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Summary: A really great book on every aspect of home networking
Review: This book is a really great resource on communications and networking in your house, written in a very readable style. I bought it for info on how to set up a LAN in my house to connect PC's together, but it's full of info on every aspect of communications. From TV to stereos to telephones to intercoms to LANs to Internet access, it's all covered. There are even chapters with design recommendations for when you are building a new house, remodeling, or just rewiring. It's recent, it's up-to-date on technology, and it's a fun read.
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Summary: An absolute must have
Review: This book is an exceptional investment for anyone who is building a new home and contemplating smart-wiring it (and you should smart wire -- it just makes all the sense in the world). The book explains all the reasons why equipping your house with smart technology makes sense and then makes a compelling argument on the economics of the venture -- the return on investment is exceptional. The book also presents the information in clear concise language and de-mystifies the jargon. You'll be able to talk to contractors with confidence in their language and you'll save money by buying your own wire -- the book tells you exactly what you need. My contractor told me upfront that he'd tack on 10 percent to the price of the wire as 'book-keeping' cost. So when I bought my first crate of CAT5, the book had already paid for itself. Only one thing would have made this book better -- instructions or advice on how to actually physically install the wire (which is hard to find anywhere). I hired a contractor, and even though I'm satisfied that I got value from the project, I could have saved more if I'd done it myself. In anycase, nice work guys.
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Summary: If your're not a dummy, don't buy it...
Review: This book is good if all you want is an overview of WHAT you CAN do, but is nearly worthless if you are a do-it-yourselfer and want to know HOW to do it. It has almost nothing about the nuts and bolds of how to pre-wire or connect components for any of the systems. Every time it almost get into a "how-to" paragraph they tell you to buy "Home Improvement for Dummies." Hmmm, they get to sell two books instead of one... they're not dummies.
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Summary: Me, wired for the millenium? I can be now!
Review: This comprehensive book on keeping your home up-to-date for the current and upcoming technologies is a must have for every homeowner, architect, contractor, etc.! My wife recently gave birth to our first child and we hope to build or buy a new home in the next 1 to 3 years. I wanted an easy to read reference on home wiring for the future prior to purchasing a house. My hope was that the info in the book would help my wife and I make sense of what exists regarding home wiring and networking of all types (audio, video, computer, phone, etc.). Briere and Hurley did not disappoint. The authors, in entertaining and sometimes off-the-wall ways, helped me understand the "technobabble" surrounding home networking and explain strategies for preparing your house both for the immediate and long term future. I was also very relieved to learn you don't have to be a millionaire to have a "Home of the Future." I strongly recommend this book to those who own, are building/remodeling a house, or are just thinking about a dream home. M. Clark
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Summary: Perfect guide to equiping your house for the 21th cen
Review: This is the perfect guide for anyone who wants to equip their home for the 21st century. The focus is on networking the home for audio/video entertainment, telephone, computer & security systems, & making it all work together. Planning for the new home and remodeling options are covered. Practical tips tell you exactly what components are needed for various levels of automation, including what it will cost and how to stretch your budget. There are enticing hints about technology to come, how to prepare for it now and what is worth waiting for. Specific brand name products now on the market are analyzed with warnings about conflicting standards. For more in depth study of specific topics there are lists of web resources and print publications. This book will help you understand what is available in home automation and how to make it a reality in your own home.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect guide to equiping your house for the 21th cen
Review: This is the perfect guide for anyone who wants to equip their home for the 21st century. The focus is on networking the home for audio/video entertainment, telephone, computer & security systems, & making it all work together. Planning for the new home and remodeling options are covered. Practical tips tell you exactly what components are needed for various levels of automation, including what it will cost and how to stretch your budget. There are enticing hints about technology to come, how to prepare for it now and what is worth waiting for. Specific brand name products now on the market are analyzed with warnings about conflicting standards. For more in depth study of specific topics there are lists of web resources and print publications. This book will help you understand what is available in home automation and how to make it a reality in your own home.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent For Beginners and (somewhat) Experienced
Review: This was my first "... for Dummies" book to read. I am in the process of building our house. I am planning on doing all the wiring in the house except for the electrical. I had already planned on wiring for a computer network. After reading this book, I am scrambling to find more money to wire the house for "everything." The book is very well written, covers everything from X-10 to security systems, to computer networks, to whole-house audio/video distribution. The book was so interesting it was hard for me to put it down. Would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic.
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Summary: This was a terrific help...
Review: We just moved into a new home and were totally overwhelmed and confused when we tried to figure out what we needed to put in both cable modem for high speed internet access and DirecTV with TiVo. I found Smart Homes for Dummies and read it. It really helped me understand how to accomplish this. Also, as a result, I was able to ask our contractor "smart" questions to keep the costs within our budget and get what we needed for a "futureproof" system.
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Summary: Unexpectedly fabulous book!
Review: Well I expected this to be a real low-level book written for total idiots. What I got was very pleasantly meaty and USEFUL. I'm going to be able to extend my home entertainment center around the house now by using the coax and wireless networking ideas in the book, and we're putting on an addition that's going to really need to be outfitted with the ideas in this book. I really highly recommend this book to anyone out there. It is just useful.
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Summary: Second Edition -- Worth the wait
Review: What a difference four years makes. In the first edition (1999), Briere and Hurley did a great job providing an informative, helpful overview of home automation concepts, all wrapped up in an easy-to-read style that doesn't talk down to a reader. However, people purchasing the book in 2001 or later would be disappointed as the book showed its age: maybe half the links for automation-related companies yielded the dreaded "404" error (many courtesy the dot-com crash), wireless networking was barely mentioned, and cable modems and DSL hadn't reached critical mass to warrant an extended discussion. Fast forward to the second edition (2003) and these shortcomings have all been addressed. New URLs are in place, the authors love wireless, and high-speed Internet connections are addressed for both cable modems and DSL modems. In addition, DBS is also discussed in much greater depth as DirecTV and DISH Network receivers have sprouted like mushrooms on homes and apartment buildings across the U.S. I found the second edition extremely helpful, more so than the first, and it gave me a far better comfort level in figuring out smart home technology. My wife and I are currently remodeling and this book is a huge help to let us know what's possible, what's affordable, and what's do-able by us versus a professional installer. While the book appears to be more focused on running hard wires for your network, don't let that fool you. The authors are firmly in favor of wireless for many homes and apartments, especially where cost or inability to renovate prevents running hard wiring through the walls. The main idea is that, when possible, put as many wires into the walls as you can. You don't have to connect every home computer directly to a wall; you can install a wireless hub wherever it's convenient (or invisible), and use wireless connections without having CAT5e cabling running along the baseboards to the nearest wall jack. Further, there are new systems on the market that use CAT5e to distribute audio, video, and IR control to rooms. This means you can run thinner, cheaper CAT5e to rooms rather than bundled cabling. The authors recognize this trend and advise that readers watch for more developments that use CAT5e. My wife and I are leaning towards such a system, as it's easier to replace outlets and distribution boxes than it is to run new wires once the walls are sealed up. So if you're wondering about having a connected home and what the considerations are, you owe it to yourself to BUY THIS BOOK. Then you can move to a wires-and-circuits discussion without feeling over your head, and without requiring a graduate degree in nerdspeak. Enjoy, and good luck with your own home projects.
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