hand Held Remote
A hand-held remote can let you control selected system functions from any location inside the residence or on the property. Remote controls are available with standard buttons or with an LCD display and buttons to allow selection and control of features in much the same way as an ATM display works. Depending on the features requiring control, infrared or radio frequency remote controls will be used. Radio frequency remotes are typically used to control global features. Global features affect the entire system such as security lights on. inside the residence (the system can't distinguish where a radio frequency remote is), or specific features (start spa) from outside the residence (long range).

To keep each room's walls clean and free of clutter, the small but very sensitive infrared receivers will be mounted in unobtrusive locations in each room. The buttons on your hand-held remotes will be labeled, or an LCD screen will be used to help you remember the feature they control.

Where feedback about an action is required, your system can confirm that your hand-held commands have been activated by sending spoken responses over your audio speakers.

Touch Screens
The control system touch screens can range from a 15" (diagonal viewing area) full-color high-resolution active matrix LCD display to a 4" grayscale LCD. All come with a touch sensitive overlay, this allows you to simply touch the screen to select or control a desired feature. The different touch screens can display pictures, video, symbols, and words. By touching different areas of the screen you can step through simple menu screens to select and control the different features in your home. Each screen will always have basic lighting and volume controls available, as well as an icon to immediately return you to the main menu. Your main screen display (the display shown when the touch screen is inactive) may display any picture or graphical representation of your choice (many clients use a photograph or architects rendering of their home). With video capable touch screens, you could preview video sources before selection or the view the images from your video security monitoring cameras.

Touch screens can be built flush into walls, designed into furniture, put on coiled cords and moved between dedicated jacks in desired areas, or even made completely wireless if desired.

Distributed Audio / Video
Your control system can interface with the multi-room audio subsystem to provide simplified control of the whole-house entertainment system. The whole house audio system allows you to play music in selected areas of the residence. Each area can play and control a different source as well as playing at different volumes.

You may distribute the audio from any audio source such as your compact disc player, CD player and changer, audio cassette tape deck, AM/FM tuner, VCR, and laser disc player to rooms throughout the house by using a touch pad button, a hand-held remote, telephone control, or touch screen.

When audio is selected from a touch pad, or hand held remote the system will know where you are and control the proper audio zone automatically. With touch screen control you will first select an audio zone then you will be able to control the volume, channel selection, and transport controls of the source equipment you have selected.

If desired the control system can automatically play specific music in selected areas based on time schedules, remote controls, or your actions.

Telephone System
Your telephone system will be a full fledged digital system that will be incredibly simple to operate yet have full features such as speed dialing and auto redial. This system can use system specific telephones or you can purchase any standard telephone of your choosing and use it with the system. The telephone system will act as an intercom in your home. Any station can page any other station or page the entire residence. All telephones can be speakerphones and selected telephones can have LCD displays for special features. You can have lines ring into specific rooms (business line to ring in office only) or throughout the residence. Both line access restrictions (kids room can't pick up business line) and every type of toll restriction (no 900 numbers) can be supported. The telephone system can allow up to 12 incoming telephone lines to be distributed to a maximum of 36 telephones in the residence (the system can be larger or smaller depending on your preferences).

It will have the ability to communicate with door boxes that will be mounted in an unobtrusive manner by each entry you select. You will be able to answer each door from any telephone and unlock that door if that feature is available.

The telephone system will allow fax machines, answering machines, cordless telephones, display telephones, and other telephone devices to be connected to the system. Naturally the telephone system is fully programmable and has all the features of a full commercial system. We will interface the telephone system with the system controller so that you can control your selected features by telephone from within the residence or remotely.

Voice Mail
An answering machine that typically allows many users to have one place to check all their messages, or a muti-user answering machine. A caller is typically asked to select a person to talk to or leave a message by going through a series of spoken menus.

Security System
Your system will interface with the security and fire detection subsystem to provide unsurpassed peace of mind and ease of use. The system will use keypads that have a plain English LCD display to lead you through system operation. You can arm the system with one button press, and should a door be open the system will tell you where the offending door is. Your system can have up to 99 user codes with fifteen levels of authority. This means that you can have a code for yourself that allows you to make changes or grant new codes, but another person may have a code that only allows access to the garage. We use the best sensors and equipment to provide years of reliable service and the best protection against false alarms, while maintaining the ability to reliably detect an intruder.

The design of the system will be based upon providing proper fire and intrusion detection first and aesthetics second. This is not to say that the appearance of your security/fire system will be objectionable, only that the placement of some types of detectors (such as smoke) will have to be in plain sight. We will do our best to make the selection and installation of all devices as aesthetically pleasing as possible. The security system consists of four main components.

The first component is a group of sensors. For intrusion detection they consist of a combination of hidden magnetic sensors, strategically placed stress sensors and infrared motion detectors, and electronic glass break detection sensors. The magnetic contacts will tell us if a door or window has been opened. Magnetic contacts are small hidden units that are installed inside a door or window frame. The motion and stress sensors will tell us if a room is occupied, or an intrusion has taken place that has some how bypassed the conventional magnetic contacts on doors or windows. The stress sensors detect the flex of floor joists to detect people moving through a room, hallway, or on a flight of stairs. The motion detectors are small decorator style detectors that can detect an intruder by his body heat. The electronic glass break detectors will be flush mounted units approximately 1.5" in diameter. They will be mounted in the ceiling or wall facing the glass area they will monitor. They detect the breaking of glass by means of a microphone and a digital detection algorithm. Only the sound of breaking glass will activate them and they can be configured so that if the room is occupied they will be disabled (no false alarms from clumsy guests). For fire and smoke detection they consist of rate of rise heat detectors and photoelectric smoke detectors with a built in heat detector. The heat detectors will trigger at 135 and 190 degrees depending on where they are (190 in kitchen, garage, and utility rooms, 135 elsewhere) and also if the temperature should rise faster than 10 degrees in a one minute period. The smoke detectors will detect visible smoke and will communicate with the security control to notify you when a unit needs service or cleaning. For life safety we will place carbon monoxide detectors in necessary areas to warn you if a furnace or fireplace is putting too much carbon monoxide into the residence.

The second component is a keypad or card reader to provide control of the system. The keypads allow you to arm and disarm the security system, and provide a panic, medical, and fire input for immediate help. The keypads provide status back to you in the form of an English language display, and will explain to you in plain English what area of the residence are open, or will provide help in controlling the system. Your system will have keypads in strategic locations (master bedroom, near entry doors, etc.) to provide control. Card readers will be installed where they will be used based upon your preferences.

The third component would be the inside alarm sounders. These are flush mounted siren speakers that can provide a siren sound for burglary and a bell sound for fire. They are extremely loud (the better to wake you and scare the bad guy) and have an automatic cut-off after 15 minutes should the system not be reset by then.

The fourth component is a control panel. The control panel monitors all the sensors and your inputs from keypads and car readers, and then notifies you of trouble or an alarm condition. The control will communicate with a central station over regular telephone lines with a cellular telephone back up. In the event of an alarm the system will notify the central station who will then notify the proper authorities for the emergency being reported. In addition to providing alarm reporting the control will log all inputs to the system (arm/disarm with time date and user, card reader access by date time and user, sensor trip by time and date, etc.) and provide outputs to the automation control system to allow it to control other systems based on your movements and actions.

In case of a fire or intrusion, your system can show you the location of the event. And can turn on lights inside and flash lights outside (to assist responding authorities, and in the case of fire to help you see your way out of your home). In the event of a fire it will tell the Climate Control system to shut down all air blowers to prevent the spread of smoke.

Should your residence be equipped with electronic door locking or motorized window treatments, the controller can close selected drapes and lock the doors when you retire for the night, in addition, when you leave the controller can turn off a/v equipment, lighting, and set back the Climate control system. The security subsystem will sound local alarms and call your monitoring service for help upon the detection of an intrusion or fire.

Security Keypad
A security keypad is used to arm and disarm the security system in a building. It normally has an LCD display to prompt the user through it's operation, and to notify the user of the systems status.

Perimeter Security Sensor
A device such as a door or window contact to detect the opening of a door or window as part of a security system.

Indoor Security Sensor
A device used inside a building to detect an intruder that has managed to bypass the perimeter security devices. These can be motion detectors that can detect body heat or stress sensors that will detect the deflection of a floor beam when an intruder enters a room.

Stress Detection
This sensor provides information on occupancy of a particular area by measuring the "flex" of a floor beam.

24 hour Security Zone
An area or even one contact that is always armed on a security system. This is often used to protect vaults and gun cabinets. A code is entered into a keypad or access control reader to allow access to the area.

Remote Security Status
You may use your telephone, touch screen, hand-held remote, or voice recognition to have your system report over the telephone or through spoken responses the status (armed, disarmed, violated) of your security subsystem.

Outdoor Security Monitoring
Outdoor security sensors can be installed to provide a warning of intruders approaching the residence. The control system could then make an announcement over the outdoor audio zones or through specific outdoor speakers warning the intruder that he has been detected. Outdoor lighting and security cameras could be activated as well.

Outdoor sensors can detect intruders by means of seismic, video motion, microwave, or E-Field detection methods.

Gas Detector
A device to detect cooking or heating gas leaks and provide warning before the gas gets to a dangerous level.

Smoke Detector
Photo electronic or ionization type smoke detectors that communicate with a fire control panel to warn of a fire.

Access Control
Your system can use card readers or keypads to control and log access to sensitive areas (entry gates, wine cellar, office, etc.) of your home. A magnetic card can be given to a visitor or service person that will allow access to selected areas without the visitor having to know or learn a passcode. This allows you to have a guest card that can be returned to you when a guest leaves saving you or a grounds person from reprogramming access codes, when a guest or service person leaves.

Proximity Reader
A proximity reader is another access device that can read a special card or watch fob like device from a short distance (18" to 24"). It is especially handy where vandalism or aesthetics are a concern because the reader can be hidden in a wall.

Card Reader
A card reader is exactly the same as a credit card reader used in stores, the main difference being that this card will let you in and out of buildings as well as log your attendance to a local computer.