Bob and Tim Woods from the Internet Home Alliance meet in the kitchen. Tim details the Home Director structured wiring installation in every room, allowing the homeowner to stay connected to both the Internet and in-home control functions throughout the house. On the Panasonic flat screen LCD TV you can watch normal cable television or monitor outside security cameras. All the structured wiring is connected to the outside world thought a Panasonic Gateway. Woods also demonstrates a wireless Web tablet on which the homeowner can control home audio, heating & cooling, lighting, security, and telephones.
Bob meets up with Tim Woods from the Internet Home Alliance in the living room to check out the Panasonic home entertainment center. The Panasonic wide screen projection HDTV features digital light processing ensuring high definition picture quality from any angle. The TV is tied into the DVD player and also into the surround sound stereo system. The TV signal comes digitally from the Hughes Network System DirecTV which comes in off the satellite. Next Tim shows Bob the Panasonic E-Cam. The camera can be set up anywhere in the house as used as a nanny cam or to keep an eye out for intruders. Tim has a home page set up for the camera on the Panasonic Toughbook. Utilizing the web page, the camera can be accessed through the web at any time and from any place. The Toughbook is totally wireless thanks to the home's Cisco Aironet System. Next they look at the Panasonic LCD screen with a DVD player in it. The screen is very flat and has the same aspect ratio as the large HDTV in the living room.
In the well-connected home, one device can control almost everything in the house. Lighting, heating, cooling, and entertainment systems are accessed from a single wireless device.
A half bathroom and a laundry were also installed in the basement of the Melrose home. These systems were installed using a pump system because the room is below street level and needs to have wastewater pumped up to the sewer lines. A SwanStone Deep Laundry Sink was put in place with a Moen faucet. A Whirlpool front-loading washer and dryer set was also installed. In order to fit so much material in a limited space, the homeowners shopped for appliances using Brandsource.com, which gave the couple detailed information on different brands, including sizes and shapes. Brandsource carries information from over 2,500 retail outlets and features $10 billion in products. The appliances were installed by a local dealer. The washing machine is a Whirlpool Duet, which features extra-large capacity, is energy efficient, and has storage in the bottom. A large freezer from Amana was installed along with a refrigerator-freezer and a GE microwave. A GE wine cooler chills beverages in the other room. The TV is a 50-inch Samsung flat panel. A 42-inch plasma Samsung TV was also installed in the master bedroom. A smaller television set was installed in the children's room. A stainless-steel grill was put in the backyard.