At Stepcase Lifehack, the article Home Automation: Evaluating the Options offers an overview of the differences between wired and "plug-in" automation systems.
It's a good piece, but I'd caution that it understates, by omission, the difference in costs. Hard-wired systems start at approximately $10,000. So simply stating that they're "more expensive" is as much as an understatement as saying that plug-in systems require "landlord's approval" is a misstatement. (The latter is simply not true, no permanent modifications to your home are necessary.)
The earlier article in this series, Home Automation: What It Can Do For You is commendable for describing what you might want to accomplish, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
Thanks for the feedback, Gordon. I'm a beginner when it comes to home automation and I'm sharing what I learn as I go along, though I'm not sure how I got the "landlord's approval" statement mixed up with plug-in systems, since that's the whole appeal of them — thanks for spotting that!
Posted by: Joel Falconer | November 26, 2008 at 04:22 AM