With the advances in technology you soon will be able to do just about anything by remote control.  The average individual now has high speed internet and wiring or wireless throughout the house for network access.  With the advances in the smart home world you can program your house to adjust temperature, lighting, security, deploy video cameras, have it read your email, announce caller id, respond to voice commands, and even be controlled from inside or outside the house by web, phone and more.  This article is the beginning of an ongoing series of articles discussing these topics.  Some of it will be theory while other parts will be from my actual experience.