The first thing you need to decide is exactly what you want to control. Start by making a list of things you want to accomplish with your system. These may include the following: -Controlling lights -Controlling or monitoring thermostats -Video surveillance -Monitoring water and power systems -Remote monitoring over the Internet -Controlling appliances -Caring for [...]

As camera phones and photo messaging become more popular, there is a growing recognition of the privacy issues that surround these unique devices. Because of their small size, and the fact that some models are indistinguishable from regular phones, they can be secreted into areas where a camera wouldn’t normally be permitted. This is leading [...]

When you’re choosing hardware, you need to make sure that all the devices you buy support the same standard. Some other factors to consider when choosing hardware are as follows: – Electrical rating: Make sure the device is rated for the job that you want it to do. For example, a 500W lighting controller will [...]

Wireless cameras, especially aggressively marketed X10 wireless cameras, are a danger to your privacy. Because X10 cameras broadcast an unencrypted analog signal, all anyone needs to intercept it is an X10 video receiver plugged into a laptop. That’s right; someone sitting in a car parked on the street could be watching the video from your [...]

There are a number of sites on the Internet that have ring tones and graphics available for download. An Internet search will turn up hundreds. Be careful, however, because most of these sites are in Europe or the U.K. If you try to get a ring tone or logo from them, you’ll either throw away [...]

Bridging two networks Normally, when you think about bridging two networks, you think about connecting them through a wired bridge, such as when you hook up an AP to share your broadband Internet connection via a router. Actual wireless-to-wireless bridging is a new thing, made possible by the new Wireless Distribution System (WDS) standard. WDS [...]

Online Storage: When I say online, I’m not referring to the Internet. Here online refers to a backup that is readily accessible by users on the network. For a home WLAN, online storage could consist of a hard disk (or disks) on one of the computers on the network or an external hard drive attached [...]

Besides data input, power issues are another chief issue for PDA owners. If you use your PDA extensively, you need to recharge it often, not always a convenient option. Fortunately, there are a number of new products that make it easy to recharge your PDA while you’re out and about. When you’re shopping for batteries [...]

In addition to checking your e-mail, you also can take advantage of services that send alerts directly to your mobile device to inform you of breaking news, stock prices, weather, appointment reminders, or other information that you desire. You can even have alerts sent to your device to let you know when you have received [...]

Depending on the ISP that you use for your broadband Internet connection, you may be subject to limitations on your bandwidth usage and connection speed. This varies among ISPs as well as types of connection. Most DSL subscribers do not run into bandwidth limiting policies. Because DSL users have dedicated connections, they don’t face the [...]