Search Criteria

Building a new home provides the opportunity to wire it to plan for future needs.

Home Automation - Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is HA-Ready?
Q: What is Home Automation?
Q: How can my home become automated?
Q: Couldn't I wait until my home's construction is completed to install this?
Q: Your design covers my entire home. I don't want to commit to a full system yet. Is there a way to gradually grow my system as I see fit?
Q: I intend on living in this house for a very long time. Can I adjust my system's size and robustness to fit?
Q: Does this upgrade include wiring and hardware or electronic equipment?
Q: How difficult is it to install electronic components in an HA-Ready home?
Q: How difficult is it to plan and design a home automation system for my home with this technology?
Q: Can my local cable/satellite/telephone guy or technician maintain my service with this system?
Q: If I move to another HA-Ready house, can my electronics just plug in and still work?
Q: Do I need to replace my current electronics to work with my HA-Ready home?
Q: What if I want to rearrange my furniture? Can I also move my electronics to a different location and it still work?
Q: How long does the installation typically take?
Q: How can I guarantee the quality of installation for an HA-Ready design?
Q: Can I have my builder or electrician install HA-Ready?
Q: Can I resell the technology when I sell my home?
Q: Can I have my plan customized and still purchase the Home Automation Upgrade?
Q: How much is shipping and handling?

Q: What is HA-Ready?
A: HA-Ready is a wiring configuration that creates a plug-and-play environment for installing home automation electronics in the residence. It makes the residence Home Automation ready. It introduces sufficient wiring for the implementation of the following subsystems: security, lighting (w/shade control), telecommunications (data), climate, home networking (not limited to computer networking), whole house audio, home theater, video surveillance, and electronic entry access. It is manufacturer-independent and can accommodate all known installation techniques.

Q: What is Home Automation?
A: Home automation is an electronic system that functions with little or no human intervention to provide a self-preserving or self-regulating interaction with its occupants. By providing simple, easy-to-understand, activities-based controls, the home executes all of the tasks in preparing for an activity..

A: By installing electronics designed to faithfully execute basic tasks that can provided convenience, time-saving, shelter, security, and comfort.

A: Yes. But, in doing so, you incur the additional costs of repairing your home's walls and ceilings back to its pre-installed condition. Spackling, painting, wallpapering, and detail/finish repair all come with a cost. Paying for these services after a home's completion needlessly causes you to pay for these items twice.

A: Yes. If you need to add or uninstall a component, part, or subsystem, you may do so easily without interrupting your home's functionality and remaining systems. It is like unplugging your television?it doesn't prevent any other components such as the telephone from working. And you can add back a system later or activate a new one any time?the wiring will already be ready and waiting for you.

A: Yes. HA-Ready can be scaled to fit your needs at all stages and situations in life. Simple component swapping, installation or removal will contour your home automation system to fit all of your family's changing circumstances.

A: No, as with your house plan, none of the materials or equipment is included. This is only a planning tool and system installation guide.

A: If you can connect your TV, VCR, and DVD player to work together, you can install all of your electronic components in an HA-Ready home.

A: Planning and designing a home automation system requires a greater knowledge of those electronics and what it takes to have them work together. If the required effort to design is too great to accomplish alone, we will provide contact information for certified professionals in your particular area (up to 100 miles) who will be able to assist you in creating a home automation system that will fit your lifestyle.

A: Yes. A full technical manual is provided with the completion of your installation that will provide your local service provider's technicians with the as-built condition of your HA-Ready home, along with instructions on how to connect, maintain, and repair their service to your home.

A: Yes. HA-Ready design allows you to even swap houses and continue to have your home automation electronics work as they were designed. NOTE: Rooms must be matched in daily function to prevent the need for reprogramming and the new installation must maintain the same connectivity as the old.

A: No. Unless your equipment doesn't have the minimum standard of connections (RCA plugs for audio and video, S-Video plug, infrared remote control), you can still use your existing electronics to work with your HA-Ready home.

A: Yes. As long as the location you are moving your electronics to is not beyond its prescribed potential locations, your equipment will still work.

A: A typical installation may take up to one week per 2,000 square feet for a two-man crew. Certification adds one week per 500 terminations for a two-man crew.

A: The installers that are referred to you are members of the governing organizations of professional home automation design and installation. Many of these companies are certified and accredited. Their organizational affiliations may include one or more of the following:

• Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA)
• Consumer Electronic Association's TecHome division (TecHome)
• Computer Technologies Industry Association (CompTIA)

A: Yes. But due to the required certification, they should not terminate or certify the wiring. Only those accredited by CEDIA, CompTIA, or TecHome may terminate and certify the wiring. You would be paying twice for this service if an unaccredited professional initially executed.

A: Yes. Because of its prevailing aesthetic appeal, consistency, flexibility, and scalability, an HA-Ready home can recoup a minimum of 100% of its installation costs.

A: Yes, all that is required to produce the upgrade package is a completed set of construction drawings. If the Hanley Wood modification service is used, the upgrade will automatically be created using the modified design. If another service is used, simply ship a completed set of drawings to our HA-Ready experts using the supplied pre-printed and pre-paid shipping label.

A: There are two possible shipping charges. If you choose to customize your plan and use the Hanley Wood customization service, the shipping charge is $35 to have the completed upgrade shipped to you using next day service. If you do not need customization or choose an external service the charge is $70 which pays for you to ship one set of drawings to our HA experts and to have the completed upgrade and original set of drawings returned once the upgrade is complete?both are shipped using next-day service.