It's been said that the movie doesn't start until the lights go down. So, wouldn't it be cool to just hit one button and have all your lights dim just as you start to roll the opening credits on your DVD?
The old faithful of home automation is the X10, which dates to the late 1970s; its products can be found at Radio Shack and www.x10.com. X10 technology sends power pulses from a switch over your household current to a device. Maybe 95 times out of 100 times, half a second after you press the button, you get the desired results. Besides wall plugs for lights (dimmable) and appliances (switchable) there are X10 wall switches and even drapery pulls, thermostats, and lawn-sprinkler switches.
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