The cyber is in the house

If you're not Bill Gates but you still want your PC to make your coffee for you, Savoy Automation says it has made that possible with its new CyberHouse home automation software.

"This software allows you turn your lights on and off at a specific time or have coffee ready for you in the morning," said Bill Frank, vice president of Savoy. "A lot of home computers sit around and do nothing. Why not for a modest amount of money have it do something that makes life more convenient?" said Savoy.

CyberHouse allows users to automate and control household electrical devices and appliances to create a customized, automated home. Appliances and devices communicate with the PC over either radio frequency (RF) or existing 100-volt power lines connected to the serial and parallel port connectors on your PC. You don't have to add any wires to your house, Frank said, and you can use the software to set up rules such as dimming the lights at 11 p.m. or keeping the heat to a constant 68 degrees.

CyberHouse runs on Windows 3.1 or Windows 95. The standard edition sells for $149. The extended edition sells for $995 and provides remote connections to the PC so you can call from work to turn the heat on.

For the ultimate in automated houses, see Bill Gates's future abode.