Finding the right wireless product for every space in your home doesn't have to break the bank--it is just a matter of knowing where to look.

For the past 100 years, being wired has meant that you were cutting edge. Early in the 20th century, you were wired if you had a phone and electricity, two amenities that could easily have set you apart from the neighbors. By the end of the century, you were wired if you had a maze of cables running behind your walls that delivered everything from the Internet to the Indigo Girls.

Being wired is still cool, but most of us can't run wires to all of the places where we want to enjoy the audio/video, appliance and security features available for today's digital home. More and more, we are cutting the cord. Wireless products are bringing technology to spots where the wires can't go, opening up new control and entertainment opportunities. Just picture what you can do with such products in these parts of the average home.

Stay Connected

Home networks are primarily used for sharing a broadband Internet connection among several computers. Wireless home networks from companies including Linksys, Netgear, Microsoft, SMC and Buffalo Technologies provide the parts and pieces to make it happen. The term "Wi-Fi" refers to the family of wireless networks that operate over the IEEE 802.11 standard, which comes in several letters of the alphabet. Last year's letter was "b." The hot letter this year is "g," a faster version of the standard that's also compatible with "b" products. 802.11b and 802.11g products work in the 2.4 GHz range. Linksys' Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster ($129) is said to deliver performance of 35 Mbps compared with typical real-world 802.11g data rates of 21 Mbps to 22 Mbps. You'll appreciate the extra bandwidth when trying to shuttle large PowerPoint presentations or music files throughout the house. The Linksys router includes WEP and WPA encryption (the latter being the latest and most robust encryption method for protecting the network from intruders). The router also includes a subscription-based parental control filter that uses an outside server to block designated computers from accessing certain sites. Fees range from $25 to $40 a year.

Home Manager

You wouldn't expect the same company that fuels your SUV to power your home, but Shell maintains that its HomeGenie wireless control system is just another means of energy management. The $599 HomeGenie starter kit bundles a Motorola residential gateway, a power switch for a light or appliance, a contact sensor for a door or window and a wireless camera with a motion sensor. You can have up to seven cameras and 32 switches on the system, which are controlled over the Internet via the HomeGenie web site. Additional sensors cost $35–$40 and switches are $39 each. The do-it-yourself HomeGenie system is set up using a PC or Mac but operates independently once installed. In case of a power outage, the gateway powers up to its most recent settings based on programming data stored on company servers. A separate HomeGenie thermostat ($135) requires professional installation. The monthly service fee for HomeGenie is $24.95, which includes tech support from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

Within Reach

You don't want to run upstairs every time the phone rings, but you don't want to be tethered to a line, either. A cordless phone lets you talk your way around the house. These phones have become so popular that some homes don't even have a wired version anymore. (Every home should have at least one corded phone, which will get power from the phone line if the electricity goes out.) Not all cordless phones work in the same frequency range. If you want to be free of interference from microwave ovens, most wireless home networks, some garage door openers and other products that operate in the same range, check out Panasonic's 5.8 GHz GigaRange cordless phones. The KX-TG5200M ($99.95) is an expandable phone that works with up to four compatible handsets. You can page one or all phones from any of the others. Additional features include caller ID, a voicemail-message-waiting indicator, a voice quality enhancer and chain dialing, which stores long numbers required for menu-based calls such as banking inquiries or credit card calls.

Kitchen Duty

The advantage of a wireless monitor is that it can go from room to room and access the Internet, email and files, yet it doesn't take up much space or power. That makes it the perfect Internet appliance for the kitchen, where countertop space and outlets are in short supply. The 3-pound, 10-inch airpanel V110 ($800) from Viewsonic is a Windows powered Smart Display with integrated 802.11b wireless support. It can share an Internet connection with a home router, and because it doesn't have a hard drive to boot, it starts up in a mere 3 seconds. The monitor connects into other computers in the house for music, files and favorite Internet links designed to be accessible by a stylus. You won't want to write lengthy emails using the device's handwriting-recognition software or virtual touchscreen keyboard, but there is a USB connector for an external keyboard. The screen's range is given as 100 feet, but as with all wireless devices, operating range depends on environmental factors such as building materials and other electronic devices.

Light the Way

Who wants to come home to a dark house? With a wireless lighting controller like Leviton's HCCKR keychain remote, you can turn on a light or a group of lights with the press of a button and illuminate a pathway from the garage into the house. At the heart of Leviton's Decora Home Controls is X-10 powerline carrier technology that transmits on/off commands over a home's AC wiring. Leviton adds its own Intellisense technology, which is said to compensate for electrical noise to improve reliability. The technology may be dated, but Leviton's smaller, curved design is new. The HCPRF radio receiver base station receives signals from a keychain or handheld remote control and transmits commands to connected lights and switches over powerlines. Any number of Decora light or X-10 appliance switches can be assigned to one button for multiswitch control. Suggested retail prices are $50 for the base station, $20 for the keychain remote and $35 for the universal handheld remote, which can also control audio and video products.

TV Anywhere

Your team is on TV, but the party is out on the deck. In the old days, you'd have to offer to refresh drinks every few minutes to get the latest update. But in the wireless age, you can have your game and watch it too. Sharp's Wireless AQUOS base station delivers four audio/video sources to its companion 15-inch LCD monitor. The base station gets positioned near the video equipment, where it accepts analog S-Video and composite feeds from sources such as an off-air antenna, cable, satellite, DVR, DVD and VCR. The bundled remote operates the TV, and then the TV's transceiver relays commands to source equipment using the source remotes. Take your TiVo remote outside with you, for instance, and you can still zip past the commercials. The weight of the TV is 13.9 pounds with stand and battery, and battery life is listed at two hours with standard brightness.

Family Room Fix

Do you like the idea of surround sound but cringe at the thought of running wires to the back of the room? The configurable Pioneer HTD-645DV ($700) can be set up in several ways based on a homeowner's wiring requirements. As a standard home-theater-in-a-box system, the HTD-645DV delivers front, center and surround sound to each of five wired speakers and tacks on a subwoofer for bass. Consumers who don't want to see wires can set up front and center speakers the standard way and then create a single rear surround channel through a single wireless speaker placed in the back of the room. The speaker receives signals from a transponder connected to the DVD receiver. The 650-watt system packs a five-disc DVD changer, SACD, DVD-Audio and JPEG photo playback and offers Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro-Logic II surround sound.

Safe and Secure

You want security, but you don't want to snake wires through the walls to get it. SmartHome's SecureLinc wireless security system, which is made up of a central panel and wireless sensors, is just the thing. The $249 do-it-yourself starter kit includes the panel, two wireless magnet contact closures for doors or windows, a wireless motion sensor, a transformer, backup batteries and a keychain remote control. The 9.8 x 7.5 x 1.75-inch panel mounts to the wall and communicates with wireless sensors over the 315-MHz radio frequency. You can program SecureLinc to call up to three phones or pagers in case of a breach. From a phone, you can determine which sensor was triggered, disable the alert or carry on a conversation with someone inside the house via two-way voice monitoring. The panel can also call a central monitoring service, such as Alarm Relay ($8.95 a month), which can then alert fire, police or medical emergency services. An $18.99 X-10 expansion module interacts with a home's lighting so that lights can be programmed to flash when the security alarm sounds.

Free the Music

Now that there's a secure and legal way to download music from the Internet, PC hard drives could very well overtake the CD rack as the primary music storage vault in the typical home. The next step is to release the music from the hard drive and make it available to other rooms in the house. Creative Labs' SoundBlaster Wireless Music ($199) receiver, which resembles a broadband modem, connects to powered speakers or to a stereo system as an auxiliary input to make MP3 or WMA music files available as an additional audio source. The receiver comes with software that organizes music according to artist, track or genre and a remote control with an LCD that guides you through playlists and songs. The system operates over 802.11b and 802.11g networks, and up to four receivers can be connected at once.

Eyes on the House

Whether it's checking on the baby during dinner at a restaurant, keeping an eye on the pool while you're on vacation, or monitoring an elderly relative from the office, a peek inside your home is only a few clicks away, thanks to the surveillance capabilities of Internet cameras. The D-Link DCS-5300W ($450) connects to an 802.11b wireless network and delivers 30 frame-per-second live video as well as an audio feed from the built-in microphone. Motorized pan and tilt functions let you manipulate the camera to get a better look whether you're across the house or around the world. You can set up the built-in motion detection feature to trigger automatic video recording and email alerts.

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What's New in Wireless

According to the Consumer Electronics Association, at the end of 2003, 11 percent of online households owned a wireless network, and 49 percent of Internet subscribers wanted to install one. That leaves room for lots of products that can benefit from a wireless home. Even homes with wired Ethernet can expand with wireless technology to reach the areas that wires can't.

Here's a peek at some of the hottest new wireless products.

Buffalo Technology Concrete walls, metal mesh, mirrors and other building materials can interfere with the transmission of wireless signals. The Buffalo Wireless Cable/DSL Router and Repeater Kit-g ($170) can double the range of your wireless network.

JVC JVC is cutting the cord on plasma TVs. The company's 42-inch PD-42X995 ($5,999) and 50-inch PD-50X995 ($8,999) plasma displays, due out later this year, use ultra-high-speed optical wireless transmission to send high-definition signals up to 30 feet with no loss of quality. Connecting source components to the wireless transmitter eliminates the need to run wires to the TV.

Linksys The Linksys Wireless-B Media Link connects to a stereo system via standard or optical audio cables. Users can navigate through MP3 and WMA songs and playlists stored on a PC hard drive--along with Internet radio stations--via an embedded LCD. An infrared remote control is included.

Philips Philips has added three new products to its Streamium line of Wi-Fi-enabled audio/video products. The MX6000i home theater system ($799) includes the standard receiver, DVD and CD playback options and comes with PC-link software that enables users to stream MPEG movies, JPEG digital images, Internet radio and MP3 music from a PC to another room. The SL400i ($499) and SL300i ($349) wireless multimedia links access content from a computer hard drive and deliver it to TVs and stereo systems in the house via an 802.11g network.

Sony Can't stand to miss The Sopranos while you're away from home? This fall you'll be able to tap into the home cable box or satellite receiver from the road with Sony's 12.1-inch Location Free TV ($1,499). The system can transmit data over the Internet via a built-in browser and Ethernet port. Within the house, it uses 802.11a/11b/11g technology to transmit video up to 100 feet from base station to monitor.

SMC The SMCWAA-B-EZ-Stream 11 Mbps Wireless Audio Adapter ($129) brings music from the PC to a home stereo system. A large LCD display on the side of the adapter simplifies the process of navigating through the tunes. The product comes with MusicMatch software and includes support for the subscription-based Rhapsody network and the Get Digital ripping and tagging service.

Rebecca Day has been writing about consumer electronics for longer than she can believe. Her articles have appeared in HOME, Rolling Stone, Popular Mechanics, Ladies' Home Journal and many other consumer and trade magazines.

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