Connected Home - Home automation control systems & residential technology

Twitter and IP: The Internet of everything

In 10 years broadband will be virtually everywhere, and all our gadgets – including cars and white goods – will be online. Steve Freeth finds there is an Internet upheaval in the smart home.

Powerline-enabled multi-room audio

NuVo Technologies chief technology officer Rick Kukulies reports on the advantages of powerline communication technology and its role in whole-home audio distribution.

Do specifications really matter?

When it comes time to purchase new speakers, it is quite easy to be overwhelmed by all the specifications. Colin Whatmough says consumers can forget about figures and educate their ears.

Media centre legalese

Media centres are becoming an essential part of any home automation project. But it’s important that installers are aware of the potential legal issues.

Latest products

Totem Tribe in-wall subwoofer

Delivering the highest caliber compact speaker performance for over 20 years, TOTEM presents the new Tribe in-wall subwoofer

Amplifier	AV Receiver
Blu-ray Player	DVD Player
Flat Panel Display	In-ceiling Speakers
In-wall Speakers	Loudspeakers
Media Centre	Multi-room AV System
Outdoor Speakers	Preamplifier
Projection Screen	Projector
Rear Projection Display	Speaker Packages
Subwoofers	Video Processor

What you need to know


What is the benefit of a universal remote and what can it control?	What is IP control/remote monitoring?	What are open platforms?	What are the different cables I can use?

Turntable integration
11 November 2009

Vinyl records may be a thing of the past to some, but to others they are a vital part of any home theatre system. Len Wallis explains how to integrate a turntable into a distributed audio system.

HDMI/HDCP troubleshooting

HDBaseT enables 5Play convergence
04 December 2009

Valens Semiconductor, an Israeli fabless semiconductor company, is introducing its HDBaseT technology, enabling a single LAN cable to replace multiple cables and connectors in the home environment.

What are media streamers?
23 February 2010

Essentially, a media streamer acts as an interface between the television and the external hard drive used to store your favourite movie and music files.

Products - Video

LEDAVISION display series

Lighthouse Distribution has launched its new LEDAVISION display series.

HaiVision SHARE-HD hai1000 network video recorder

The $50,000 challenge
03 March 2010

What is the best $50,000 investment - a home cinema, a pool, or a boat?

The $50,000 challenge
03 March 2010

What is the best $50,000 investment - a home cinema, a pool, or a boat?

The $50,000 challenge
03 March 2010

What is the best $50,000 investment - a home cinema, a pool, or a boat?

Products - Home control

Gefen HD digital signage player

It's never been easier to schedule playlists and select from pre-recorded content for digital signage installations.

Telstra and Clipsal Australia announce partnership
01 March 2010

Telstra and Clipsal Australia have announced a partnership which will provide thousands of new home owners in Telstra Velocity Fibre to the Home (FTTP) estates with access to the most advanced home network available.

Products - Comms & networking

Gefen mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter

So you want to connect your new Apple computer equipped with Mini DisplayPort to a flat panel display using HDMI, DVI or DisplayPort? Gefen makes it easy with this new mini DisplayPort adapter.

What are lighting scenes?
16 February 2010

Lighting control systems offer their owners the simplicity and elegance of some typical lighting scenes, such as Welcome Home, Goodbye and Goodnight.

Products - Lighting control

Sontay light level and occupancy sensors

Sontay has introduced two new wall-mounted sensors which provide better light level and occupancy detection performance to drive greater energy efficiency within commercial and public building applications.

What is Rhapsody?
23 February 2010

Rhapsody is an online music service run by RealNetworks, which lets you listen to music without having to pay per track.

Products - Media servers

AC Ryan Playon!HD media player

AC Ryan has commenced shipment of its Playon!HD media player to Australia, allowing you to play all your Full HD media on you HDTV from local storage, external storage, media cards or a home network.

Gaming consoles as media centres
11 November 2009

As the average age of the Australian gamer passes 28, games consoles are starting to play a bigger role in home theatre installations.

Products - Gaming

Rhino screen shield

The Rhino Screen Shield can save LCD and plasma TV owners thousands of dollars by protecting their screens from flying game controllers, foreign objects, curious children and pets.

Do I need an equipment rack? Where do I put one?
18 February 2010

There is no doubt that you can place your AV system components almost anywhere, but it is recommended that these systems are installed in a fixed enclosure, such as an equipment rack, to help to ensure the safety of your equipment and make the system easy to access.

Products - Racks & Mounts

Atdec Telehook 3270-UFM full-motion mount

The new range of technologies featured in Atdec’s new Telehook 3270-UFM gives the user ultimate control over their viewing experience and makes it easier to install than most other full-motion mounts on the market.

What makes a great home theatre seat?
18 February 2010

An area that is often overlooked when putting together a home theatre is the seating design and layout, but it’s an area that could make or break the viewing experience.

The dangers of WiFi fraud
02 February 2010

Home and mobile connectivity are here to stay, but are our online lives increasingly at risk of cyber crime? Steve Freeth assesses the risks.

Products - Security

Aiphone JK-DVFAC door station

Aiphone has released a new door station with integrated access control keypad, complementing the range of popular JK-series products. The new JK-DVFAC door station is a flush mount, vandal-resistant unit that provides a 170-degree field of view as well as pan/tilt and zoom control for unprecedented visibility and security.

Smart meters and the smart grid
10 November 2009

Technology generally is credited with all kinds of benefits, but will a new breed of electricity meter and power grid be good for a typical household?

Products - Electrical

Vantage Controls Energy Management Solution

Vantage has announced a new range of products that provide a complete Energy Management Solution when integrated with its InFusion™ Control System. The centerpiece of the solution is a touchscreen-based energy dashboard that quantifies specific energy usage and enables custom strategies for the homeowner to produce direct energy savings.