Today's homes are a technological light year away from the homes built in the first years of the last century. But make no mistake. Even though wireless technology is changing the way many Albertans live their lives, it hasn't yet had a major impact on where we live those lives.

On the contrary, our homes are wired - and a growing number of Albertans are plugging in, says Ron Patrick, president of Smart Home Systems in Calgary.

Inspired by what integrated technology did for the oilpatch, Patrick started Smart Home Systems in 1987. The company focuses on three components of the "smart home" concept: Entertainment, safety and security (lights included) and comfort (heating, ventilation and air conditioning, also known as HVAC).

Wireless Internet access is a top priority in virtually every residential job the company takes on, regardless of whether it's a new home, major renovation or retrofit, says Jim Peebles, a systems designer with Smart Home.

Dave Olecko, Business Edge
A Smart Home Systems AMX automated solution control remote controls almost any function.

Other wireless applications increasing in popularity include fixed speakers that let homeowners "stream" music to outdoor spaces and cordless control panels that can be moved from room to room, giving users mobile control over their home's automated systems, says Peebles.

One of his newest clients has a wireless weather station on his acreage. It sends information about everything from windchill to snowfall to a home computer - ensuring no one heads out for a morning ski unless the conditions are amenable!

For the most part, however, the most functional applications of automated home technology use wire; miles and miles of wire, says William Zadnik of Edmonton's Audio Ark, which specializes in high performance audio and video systems and also carries lines of HVAC and lighting systems.

He and Peebles both expect wireless technology will play a more prominent role in home automation as the technology improves. But until it's as reliable as its wired counterpart, functional integration will be paramount - and that means technology that works when you need it to work, says Zadnik.

Wired or not, showing clients what the latest technology can do is the best part of his job, Peebles says.

Smart Home's showroom on Macleod Trail showcases the company's product lines, including several full-scale examples of home theatres.

To really show clients what home automation can do, however, Peebles and Patrick take them to the company's off-site private showhome in southwest Calgary. There, Smart Home's interior designer led a major renovation that transformed an otherwise nondescript home into a showcase of home automation.

And what does that mean? Picture a beautifully-decorated home, with a datebook-sized computer screen atop the granite kitchen counter. Activated by touch, the screen lets you choose music from thousands of CDs and radio stations - and decide where you want it to play.

The same screen controls the lights (including intensity) in virtually every room of the home, allows you to lock or unlock the main doors, scroll individual window blinds up or down or prompt changes in the HVAC systems.

From another touch panel in the basement home theatre, the homeowner can signal the master bedroom steam room, thus ensuring it will be ready by the time the movie ends and the homeowner heads upstairs for a steam before bed.

New "scene" functions allow home owners to prompt a whole range of automatic responses with a single touch. The "Good Morning" scene, for example, might turn on certain lights, lift blinds in your children's rooms and kitchen, and ensure quick access to the morning traffic report on a local radio station.

"If we bring somebody here, it takes the fear of the technology away," explains Patrick, who says the private showhome (open on appointment only) also serves as a testing ground for new technology. He and Peebles say their clients are more interested in function than in being early adopters of new technology. Ergo, the showhome lets the company work out the bugs before it retails and installs new products.

Alberta's strong economy is definitely good for the home automation business, much of which is driven by the entertainment side of the industry.

Increased competition now delivers quality home theatre experiences ranging from $10,000 to $250,000, a span that makes Zadnik smile when clients first walk through Audio Ark's doors and say they're interested in products priced in the "mid-range."

On the home automation front, Zadnik and Peebles cite convenience as the main reason homeowners are interested in technology that helps them run their homes - without physically running through their homes.

Smart Home Systems has a garage security product, for instance, that flashes lights if the door is left open a certain length of time.

They also provide cellphone and iPod docking stations that give clients a place to recharge their equipment every time they enter their homes. IPods docked at the Smart Home showhome can recharge in a front-door closet - and still allow residents to listen to their favourite tunes from receivers in their bedrooms.

For clients moving into homes that cover 5,000-plus square feet of living space, automated lights are a virtual must, adds Zadnik.

"Can you imagine at night running around that size of home and turning off lights?"

(Joy Gregory can be reached at joy@businessedge.ca).