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Home Automation

Tap into the elements of intelligence for smart homes.

BY BOB PARKS

To some, a smart home means greater energy efficiency — like appliances that respond to time-of-day pricing or motorized curtains that shut on hot days. To others, it’s whimsy — like waterproof speakers that blast “Immigrant Song” while propane torches ignite along the roofline. Either way, it’s cheaper and easier now to build the kind of smart, reliable home automation that has been promised for decades. New wireless protocols and cellphone-based interfaces make such installations extremely flexible. And by experimenting with next-gen technologies like gesture-based ...

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