Introduction

1

Part I: Future-Perfect Homes

7

Chapter 1: Mi Casa, Cool Casa

9

Chapter 2: Zen and the Art of Whole-Home Networking

21

Chapter 3: Cool Stuff Home Networks Can Do

41

Chapter 4: Timelines and Budgets

57

Part II: Making Your Home an Entertainment Center

65

Chapter 5: Breaking the Entertainment Bottleneck — Without Breaking the Bank

67

Chapter 6: Getting Video Where You Want It

85

Chapter 7: Wiring a Video Network

99

Chapter 8: Bringing You Music

117

Chapter 9: Running Audio Here, There, and Everywhere

131

Part III: Now We ’re Communicating!

145

Chapter 10: Planning a Phone System

147

Chapter 11: Making the Phone Connection

167

Part IV: Livin’ Off the Fat of the LAN

179

Chapter 12: A Cornucopia of Computers

181

Chapter 13: All Roads Lead to the Net

197

Chapter 14: Designing a Data LAN

215

Chapter 15: Choosing the Parts for a Wired Data LAN

227

Chapter 16: Alternatives to a Wired Data LAN

239

Part V: Keeping the Bad Guys at Bay

255

Chapter 17: Home Security Boot Camp

257

Chapter 18: Wiring a Security System

273

Part VI: Putting It All Together — Home Automation and Control

283

Chapter 19: Home Automation Extravaganza

285

Chapter 20: Making Home Automation a Reality

305

Tens

323

Chapter 21: Ten Common Pitfalls When Building Your Smart Home

325

Chapter 22: Top Ten Toys of the Future

331

Index

343