Your outdoor items such as landscaping and pool or spa areas should also be considered in any home automation system. Depending on where we live, we may spend considerable time in our front or back yard or pool area all year round, or at least in the summer months. The comfort and convenience of home automation solutions can easily extend to help us preserve our beautifully-landscaped yards and swimming pools or hot tubs

Most homeowners expend considerable time and money maintaining their landscape. The importance of protecting this investment with the right amount of watering should not be underestmated. A wall-mounted self-contained sprinkler control system probably does the trick. But, if your building a new home or your current sprinkler system fails is there a better solution?

If your building a new "smart home" for sure you'll want to consider including sprinkler valve controls and rain detection shut off as features in your whole-house automation system. A rain sensor will allow the system to detect when a certain amount of rainfall has been received, and shutdown the sprinkler system until dryer conditions are detected. This could equate to significant savings in your water bill depending on your location, but more importantly prohibits damage due to over-watering your grass, shrubs, and trees.

If your current sprinkler system fails and you've already invested in some home automation, consider extending your existing system to include control of sprinkler valves and rain detection shut off.

If your installing a security system consider critical condition sensors for water level, extreme temperatures, wind, or rain in addition to smoke, contact and motion sensors. This type of monitoring may be of particular value for a vacation home.

Your automation system may be capable of doing a great job monitoring pool/spa water temperature and controlling filter, waterfall, or jet pump motors as well as turning the heater on or off. Adding the switches or relays to accomplish this is likely considerably less expensive than an exotic in-wall pool control panel in your hallway. Again if your installing a new pool and don't want to pay up to five thousand dollars for a control panel, ask your contractor to quote installing the necessary switches and relays so your home automation system can do the job.

Also, if you plan on listening to music or watching television on the patio or poolside be sure to discuss the necessary wiring with your contractor. Or for existing homes consider a set of wireless stereo speakers to hear your favorite music from your entertainment center outdoors too!