Licenses
GA - LVA205398
NC - 24887-SP-LV

Home Automation

Climate System | Audio System | Lighting System | Security System Video System | Messaging System | Irrigation System

Climate systems control the heating and cooling in different parts (zones) of a house through thermostats installed in each zone. Basic thermostats allow users to set a desired temperature, which they then maintain until somebody makes another change. Programmable thermostats have schedules and change the temperature during the day. In the winter they can be programmed to raise the temperature in the morning while you get ready for work, and then lower the temperature until later in the afternoon when you return, saving you money during the day. A typical schedule has 4 periods in each day: morning, daytime, evening and night. Some thermostats also allow you to have different schedules for different days of the week, allowing you to customize the settings for your regular weekly pattern. Although programmable thermostats can save you money, each thermostat in the house has to be programmed, and this can be difficult given their fairly basic interface. Also, when you leave for an extended period, you have to go to each thermostat to set them back while you are gone.

Audio systems provide music to various parts of the home, either through simple stereos in each room or from elaborate whole-house audio distribution systems. A basic audio system is a familiar setup consisting of a stereo and a set of speakers nearby. This setup is convenient and simple. A more sophisticated solution to audio has a stereo at a central location, with speakers installed in the wall in a number of rooms. Each room also has a volume control, which allows local control of the volume. The same music is played in each room, but changing the track on a CD, or switching to a different radio station requires walking to the central source to make the change. The ultimate in whole house audio is a multi-source / multi-zone system, which features keypads in each listening area that provides control over the music source just for that zone. From the keypad you can choose to listen to the CD player, and then start playing the CD, jump to the next track, etc, in addition to raising or lowering the volume. Someone in another room can choose to listen to the CD player too, or they can choose to listen to the radio. The music sources (CD player, etc) are mounted in a central location along with the amplifier and controller that works with the keypads in each room, and individual wires are run to the keypads and speakers in each room.

Lighting systems provide convenience and enhanced peace of mind by allowing users to control many lights from one location and by allowing users to setup schedules that turn on lights automatically at certain times of day or night. Lighting systems provide three main benefits in a home: centralize control of many switches, preset scenes for common activities, and time-based scheduling of lighting. Centralized control is a great time saver by allowing you to switch lights in different parts of the house from one location. A good example is when you get ready to go to bed at night: instead of walking around the house to turn off all the outside lights, simply push one button in your master bedroom. Or, if you hear a strange sound, press another to immediately turn all of the outside lights on. Lighting scenes are convenient because they allow you to switch or dim many lights in a specific space with one button press. For example, a typical kitchen might have anywhere from 5 to 15 light switches. With conventional switches you have to walk around and set each one. With a lighting system you establish specific scenes for cooking, eating, cleaning up, etc., and then with one button press select the scene to set all the lights in the to the desired level. Some lighting systems also provide time based scheduling, so that outside lights are always turned on just before sunset, and then turned off at midnight. And when you're away on vacation, time based scheduling can also be used to simulate at-home behavior to make your house appear lived-in. Entry level lighting systems use the 110 volt power lines in the home to communicate with light switches. A couple of variations of this technology are available (X-10, PLC), and they provide the most cost effective solution. Although power line communications can be susceptible to noise from other electrical components in the house, with planning and care they can be reliable. Power line carrier systems are also relatively easy to retrofit into an existing home. Higher-end lighting systems are normally more reliable, and rely on either a wireless link or a dedicated signal wire to communicate with the switches. Some of these higher-end systems also require all the switches and lights to be wired back to a central panel, which makes them very difficult to retrofit.

Security systems monitor the home for intrusion and fire, and sound a siren and (optionally) notify a monitoring service in the event of an alarm. Basic security systems consist of a main keypad at a central location, with a handful of wireless sensors detecting motion in primary spaces and fire. More sophisticated systems have a control panel that is mounted in a closet or the basement, and then any number of keypads located by main entry doors, as well as a keypad in the master bedroom. In new construction or renovations, sensors to all first floor windows and doors are hard wired back to the panel, in addition to sensors for fire on each floor and motion or glass break sensors in large living spaces. All security systems off a monitoring service. When an alarm occurs, the control panel calls the central station with the particular alarm. For fire, the fire department is typically dispatched immediately to the house, potentially saving valuable time. For intrusion alarms, the monitoring station may call the house for password verification before dispatching the police. Because monitored systems reduce the likelihood of loss from fire or theft, most insurance companies offer a discount to homeowners with monitored systems installed.

Video systems allow you to look at another part of the house to check on a child or an outdoor other, and with special internet-enabled software, allow you to connect to a remote home over the Internet. Video systems provide a number of benefits by delivering a live video image from one of potentially many cameras to a convenient viewing location. Basic video systems consist of a camera mounted at the front door or looking over the play area. A cable routes the signal back into the houses television system so that the image can be seen on any TV by changing to a specific channel. If there are several cameras in the house, each camera can be placed onto its own channel, or a special integration device can be used to show all the images at once, tiled onto one screen. Higher-end cameras are network enabled, and can deliver the video feed over the home network to any computer in the house. In this case, the image can also be viewed over the internet, allowing homeowners to check into their home from work, or easily monitor a vacation home.

Messaging systems can be as simple as an inexpensive answering machine, or as complex as a small business voice mail system with multiple mailboxes and other sophisticated features. Phone messaging systems accept incoming phone calls on one or more lines, and then allow the caller to save a message, or if the caller has the correct password, to access old messages and make other changes to the phone system. The most basic messaging system is the familiar answering machine. The phone line plugs into the back, and with the right set of button presses you can record your own outgoing message. Most systems also allow you to call in when you're away to retrieve messages. More sophisticated systems add support for more than one incoming line, or the ability to route incoming calls into individual mail boxes for different people in the house.

Irrigation systems control sprinklers that water your plants and your yard. Some units have rain sensors to prevent watering if it has rained recently. Irrigation systems help protect your landscaping investment by keeping plants properly watered and in good health. The heart of the system is the controller or timer, which turns the individual sprinkler valves on and off according to a preset schedule. Typically, the irrigation controller is installed in a garage or other similar location. Several times each year the home owner or caretaker visits the controller to change or review the settings. Because the climate changes significantly during the season, the schedule should be changed regularly to ensure enough water is applied during long hot dry spells, and that water is not wasted early or late in the season, or during a cool damp stretch. Due to the limited interface on typical irrigation controllers, changing the schedule is not intuitive and can be time consuming.

 

24 Hour Monitoring
Certificate of Installation for Insurance Discounts

Mountain Valley Systems
56 The Farm Road    ·    Morganton, GA 30560
706-374-4153    ·    Fax - 706 374-4152
mvs@tds.net

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