Rating: 
Summary: Brier and Hurley Get Wired!
Review: If you work in a multimedia company or a high tech multimedia laboratory, you probably have a systems administrator and lots of eager students of engineering that can help you design a media and data network infrastructure. However, most of us users who would like to design a network for security, multimedia and computing in a home or small business do not have a systems administrator. Brier and Hurley give an enlightened short course on media, data and electrical networking of your home and small business in Smart Homes for Dummies. The big vision outlined in this book is simplicity afforded by thinking ahead. Save money and space by designing a network which accesses one main computer server; one digital TV; one VCR; one CD player; one radio; one internet or cable service line for multiple users within the home or business. All these media sources are routed via cables, modulators, preamplifiers and switch panels to each room so that users can choose what they want to play on their computer, speakers and video screens. They inform the reader about 'multi-zone' or multiple channel receiving and transmitting devices needed to to push your wired house to full capacity now and in the future. Costs, esthetics, and how to anticipate future technologies are considered. This book is a pleasant read and a fast way to get up to speed on how to 'Get to Wired'. Think of it like an adventure tour of networking wonderland by Bill and Ted. At the same time this is a most excellent (easy to use) source of reference tables for those of us who prefer to bypass the 'Bill sheet' and get something done.
Rating:
Summary: Smart Homes for Dummies Second Edition
Review: If you would like to know more about electronics in the home this is the perfect book. Whether you are an expert or are looking in to having things installed in your home you can easily read and understand everything. Also the book is a great reference for companies and their products.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for a wired home owner! Save 100s of $s & hrs!
Review: If you're in the middle of wiring your house (or even just thinking about it), I urge you to read this book. I wasted a lot of time chasing around when answers to nearly all of my questions were right in "Smart Homes" the whole time! After I got Smart Homes, I was able to make decisions much faster and avoided the expensive mistake of buying the wrong product. I hope that you can learn from my mistake. - Reid
Rating:
Summary: Really helped us update our home office
Review: Like a lot of people, we've spent a lot of time and effort on technology in our home both for entertainment and work purposes. The first edition of Smart Homes for Dummies was a great help, but we were really waiting for the second edition, as we wanted to upgrade a number of things, especially wireless. One thing that was really helpful was that the authors offered several ways to do things and they explained the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. They also did a great job explaining all of the jargon and "buzzwords" you see when you're shopping for this stuff, without being too simplistic. If you want to network your home or upgrade your network, I highly recommend you read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Great value for anyone building a new home or remodeling
Review: Smart Homes for Dummies gives a great overview of the issues to consider when wiring a home. It will help you understand the major systems and make real world decisions on how to put it all together.
Rating: 
Summary: Network your home for the future!
Review: Smart Homes for Dummies was written to solve a real world problem that we ran into - namely the lack of good information on how to go about wiring a home for all of the neat telecommunications, computer, and entertainment systems that we wanted to install. Danny, in particular, ran into this problem when he was restoring an historic home in Maine. His contractor was great in many ways, but when it came time to install wiring for a computer network, multiple phone lines, and a whole-house entertainment system, things got a bit complicated. We just couldn't find a good resource anywhere that would help the contractor (or the homeowner for that matter) - so we decided to write our own. So if you're building a new home, renovating an existing home, or just trying to install some leading-edge home entertainment or other home network in your house, this book is for you. In fact, it's the only book out there on this topic - we checked! Smart Homes for Dummies may bring to mind things like the Jetsons and Rosie the Robot, or Bill Gates' famously wired home in Seattle - and we do talk about both - but we designed it to be useful even if your wiring ambitions are a bit less far reaching than total automation. We break down the "smart" systems in a home by category - telephones, computer networks, security systems, video and audio networks, and home automation systems - and take you through the design and layout of each one step by step. It's NOT a wiring how-to manual as much as it is a design guide. We break each element of a home network down into its components, talk about what kind of wiring and equipment is needed, and give you guidance on how to put it all together in your house. We also realize that not everyone can run new wires in their home, so we have provided lots of information about alternative networks that use radio waves, electrical lines, or existing telephone wiring to get the job done. The things you can do with a smart networked home are just about endless - and they're not just for the fabulously rich or the hopelessly nerdy (though we'd like to include them as well). For example, a home video network is easy to install, and it can let you watch your home theater's VCR or DVD player on any TV in the house, which means you won't have to buy a VCR for each TV! A home computer LAN is also inexpensive and easy to install and it will let you share files and printers, play multi-user networked games, and even share a high-speed Internet connection on every computer in the house (even the laptop in bed). Those who work at home or have teenagers may want to wire their homes for multiple phone lines, or even for a home phone system that can do all the neat stuff an office system does, like transfer calls, set up conference calls and even play music on hold. The book details all of these things and more (including stuff like security alarm systems, automation systems that can turn on your appliances, lights, the all important coffee pot, and whole-home audio networks that pipe music to every corner of the house). We talk about how to set up your home to take the maximum advantage of all the devices you want to install in your house: TV, VCR, CD Player, Tape Player, DVD Player, Intercom, Phone System, Remote Controls, Video Doorbells, DirecTV Players, Smoke Alarms, Infrared Motion Sensors, Internet Refrigerators, Screenphones, Voice Control Automation, Home Entertainment Systems, and so on. What's really neat about Smart Homes for Dummies is that we tell you how to mix and match all of these systems so you can play your audio tapes over your intercom system, or use your motion detectors to open the garage door. Basically, we wrote Smart Homes for Dummies because we believe there are a lot of people out there who think like us. They want their homes to be future-proofed for this next age of communications - and that takes planning. Suppose you had an Internet refrigerator - how would you connect it to the Internet? Or suppose you wanted to watch your child take a nap in the nursery - through the Picture-in-Picture capability on your TV set - how would you wire that? Smart Homes for Dummies helps you save money by making the most of the investment you are making in your home. Do it right, do it once, and all the flexibility of your design enable you to take advantage of all of the neat things that networks can do today, as well as prepare you for future communications technologies. Not to mention, we think having a networked smart home is a heck of a lot fun too!
Rating:
Summary: Forget The Joneses, Why Not Keep Up With The Jetsons?
Review: Smart Homes For Dummies® Brings Your Home into the Future As we enter the 21st century, home automation is getting easier and more affordable. The intelligent home of the Jetsons is becoming less of a cartoon fantasy and more of a real-life reality. Whether building a new home, renovating an existing home, or just trying to install some leading-edge home improvements, then IDG Books Worldwide's new book Smart Homes For Dummies will help homeowners enter the 21st century in Jetson's style! Building and wiring a smart home isn't about vanity additions, it's about incorporating technology to make living easier. A home computer LAN (local area network) enables the sharing of printers, modems, scanners and files to save money and time. With a little wiring and set-up, a home office or house with teenagers can take advantage of multiple phone lines, call transferring, conferencing and customized music on hold capabilities. With the friendly and easy-to-understand guidance of Smart Homes For Dummies, readers can take advantage of cutting-edge technologies that will enhance a home's appeal and value. They can easily incorporate ideas such as: * Many TVs and one VCR: Use an inexpensive coaxial cable or wireless network to connect multiple TVs to one VCR * Watch a sleeping baby from the living room TV using networked "TV station" capabilities * Run music through the house by re-purposing an intercom system * Save $ on long-distance calls when a PC doubles as a phone * Never forget a birthday or appointment by setting-up an automated audio reminder system using a PC and a home intercom * Water the yard according to Internet weather forecasts with a smart sprinkler system * Check on the kids from the office using the Internet * Connect a home security system to a pager for instant notification As with all ...For Dummies® titles, Smart Homes For Dummies contains the popular and informative Parts of Tens which details Ten Neat Things You Can Network Now, Ten Hints For Designing a "Futureproofed" Home, Ten Great Web Resources, and Ten Print Publications to Get Your Hands On. Also included is a description of some of the ultra-cool smart home additions in Bill Gates' super-home! **About the Authors** Danny Briere is a regular commentator on CNN and the author of more than one thousand articles and four books, including Internet Telephony For Dummies®. He is the founder and president of TeleChoice, Inc., a telecommunications consulting company. Pat Hurley, a TeleChoice, Inc. analyst and coauthor of Internet Telephony For Dummies®, is a noted expert in home networking and related technologies, including high-speed Internet access via cable modem.
Rating:
Summary: Just modernized our home. Your book was a godsend.
Review: Thanks so much for publishing Smart Homes for Dummies because now our home is ready for the 21st century...We feel like we're ahead of the trend...When we decided to work on our home we didn't really consider readying it for the burgeoning Information Age. However, a friend told us about the book and we're grateful he did... Anyone renovating a home or building a home would be wise to invest in this book...When you consider the cost of building or renovating, it's better to do it right, rather than kick yourself later wishing you would have incorporated some of the things that were recommended in the book... We also have other "Dummy" books and have found them useful because they are what they say...Granny could understand them.
Rating: 
Summary: A little dated, but good starting point.
Review: The content is beginning to show its age. Broadband at home was not readily available at the time of printing, however the basics of setting up a home network still apply. There were some interesting sections that describe setting up a central control room for home media resources. I found the details of the approach less interesting than the rational that motivated it. That was worth the book to me.
Rating:
Summary: Smarter in Georgia
Review: The new edition is as good as the first edition. I got that one three years ago, and we continue to smarten up our house. I was waiting for the new edition to come out. We've got a mix of simple stuff and more intense stuff in our house, but none of it was above the level of the book. I agree with the Electronic House comment: "This is for smart people too." This is simply a practical book that you should read before you do anything in your house in this area. It puts you in the right mindset, and you'll find yourself re-reading chapters to get ideas again and again. I glad they came out with a new version because there's a lot of new stuff out now (and sure enough, it's all in here!). Good stuff. Buy it.
| 
