How about a guide on how to intergrate it with mce. and how to hook everything up to the control and mce machine

I'd love to know how things like the dimmer communicate with mControl.  Do they walk wirelessly, or is it all done via the electrical wiring in the home and some sort of access point to mControl?

Right now I've got a Luteon IR Remote Control dimmer, and that's it.  So this is something I'd like to think about doing.

-D

Would have to have

a. camera at the door (show up on mce when doorbell rings)
b. control hvac from media center
c. control lighting from media center

of course I use 100% extenders so it has to be extender friendly.

I have always wanted to use mcontrol but the price is a little hard to swing.  I have x10 all through my house but we just use remotes.  

Is mcontrol able to display a video feed from a securtiy camera other than the expensive network cameras?  X10 sells an adapter for cameras to go from composite (yellow) to USB.  Could I then display the feed coming in to media center?

Chris,

My needs may be a little more basic than the rest of your readers, but as cool as this technology sounds, I am still not completely sure what the scope of a project like this would be ... e.g. Do I need to install adapters on all of my existing lighting to be able to dim lights in the house?  How would I hook up sprinkler system?  

What would be cool for me, if you could swing it, would be some sort of sample schematic that shows what a fully automated house would be, along with parts required ... but I know that is a lot ... :-)

Chris;
I need to know which system to use as you say (X10, Z-Wave, etc) and why.  Also;  I am trying to determine whether to go with M-Control or Lagotek or both.  How do you go about doing the house. Do you start in one room and one floor?  How do you expand?  It seems that no one vendor or system does it all and you end of using all the systems to get it done. I don't want to be a system integrator.  I don't want to hire a person to come in and do it.  I want to do it.  Which system will win out?  I don't want to go with the wrong system like I did with HD-DVD.