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LIGHTS, CAMERA, AUTOMATION!If there’s one town where the home automationcraze caught on early, it’s Hollywood. For more than60 years, movies and TV have been showing us homeautomation at its best, and worst. Most of thesedepictions are portrayals of what were, at the time, onlyimaginary technologies. My how times have changed!What was once possible only in the fevered imaginingsof Hollywood screenwriters is now an everyday reality,thanks to Control4. With that in mind, we thought it wouldbe fun to take a look back at home automation in film andtelevision, and see how the anachronistic representationsof yesteryear compare with the modern realities of today.The House of Tomorrow6something different—say I want tolisten to BBC news in the kitchen as Imake breakfast and my daughter wantsto listen to a Pandora station while she’sin the bathroom—it’s only a matter ofa few more button presses to get towhat each of us is looking for. Becauseof the multitude of things to watch orlisten to, it’s a system that all of us wantto use. Just as important is the factthat it’s quick and convenient to use,which is why all of us actually do useit. And because the system isn’t limitedto one single room at a time, we oftenget double, triple, and even quadruplebenefits out of it whenever we’re notall in the same room at the same time.Every now and then when weactually do find ourselves in the sameroom together, it’s usually in the hometheater room. One of the most recenttimes included my newly-married sonand daughter-in-law. We took theopportunity to go through all of thewedding photos we had. But ratherthan crowd around the small screen ofa laptop or hand our smartphones backand forth, we sat comfortably on thecouch and—thanks to the ability of thewhole-house media system to reach intoevery digital nook and cranny whereeach of us had stored our photos—relived the event on the 55-inch flatscreen in the front of the room. It mademe think of the times when my dadwould fire up the slide projector to lookat vacation pictures. Unfortunately, thewhole process back then was such anordeal that we didn’t do it all that often.Can a person live a complete andfulfilling life without a whole-homemedia distribution system? Well, sure.I guess. But, as my early-adopter fathercan testify, life is so much nicer withit. And now that electronic mediahas become such an integral partof our daily lives, I don’t think it willbe long before people start beingsurprised when a house doesn’thave a media distribution system. A seminal vision of the thrilling (and hilarious) possibilities of home automation, Tex Avery’sanimated short showed us the future—and it was funny. A wry satire on modern family life, thiscartoon features a house with everything: from an automatic sandwich maker to an all-electricrazor to a multi-screen TV. Just be careful of that exploding super-atomic oven!MGMYou see, it’s an incredibly elevatedexperience to have separate (builtin or in-room) speakers in multiplerooms—and maybe a TV too—allconnected to the home’s mediadistribution system. It’s not onlythat your listening choices suddenlyborder on the infinite—includingsatellite or terrestrial radio stations,streaming internet services (such asNapster, Rhapsody, TuneIn, Pandoraor Spotify), podcasts, your entiredigital music collection, or potentiallymusic and podcasts stored on a familymember’s or friend’s smartphone.Thanks to the magic of matrixswitches, you can listen to (or watch)different sources simultaneously, too.In my case, the touch screens andkeypads that are part of the Control4home automation system installedin my house are programmed withbuttons that provide one-press accessto my family’s most popular sources.But if one of us is in the mood forNot ready for a super-atomic oven? With Control4 automation and luxury appliances frommanufacturers like Sub-Zero and Wolf, your kitchen will make the year 2050 seem like theStone Age.7

BITS & PIECESIn 2013, Yahoo rankedthe “Most AskedQuestions” whichincluded the likes of:For big laughs &little-did-you-knowsWhatever your heart desires.Literally. Musical Heart, partof the Septimu project goingon in Microsoft Research, isa smart earbud that—basedon biofeedback—tells asmartphone to recommend,play, and share music that issuitable for the user's mood,health, and situation.NO KISSINGCOUSINS!Roboticists at MIT have createda robot that can put flat-packIKEA furniture together all byitself. It has a specialized gripperhand that can grab the piecesand put the product togetherwith no human help.An app created bythree University ofIceland softwareengineering studentshelps natives avoidaccidental incest. Bytouching phones, the1app detects whether“WHEN DO THECLOCKS CHANGE?”you are too closeto each other on a2“WHAT IS MYIP ADDRESS?”3“HOW DO I CHANGEMY PASSWORD?”54%of internet users haveposted original photosor videos to websites.47%share photos or videos theyfound elsewhere online.8I am not allowed, forsecurity reasons, tohave an iPhone.—US President Barack Obama,in a speech to some youngfolks at the White HouseIN 1979a Brit namedKane Kramersubmitted apatent thatalmost perfectlyresembles aniPod. He evenwent as far aspredicting aneed for DRMand a wayto distributethe music.SOURCES THIS PAGE: YAHOO.COM, EXTREMETECH.COM, GIZMODO.COM, THEGUARDIAN.COM, PEWINTERNET.ORG;OPPOSITE: CBC.CA, CYTHINGS.COM, EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG, BLOGS.DISCOVERMAGAZINE.COM, MC10INC.COMfamily tree!Si lent dis co \sīlənt diskō\n: A modern dance event phenomenonin which the music is broadcastedand distributed via FM-transmitter tothe participant's headphones ratherthan speakers.MC10, a Cambridge, Massachusetts basedstartup, is developing virtually invisible,conformal, and wearable electronics made ofmicro and nano-scale electronic structuresone fifth the width of a human hair!Even if we use the HubbleSpace Telescope to lookat the moon, a footballstadium-sized objectwould appear as one pixel.9

GAMECHANGERA FORMER NFL PLAYER USESSMART-HOME TECHNOLOGYTO KEEP TABS ON A NEW HOMEHow do you tackle building a smart home when you’rea former NFL star? You have a ball. We can’t tell youthe name of this retired athlete (he’d prefer to remainanonymous), but we can say that he is thrilled withhow Control4 simplified his large and luxurious familyhome. Let’s kick things off and check out this stately spread.Just outside of Indianapolis you’ll find Carmel, Indiana, where gatedcommunities nestle near touches of country—trees, creeks, and fields. It’s herein Carmel where our homeowner decided to build a home for his family of four(with another on the way) four years ago. And, from the very beginning, theproject was a true team effort. “We worked with TJ West Designs,” explainsthe owner. “TJ really did a fantastic job, working with me and my wife, gettingThe automationsystem worksbehind thescenes, lettingthe homeowner'sdecor take centerstage: lively colors,NFL memorabilia,and all that jazz.10Project installation byMillennium Sounds11

both of our styles, bringing themtogether and making the housemodern and contemporary, butstill very relaxing for our family.”As the homeowners strategized,they decided automation was acritical part of the plan. Having apre-game strategy was necessary,given the size of their future dreamhome—17,000 square feet. “This is avery big project,” says Bill Lehmanof Millennium Sounds, the projectinstaller. And how did Control4 geton the roster? “We knew we wanteda control solution. There was abudget in mind, and Control4 dideverything that the owners wantedwithin their budget.”“When we saw Control4, wereally fell in love,” the ownernotes. Right away, the team fromMillennium Sounds began itspre-game workouts, huddling upwith the builders, going throughthe blueprints room by room,incorporating the customer’swishes into each area. “We alsoworked very closely with theinterior designer,” explains Lehman.“They helped with touch screenplacement, lighting control,everything. We wanted the house tolook as good as they did.” Two yearslater, the house was completed.Automation touches nearlyevery room. “We have twenty TVsthroughout the house, with severalsources of video,” Bill notes. “Wealso have several zones of audiothroughout, and touch screensin most every room.” That easeof accessibility really makes adifference in the family’s dailyactivities, as the owner explains:“This house is lived in. We use everysquare inch of the home. And it’sIndividual audio zones keep the wacky kids'music separate from the piano room (mom'sin-house hideaway), above. Outdoor music, thepoolhouse TV, and backyard lights can all befired up from the owner's phone, below.12The future is nowLeaf Ultra HD - HDCP 2.2 Compliant Video and Audio Matrices Ultra HD Video 4K 30 - 4K 60 4:2:0HDCP 2.2 CompliantHDBaseT Class A and Class B models with POHCoaxial Digital Audio inputsMulti-zone variable line level audio outputs with Bass and Treble controlVariable audio Delay for Lip-sync correctionUltra compact POH HDBaseT ReceiversDD 5.1 downmixing models coming in Q2 2015Come see us at CEDIA Expo - booth 412leafaudio.com13

PHOTOS BY REBECCA HENRYLiving room loungers can access their own personalized video options on the big-screen TV, while others watch a separate source in the adjacent kitchen.really useful to have those buttonson the wall. A lot of times it’s achallenge to find those remotes.Just to be able to go to a TV screenor any of the buttons on the wall, isvery helpful.”The media distribution system isa certain future hall-of-famer. “TheHDMI matrix switch distributesvideo throughout the house, thereare several satellite receivers andBlu-ray players, and in each roomthey can pick the receiver andBlu-ray player they want to use.”That comes in handy in rooms likethe kids’ playroom on the secondlevel which features three TVs.“Someone will want to watch one14show, another will watch a differentshow or play a video game,” theowner notes. “We really have thecapabilities to make sure thateveryone is happy.”There’s a similar game plan in theadjoining kitchen and living roomarea on the main level. “We knew wewere going to spend a lot of time inthe kitchen, and the kids are goingto be right there in the living room,”explains the owner.With a house this huge, the onetouch button convenience savesa lot of legwork. “They don’t haveto walk throughout the house tocheck things or know if things areon or off,” Bill explains. “When theygo into a room, they have lightingscenes and music scenes. Theycan just push one button and haveeverything turn on.” It’s a whole newball game from the owner’s previouspad. “In my old house,” notes theowner, “you’re backing out of yourdriveway and the upstairs light ison. You’re not going to go back inthe house and go upstairs to turnthat light off. Here, before I leavethe house, I just press one button tomake sure all my lights are off.”The owner’s favorite featuresinclude the door station intercom(“no more of those solicitors at thefront door,” he says), and the abilityto access the system remotely.One touch of a button prepares the basement “man cave” for a superbowl party, poker night, or post-game cocktails.“I can be somewhere else aroundthe world, and I can still access myControl4 system,” notes the owner.“I can look at the cameras in myhouse, flicker on lights and scare theheck out of my wife,” he adds with ahearty laugh. “It’s just great to havethat ability, and Control4 definitelygot it done for me.”But there’s one part of the housethat we haven’t even mentionedyet, though clearly it's an area thatwould make the highlights reel:the basement, built out as one ofthe most impressive recreationalareas we’ve ever seen. It’s a bar, atheater, a workout room, a gym, atrophy room, a casino In short, theultimate man cave.“It’s fully automated,” says theowner. “We put on a lot of differentkinds of viewing events—SuperBowl, fight parties, whatever it is.I hit the ALL ON button and allthe TVs come on. I hit the PARTYbutton; it sets up the back of theroom and the music will be playing,and then we’re all set to go.” Inthe exercise room, the systemis set up so that the owner cansimultaneously pump iron, watchESPN and listen to his music.There’s a golf simulator, also on theControl4 system, which means theowner can also use the simulatorscreen to call up television or playvideo games. But even within thistop-of-the-line man cave, there’san ultimate room—call it the houseMVP—the gymnasium.You descend even deeper intothe basement to find it—a shiny,glass-enclosed gym, complete withbasketball court, wooden floor, andmultimedia on every wall. “It’s oneof the coolest rooms in this project,”installer Bill notes. The owneragrees. “A lot of my friends comeover, we’re competitive and weplay basketball.” Millennium Soundseven added a custom feature to thesystem: Press the BBALL button,and Michael Jordan’s voice boomsthrough, challenging: “You want15

a piece of me? C’mon!” A Jay-Ztrack thumps and bumps and getsthe adrenaline pumping as the TVscome to life and the lights shinebright. It’s a super-charged momentstraight out of the beginning of apro sports game—something thisowner is very familiar with.And so, even though this footballfamily has a lot going on in theirpalatial pad, they are breathing easy,thanks to an automated systemthat lets them stay in control. “Weabsolutely love the system,” theowner notes. “It’s easy, it’s simple,it lets you control a lot of differentdevices and it really makes living inthis house a lot easier for us.” 16Hoop dreamscome true in theprivate gymnasium,complete with allstar walk-on musicand televisionscreens. Televisionsand audio aboundin the workoutroom as well.17

THE ULTIMATE“FAN CAVE”Project installation bySonic Low Voltage Inc.The only thing StewartMcVicar loves morethan the ChicagoCubs themselves iswatching the Cubs athis favorite sports bar,Club 400—a.k.a., his basement. Butcompared to most man caves, thisone’s a guaranteed Hall-of-Famer.Named after the center fieldpost at Wrigley Field, Stewart’sprivate pub has all the fixings ofa commercial establishment, andthen some: TVs everywhere, arcadegames, even separate men’s andwomen’s restrooms (including the18essential 24” flatscreen TV abovethe urinal). You'll also find theaterseating, two bars, and Cubbiesmemorabilia everywhere you look.The entire system is integratedand controlled by Control4 products,so Stewart can operate everythingfrom his remote, or the 7-inch TouchScreen. That includes eight audiofeeds for 16 outputs, an 8x8 videomatrix with dual outputs (for 16different displays), and four differentsatellite boxes, so Stewart can watchfour different live games at anytime. Lighting is also integrated,so when it’s time to play ball, theTVs fire up, the lights dim, andaudio from the game is broadcastthroughout the entire basement.There’s enough space—andentertainment—to occupy Stewartand 40 of his closest buddies. It’s asports nut’s dream come true, butwhat does Stewart’s wife think?“She ‘s been 100% supportive ofthe entire project,” says Stewart.“But I met my wife at a Cubsgame, so she knew what she wasgetting into when she met me.” 19

Take a journeyto the heartof happinessTHE SECRET TOProject installation byTEKHAUS Central AmericaPARADISEYou deserve a break.Quite frankly, so doI. What do you saywe make a quickescape together?I’ve got the perfecttropical paradise in mind—a locationsun-drenched in restorative energy,an oasis of palm trees, white sand,and turquoise waters that glistenlike a beacon to the overstressedand work-weary. (It also happens tobe the finest in romantic getaways,if you're so inclined.) Pack onlycomfortable, light clothing andprepare for temperatures in the80s. We’re going to Belize.Now the mainland of the leadingtourism country in Central America,and former empire of the Mayans,is not our final destination. No,we are going someplace that canonly be approached by boat. Hopaboard and enjoy the ride as wemotor eleven miles through theCaribbean Sea to our port of call.Full speed ahead to El Secreto!This brand new hot spot is abarefoot luxury resort located onthe Ambergris Cay, a small islesituated along the second largestbarrier reef in the world. Yes, there’sscuba diving, snorkeling, fishing,kayaking, windsurfing, and plentymore water activities that bring youAerial view of Central America's best keptsecret, top. The Spa Villa, ready to hostyou and your most indulgent fantasies,below left. Lounge poolside in a tropicalparadise, below center.2021

SMALLER. QUIETER. STRONGER.22The NEW Kwikset SmartCode deadbolt is transforming theControl4 home automationsolution one lock at a time. Thisnew lock features a 10 digitbacklit keypad with a smallerinterior & sleek exterior design. BHMA Grade 2 Certified Quieter motorized deadbolt All metal interior escutcheon Tamper resistantinterior coverSlimline InteriorDownload the improved Kwikset App in the 4StorePHOTOS BY JOSE LUIS ZAPATAA bedroom in one of the Sea Villas, above. First class amenitiesand services ensure that you never want to leave, below.face-to-fish with that spectacularreef, but the land amenities make anequally impressive splash. Namely,the 13 individual villas spreadthroughout the property—we canchoose a “tropical villa,” a “sea villa,”a “lake villa,” and the much-coveted“spa villa.” With only one partyto a villa, and only 13 villas, we’reguaranteed an intimate retreat.El Secreto owner Abraham Roffeopened the resort to the publicjust months ago, and he is proudthat Conde Nast’s Traveler recentlynamed it one of The Best New Hotelsof 2013. He designed the gorgeousisland getaway to be a 4-starexperience, giving his guests the verybest in personalized service everystep of the way, from fresh-squeezedjuice waiting outside your doorevery morning to complimentary5-minute power massages bythe pool. For Abraham, it was ano-brainer to make Control4 thebackbone to El Secreto’s operation.“I have been a Control4 customerand user in my own home for aboutfive years, and I love the system,”says Abraham. “Guests use it for thecontrol of their own villa, everythingfrom air conditioner control to TV,lighting, music, and door locks. Eachvilla has its own iPod dock, so guestscan play their own music or theRhapsody music that we provide.”Each El Secreto villa comesequipped with an Apple iPodTouch, the guests’ “one remote”for everything. There are alsospecifically-placed keypadsthroughout the villas to controlvarious lighting scenes. “All villashave keypads in the entrance, ineach night stand, and the bathroomentrance,” adds Abraham. “Wehave an All-On, a bathroom light, aromantic scene, a turndown servicescene, an All-Off, and many others.”Abraham’s Control4 dealer isHiram Portilla, CEO of TekhausReal-Time History LoggingSchedule User AccessOn Screen Compatiblewww.kwikset.com/wirelesslocks2319080-KW

El Secreto's social area by night. Balmy weather courtesy of Belize; lighting by Control4.Central America. With threebusiness channels—residential,commercial, and corporate—Tekhausimplements Control4 products asthe fundamental control system foreach. “Abraham and my customershave all they need with Control4,”Hiram tells us, “Because it is themost user friendly and at the sametime the most powerful controlsystem. Control4 is unique in thatit’s the best way to control thirdparty devices while also havingthe flexibility to do all that ourcustomers need. This is the first hotel24project for Tekhaus, and it opensthe doors to other kinds of businessTekhaus didn’t have previously.”Hiram and Abraham have teamedup to bring the world a truly oneof-a-kind, sophisticated experience.The high-tech conveniences arestate-of-the-art yet as easy to useas a coconut Mojito is to drink (ElSecreto’s signature cocktail, FYI).The resort itself is eco-friendly, builtusing local artisans and resources,and serving fresh food grown in itsown gardens. There, ahead—seethose thatched roofs along theshore? Our boat ride to El Secretois almost at an end. As we near theresort’s private pier, we can feel thetension of our work and days beginto drain away. By the way, each villahas a thatched roof, or palapa, as atribute to the Mayan ancestors of thisland. “We have a man-made lake,”says Abraham, “and our guests loveit. All the palapas are illuminated bythe lighting we set in the lake usingControl4, and it looks spectacular.”And speaking of ambient lighting,he adds, “We’re able to changecolors in all the common areas of the25

All guests arrive viaEl Secreto's private pier,seen here by candlelight.resort and achieve various scenarios,so the guests have a differentexperience every night.” So not onlyis Control4 front and center for theguest-facing services, but the staffuses it too. “The management usesthe Control4 system as much as theguests do, for lighting and music inthe common areas, as well as someback-end programs to control doorlocks, security, and reprogrammingtechnology in case a controller fallsfrom the network at some point.”"As to the nuts and bolts of thelighting system," Hiram informsus, “We have Sylvania lightingintegrated with a DMX512 system.We integrated the Control4system using an Extra Vegetablesdriver and ENTEC hardware.”“It’s tricky to install a controlsystem in a commercial project,”Hiram continues, “Because you don’thave just one customer, you have anendless array of guests and every oneof them is different. I’m very proudof the stability of Control4 and theeasy way the guests so easily acceptit.” There you have it. Paradise’soperating system. As we take ourmuch-needed down time to restoreour health and well-being, and we letourselves be pampered like royalty,we can feel secure in the knowledgethat, with Control4 and Abraham’sattentive staff, we're covered.The boat is docking now. And hereis our El Secreto greeter standingon the pier waiting to welcomeus with a cool scented towel andcomplimentary cocktail. T

Have Control4, will travel. It's a sunny proposition for the Meyers family: to enjoy their vacation home in Florida year-round. IS IT A STAY-CATION? 62 This Flordia couple saw the light when it came to a powerful panelized lighting solution for their dream home by the Gulf. BRIGHT LIGHTS, NO