HERE I GO again, extolling the joys of home automation. For people who work at home, putting your house on autopilot pays back. It can keep you from leaving your TVs on, your garage doors open or your kids' air conditioners turned down to 60 degrees.

Start planning home automation with one software package that gives you complete control of every switch, thermostat and TV screen.

Several months ago (Houston Chronicle, March 19), I wrote about a product called AutoHome by Keware Technologies (http://www.keware.com). That product has been renamed "HomeSeer" and remains at the top of my list. Why? It's a well written application that follows popular programming conventions, is Web aware, supports speech technology, sends and receives e-mail messages and is built with so much flexibility that you're unlikely to outgrow it.

With this software, the installation of 50 switches and sensors, and a couple of crazy ideas, I see home automation with a new view. It's a lot more than turning on and off light switches; it's more like having a virtual maid, butler, and security guard on staff.

HomeSeer runs on any Windows 95, 98, or NT computer and sets itself up as a Web server. It controls just about any "X-10" device and maintains a log of activities each day. Sounds basic, but there's more.

I hooked it up to the home sound system, so it talks to me. For example, every morning at sunrise my HomeSeer turns off the night-lights, plays a pleasant tune and gives me a gentle wake-up call. It says something like, "Good morning, Cheryl , it is Tuesday and 6:13 a.m. You should be getting up soon."

The HomeSeer voice comes from Microsoft's speech engine that ships with the product. A Genie character is the default assistant, but with third party software you can change it to a butler, a bird, a dancing bear or a host of other assistants. Just type in the words you want it to say, and when you want it to say it, and the Genie takes care of the rest.

I've tested it with products from thermostats to driveway sensors to motion detectors. It even opens and closes drapes at preset times, which helps to cool down rooms and keep carpet and furniture from fading in rooms that get blasting sunlight for a couple of hours a day.

The system turns out to be a handy way to know what's going on even, when you can't see or hear it. For example, when a car pulls into my driveway the Genie tells me, "A vehicle is moving along the driveway." The driveway has a magnetic vehicle sensor that detects the presence of a car and sends a signal to the system. So far, it's worked great.

Same for the garage door sensor. A metal contact knows when the garage doors go up or down. The Genie reports each change. During the evening, when it makes its security rounds, it tells me if a door was left up.

For a tremendous selection of home automation products, or to purchase the HomeSeer software online, check out www.smarthome.com.

So, if you are working at home, consider hiring a computer to help you manage the details, keep security intact, and send you an e-mail when it's done.

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