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"As futuristic as it may still sound, syncing up your home's appliances and controlling them with your mobile device is science fact, not science fiction. Several products are on the market, but a new one stands out because it\u00A0not only links up your whole house, it works in unison with your existing automated systems.\nIn July,\u00A0Revolv, a Colorado company incubated out of the startup accelerator\u00A0TechStars, announced pre-sales for Smart Home Solution, which makes your entertainment system, wireless lighting, automated locks, and thermostat all accessible and controllable via your iPhone or iPad.\nSee also: Give Dad the Ultimate Remote Control for His Connected Home\nFor a one-time fee of $299 you get a\u00A0Wi-Fi\u00A0hub and access to Revolv's cloud service. You don't need an ethernet cable to link up. Just take the hub home and plug it into an outlet. It automatically connects to your Wi-Fi network and discovers all the wireless gadgets you've already installed in your home. You can manually add extras, and then turn appliances on or off from your mobile device.\u00A0Revolv is only available for\u00A0Apple products, but Android compatibility is on the way.\nSo what can you do with your new toy? Automate daily routines, like turning on appliances at set times, or use the service's GPS proximity and sensor triggers to automatically activate your devices. Revolv knows when you're close to your home because it tracks your geo-radius to the house. But, for once, being tracked may actually help you: You can program\u00A0relaxing music to play before you step through the door \u2014 or set the oven to pre-heat so you can get a jump-start on dinner.\n\nYou can also mix and match devices and brands, so don't worry if you have different products, like\u00A0Sonos\u00A0wireless speakers or\u00A0Belkin's WeMo home automation system. The only feature needed for a device to communicate with Revolv is wireless capability.\nThis functionality is what makes Revolv\u00A0stand out from other\u00A0home\u00A0automation\u00A0options already on the market.\u00A0Many autonomous systems, while tying together appliances, don't work together.\nMike Soucie, Revolv's co-founder, says the idea was driven by peoples' desire to have more control over their home, and the products in them.\u00A0Soucie tells\u00A0Mashable\u00A0Revolv isn't trying to make the hardware business obsolete. He says he wants to simplify things and bring the power of the web to everyday life, a term sometimes described as the \"internet of things.\"\n\"What's been holding back the market so long is there hasn't been a point product,\" he says, referring to an automation device that can take the lead in both affordability and efficiency.\nFor Revolv to be successful, the functionality has to be simple, says Soucie.\n\"If it's consumer-based it has to be easy to use from the out-of the-box setup,\" he says.\nWould you use a home automation system? How much would you pay? Tell us in the comments below.\nImages: Revolv"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/09/16/smart-home-automation/>