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Introduction | |
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About This Book | |
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Conventions Used in This Book | |
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What You Don't Have to Read | |
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Foolish Assumptions | |
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How This Book Is Organized | |
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Installing Power Distribution and Basic Wiring | |
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Adding Communication, Audio, and Video Systems | |
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Installing Home Networks and Advanced Technology | |
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Security and Safety Systems | |
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Extending Technology to Outdoor Living Spaces | |
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The Part of Tens | |
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Appendixes | |
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Icons Used in This Book | |
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Where to Go from Here | |
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Installing Power Distribution and Basic Wiring | |
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Designing Your Digital Dream Home | |
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Living on Digital Easy Street | |
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Planning Your Digital Dream Home | |
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Designing for new construction | |
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Remodeling an existing residence | |
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Completing single-focus projects | |
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Choosing the Contractor - or Being Your Own | |
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Selecting a contractor | |
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Being your own contractor | |
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Gathering Tools and Equipment | |
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Hand tools | |
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Power tools | |
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Test equipment | |
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Bringing In the Services | |
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Understanding the Power You Need | |
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Alternating stuff | |
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Transforming current with transformers | |
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Amps and volts and other terms | |
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Meeting Power Company and Code Requirements | |
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Getting permitted | |
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Installing in light of code requirements | |
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Choosing a circuit panel | |
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Choosing a distribution-panel location | |
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Installing Electrical Services | |
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Setting up temporary service | |
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Looking up to overhead electrical service | |
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Going underground | |
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Connecting the electrical distribution panel | |
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Grounding your service | |
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Roughing In the Wiring | |
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Laying Out Receptacles (Legally) | |
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Spacing receptacles | |
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When to use GFI receptacles | |
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Setting box heights | |
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Making sure the box is flush | |
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Mounting boxes during rewiring projects | |
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Calculating box fill | |
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Drilling Holes for Wiring | |
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Drilling the framing | |
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Drilling joists | |
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Pulling Wires | |
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Wiring to Code | |
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Diagramming | |
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Wiring the rest of the house | |
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Wiring dryers and ranges | |
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Wiring closets | |
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Trimming Your Home's Electrical System | |
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Selecting Device Styles and Colors | |
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Working with Receptacles and Switches | |
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Installing receptacles and GFIs | |
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Installing switches | |
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Flushing and Leveling Electrical Devices | |
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Testing Your Installations | |
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Controlling Your Life Remotely | |
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Controlling Your Gadgets Remotely | |
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Infrared and radio frequency remotes | |
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Motion sensors | |
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X10 remotes and devices | |
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Using Timers for Around-the-Clock Control | |
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Adding Communication, Audio, and Video Systems | |
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Wiring Your Home Phone System | |
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Wiring Your Phone Service | |
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Planning service entrances | |
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Planning internal house wiring | |
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Wiring for Conventional Phones | |
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Installing a Home PBX System | |
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Integrating VoIP | |
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Understanding how VoIP works | |
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Choosing a VoIP phone adapter | |
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Choosing a VoIP service provider | |
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Videoconferencing from Home | |
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Equipping for videoconferencing | |
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Using gateways for multi-point conferencing | |
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Installing a Public Address System | |
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Planning a Home Communications System | |
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Selecting locations | |
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Choosing wire | |
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Selecting amplifiers and speakers | |
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Choosing intercom components | |
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Installing the Hardware | |
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Installing LV rings | |
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Installing a central control unit | |
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Connecting radio antennas | |
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Installing and wiring remote locations | |
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Installing Cable TV and Advanced Digital Services | |
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Readying Your Home for Prime Time | |
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Bringing TV service into your home | |
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Installing TV cable jacks | |
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Installing TV cable | |
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Connecting the common distribution point | |
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Installing for a Fiber Optic Future | |
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Understanding fiber optic cable | |
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Consider your fiber optic strategy | |
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Choosing home fiber optic service | |
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Connecting to fiber optic devices | |
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Hooking up to the ONT | |
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Checking availability | |
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Adding Stereo and Surround Sound | |
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Considering Whole-House Sound Systems | |
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Using monophonic sound | |
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Enhancing audio with stereo sound | |
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Selecting stereo speaker locations | |
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Encompassing your listeners with surround sound | |
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Choosing and Installing Speakers | |
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Wiring multi-room systems | |
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Choosing speakers | |
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Wiring in the speakers | |
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Wiring Family Rooms and Home Theaters | |
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Designing for Adaptable Family Rooms | |
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Lighting Your Family Room | |
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Measuring light levels | |
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Selecting fluorescent fixtures | |
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Using recessed fixtures | |
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Using track fixtures | |
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Supplementing with lamps and task lighting | |
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Controlling your family room lights | |
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Planning Family Room Outlets | |
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Designing Your Dedicated Home Theater | |
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Maintaining access to the equipment | |
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Including a control center | |
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Maintaining clear sound zones | |
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Installing Video Systems and Cameras | |
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Selecting Video Components | |
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Reviewing camera features | |
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Choosing a video surveillance system | |
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Installing Your Video System | |
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Positioning cameras | |
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Supplying power to your cameras | |
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Connecting cameras to the network | |
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Installing Home Networks and Advanced Technology | |
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Home Networks and Internet Connections | |
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Understanding Internet Terminology: Stirring the Alphabet Soup | |
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POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) | |
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IP (Internet Protocol) addresses | |
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DNS (Domain Name Services) | |
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DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) | |
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Reviewing Your Internet Connection Options | |
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Dial-up service | |
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ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) | |
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T-1 lines | |
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Fractional T-1 | |
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Broadband cable | |
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DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) or ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) | |
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Fiber optic service | |
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BPL (Broadband Over Power Lines) | |
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Area wireless services | |
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Connecting Your Home Network to the Internet | |
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Installing a DSL or cable modem | |
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Installing and configuring a router | |
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Using firewalls | |
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Understanding hubs and switches | |
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Preparing to Wire Your Digital Home for Networking | |
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Understanding Wireless "Wiring" | |
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Setting Up Your Home Network | |
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Integrating Computer Controls and Voice Technology | |
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Selecting Home Automation Components | |
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Choosing automation software | |
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Selecting a computer to run HAL | |
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Wiring Your Home Automation Computer | |
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Connecting HAL to the telephone | |
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Installing voice-command stations | |
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Interfacing with the home's electrical system | |
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Providing backup power to the automation system | |
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Networking your automation system | |
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Programming the automation interfaces | |
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Security and Safety Systems | |
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Working with Security Zones and Alarm Systems | |
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Protecting Your Home with Alarms | |
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Comparing intrusion alarms | |
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Understanding sensors | |
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Wiring and installing sensors | |
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Increasing safety with supplemental alarms | |
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Surveilling Your Surroundings | |
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Digital cameras | |
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Closed-circuit television (CCTV) | |
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Webcams | |
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Integrating Alarm and Communication Systems | |
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Improving Your Home's Safety | |
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Get the facts for your area | |
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Screen visitors | |
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Make some security elements visible | |
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Secure your home | |
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Backup and Alternative Power | |
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Identifying Your Home's Critical Systems | |
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Comparing Types of Backup Power | |
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Uninterruptible power supplies | |
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Inverter systems | |
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Green power systems | |
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External combustion steam systems | |
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Internal combustion systems | |
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Interfacing Backup Systems to Your Electrical System | |
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Alternative Energy Systems | |
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Choosing an inverter | |
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Caring for batteries | |
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Extending Technology to Outdoor Living Spaces | |
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Wiring Outside the House | |
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Powering Sunrooms | |
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Installing power and lighting | |
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Bringing entertainment to the sunroom | |
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Electrifying Patios and Decks | |
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Lighting Your Garden | |
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Delivering Electricity to Outbuildings | |
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Retrofitting power to existing outbuildings | |
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Wiring in workshops | |
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Lighting outbuildings | |
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Installing network, phone, TV, and intercom service | |
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Wiring for sheds | |
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Installing Saunas | |
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Selecting a sauna stove | |
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Supplying power | |
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Installing the sauna stove control | |
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Wiring near Pools and Hot Tubs | |
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Pumping Water on Your Property | |
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Powering well pumps | |
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Installing garden and waterfall pumps | |
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Using waste system pumps | |
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Outdoor Electronics | |
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Designing around the Weather | |
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Running wires in bulkheads | |
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Wiring directly to the point of use | |
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Using Electronic Devices in Outdoor Kitchens | |
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Wiring Outdoor Theaters or Sound Systems | |
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Controlling outdoor theaters or sound systems | |
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Planning the theater space | |
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Installing a Home Weather Station | |
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The Part of Tens | |
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The Ten Best Wiring Web Sites | |
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Wiring Devices | |
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Wire and Cable | |
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Home Electronics | |
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Home Security | |
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Networking and Electronics Technology | |
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Networked Video Surveillance | |
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Solar and Alternative Energy | |
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Digital Home Media | |
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Outdoor Living | |
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Remodeling and Repair Projects | |
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The Ten Biggest Wiring Mistakes | |
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Not Leaving Enough Slack | |
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Not Paying Attention to Details | |
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Including Lighting Loads on Receptacle Circuits | |
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Ignoring Physics | |
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Gravity | |
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Wind | |
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Water | |
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Fire | |
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Installations Not Designed for Use and Abuse | |
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Improperly Interpreting the National Electrical Code | |
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When Grounding Is Not Grounding | |
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Ignoring the BOCA or IRC Codes | |
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Not Following Your Own Consistency Rules | |
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Minimizing Wiring Runs and Circuit Counts | |
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Ten Troubleshooting Tips | |
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Collect the History | |
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Who witnessed the point of failure? | |
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What was happening at the time? | |
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Where was the device when it failed? | |
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How did it fail? | |
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When did the failure occur? | |
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Why did it fail? | |
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Understand the Process | |
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Plan the Approach | |
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Follow Safety Procedures | |
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Eliminate the Obvious | |
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Begin at the Beginning | |
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Avoid the Replacement Trap | |
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Check the Vital Signs | |
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Eliminate the Cause | |
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Verify the Repair | |
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Appendixes | |
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Product Sources | |
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Big-Box Stores | |
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Best Buy | |
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Circuit City | |
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The Home Depot | |
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Lowe's | |
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Small-Box Stores | |
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Micro Center | |
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RadioShack | |
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Wholesale Electric and Contractor Suppliers | |
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Crescent Electric Supply Company | |
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GE Supply | |
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Graybar Electric Company | |
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Home Automated Living | |
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WESCO International | |
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What Mr. Ohm Wanted You to Know | |
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Using the Basic Ohm's Law Formula | |
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Measuring current in amps | |
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Measuring electromotive force in volts | |
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Calculating Electrical Values | |
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Calculating power in watts | |
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Calculating energy use in watt-hours | |
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Measuring power in AC circuits | |
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Using the NFPA Wire Properties Table | |
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Selecting Conductors | |
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Limitations for using small conductors | |
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Bundling conductors together | |
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Using non-metallic cable (NMC) | |
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Converting between Celsius and Fahrenheit | |
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Ethernet Length Limits | |
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About the CD | |
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System Requirements | |
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Using the CD with Microsoft Windows | |
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What You'll Find | |
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If You've Got Problems (Of the CD Kind) | |
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Index | |