Smart Homes For Dummies

Danny Briere founded TeleChoice, Inc., a telecommunications consulting company, in 1985 and now serves as CEO of the company. Widely known throughout the telecommunications and networking industry, Danny has written more than one thousand articles about telecommunications topics and has authored or edited ten books, including Internet Telephony For Dummies, Wireless Home Networking For Dummies (now in its second edition), Wireless Hacks and Mods for Dummies, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 PC For Dummies, and Home Theater For Dummies. He is frequently quoted by leading publications on telecommunications and technology topics and can often be seen on major TV networks, providing analysis on the latest communications news and breakthroughs. Danny splits his time between Mansfield Center, Connecticut, and his island home on Great Diamond Island, Maine, with his wife and four children. Pat Hurley is Director of Research with TeleChoice, Inc., and specializes in emerging telecommunications and digital home technologies, particularly in all the latest consumer electronics, access gear, and home technologies, including wireless LANs, DSL, cable modems, satellite services, and homenetworking services. Pat frequently consults with the leading telecommunications carriers, equipment vendors, consumer goods manufacturers, and other players in the telecommunications and consumer electronics industries. Pat is the coauthor of Internet Telephony For Dummies, Smart Homes For Dummies, Wireless Home Networking For Dummies, Wireless Hacks and Mods for Dummies, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 PC For Dummies, and Home Theater For Dummies. He lives in San Diego, California, with his wife, a fiery red-headed toddler named Annabel, and two smelly dogs.

Introduction. Part I: Future-Perfect Homes. Chapter 1: Mi Casa, Cool Casa. Chapter 2: Zen and the Art of Whole-Home Networking. Chapter 3: Cool Stuff Home Networks Can Do. Chapter 4: Timelines and Budgets. Part II: Making Your Home an Entertainment Center. Chapter 5: Breaking the Entertainment Bottleneck - Without Breaking the Bank. Chapter 6: Getting Video Where You Want It. Chapter 7: Wiring a Video Network. Chapter 8: Bringing You Music. Chapter 9: Running Audio Here, There, and Everywhere. Part III: Now We're Communicating! Chapter 10: Planning a Phone System. Chapter 11: : Making the Phone Connection. Part IV: Livin' Off the Fat of the LAN. Chapter 12: A Cornucopia of Computers. Chapter 13: All Roads Lead to the Net. Chapter 14: Designing a Data LAN. Chapter 15: Choosing the Parts for a Wired Data LAN. Chapter 16: Alternatives to a Wired Data LAN. Part V: Keeping the Bad Guys at Bay - Security. Chapter 17: Home Security Boot Camp. Chapter 18: Wiring a Security System. Part VI: Putting It All Together - Home Automation and Control. Chapter 19: Home Automation Extravaganza. Chapter 20: Making Home Automation a Reality. Part VII: The Part of Tens. Chapter 21: Ten Common Pitfalls When Building Your Smart Home. Chapter 22: Top Ten Toys of the Future. Index.