An 18,000-square-foot home is a lot to manage. When designers at Electronic Design Group first met with the homeowners on this Northern New Jersey project, they knew that managing eight subsystems in a home of this scope would require an overhaul of the EDG control model. To give the family easy access to 31 thermostats, 28 security cameras and 412 lights, EDG designers put in place a floorplan-based format using a 17-inch Crestron touchpanel. When the homeowner wants to get an overview of his electronic management system, he brings up a room layout on any of 22 touchpanels in the house and can turn down the heat, shut off a sconce or shuffle a playlist--without lifting more than a finger. Each layout is presented in the same format, providing a uniform interface for each subsystem.Convenience is everything in an expansive home with full-tilt automation. Family members can only take advantage of the benefits of a smart home if operation of the control system is simple and intuitive. Here, an audio page shows which rooms have music playing and gives users the option of muting the system or selecting one of five sources. Views from the security cameras inside and outside of the home are visible from the security page, as are status reports from smoke detectors and window and door sensors. A weather page gives the current readings and a forecast. The client can also hop onto the check stock quotes and hop onto the Internet.
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