Home Cyber Home

There are more options than ever to retrofit your abode with the latest tech gizmos.

- Michelle harris

FROM THE MOMENT Stuart Forchheimer gets out of bed, often before 6:30 a.m., it’s all about technology.

Without lifting a finger, the kitchen lights come on and from the upstairs hallway an illuminated path downstairs is created. With a quick click on his cellphone, an entertainment system managed by Control4 streams music into the kitchen as he prepares breakfast. But the smart-home features don’t end there: “The automated shades are a big convenience, especially in areas that are difficult to reach,” he says. “You can easily press a button or put them on a schedule to open and close at certain times of the day through the Control4 system.”

Forchheimer should know: He’s president of HS Technology Group, a Baltimore-based technology integrator. But home automation isn’t only a matter of convenience in Forchheimer’s Timonium home—it’s also a tool for safety and security.

He has sensors that he can monitor from his phone that are connected to doors, drawers, and cabinets, so he can always know what’s going on at home.

Jay Steinmetz, CEO and founder of another Baltimore tech firm, Barcoding Inc., has a similar affinity for all things digital: His 1910 Mount Washington home is also fitted with the latest digital wonders.

Steinmetz’s front door automatically recognizes him and unlocks using the August Smart Lock. And with the Sonos music system, “a music alarm goes off to wake the kids in each of their rooms at 6:30 a.m. and turns off 30 minutes later to alert them it’s time to go downstairs for breakfast,” he says. His home is also connected with WeMo motion sensors that are attached to special light bulbs. “I can move anywhere in the house and the lights will come on when I enter the room,” he says.