THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR HIGH-TECH SECURITY SYSTEM.

Byline: Elisa Williams Orange County Register

Home automation isn't what it used to be.

Not only are prices coming down, but there's a much larger selection of products available that cater to a wide variety of needs.

Tim Huisking of Costa Mesa invested in a home-automation system in part because his home had been broken into. At night in his house, a light turns on in his bedroom if there's any motion detected outside. And his home is set up to automatically arm the alarm system when his family goes to bed.

``When I asked my wife what she likes best about it, she said, `I never have to come home to a dark house,' '' Huisking said, adding that the system turns on a variety of lights inside and out when the sun sets.

So convinced is Huisking that home automation will take off, he plans to start selling systems through his custom home-audio business.

For Brenda Jordan of Yorba Linda, home automation has translated into independence. A quadriplegic and the mother of an 8-year-old boy, Jordan uses voice commands to make telephone calls, turn on the television set and adjust the lighting in her home. It responds to her in a voice and personality that sounds like basketball star Charles Barkley of the Phoenix Suns.

``I use it mostly in the evenings when my attendant is gone,'' Jordan said.Both Jordan and Huisking use the Mastervoice Butler in a Box system, developed by Automated Voice Systems Inc. in Yorba Linda, but there are many different types of systems available.

Here's a primer on some of the more comprehensive programs available today, each of which has the option to run off your personal computer:

Automated Voice Systems Inc. in Yorba Linda offers a range of sophisticated systems, including the Butler in a Box Does Windows, which enables you to control everything from your draperies to the pool pump with voice commands, a touch-tone telephone or, if you choose, with a few clicks of the mouse buttons on your personal computer.

It also can be programmed to make changes by tracking the time of day during the year. Say you want the heat to go on in your mountain getaway in October - the system could handle that change on its own. It also can accept commands through a touch-tone telephone; or by situation, which means it can be set up to respond to environmental changes.

One of the fun features of the voice-command program is its adaptability. It can be programmed to reflect whatever personality you choose. If you want your house to sound like an adoring servant, responding, ``Yes, master'' and so on, that can be arranged.

Prices vary depending on the type of project, but the average cost for wiring is about $2 per square foot. Equipment and software can range from about $1,200 to $4,000.

To reach AVSI, call [phone] or visit its site on the Internet at http://www.mastervoice.com

The AMP SmartOne system, which is due out in May and has the backing of Compaq Computer, was designed with audio-visual equipment as its prime focus but can encompass every appliance in your home.

Harrisburg, Pa.-based AMP uses the CEBus technology. The promise of CEBus is that your appliances will not only be able to take commands, but they'll be able to talk to one another. For example, with CEBus-compatible appliances, SmartOne could be programmed to start your dishwasher after a load of laundry is finished in order to spare hot water.

The software is designed to be easily controlled by clicking commands into the remote control on a television set. Depending on the user's preference, it also could be manipulated on a personal computer.With SmartOne as an interface, the user doesn't have to remember all the subtleties of different pieces of equipment. The commands are all interpreted the same way by the software.

SmartOne has its fun aspects, too. One of the lifestyle features is a program that will tell your computer modem to send out a fax, such as an order for your favorite pizza. AMP can be reached at [phone].

NetMedia's TABS system, which runs off a 486-level IBM computer or better, also uses the television set as its primary communications device.

TABS collects information about your home through small devices called TABS Coms that look like 7-inch-square intercoms. The TABS Coms can accept and deliver commands in several ways: through a small keypad, through an infrared remote control or through any touch-tone telephone.

TABS in turn communicates back through its own voice. Say you want to turn off the lights at home from your office telephone, but you're not sure you hit the right sequence of numbers. TABS will confirm the command with a voice message.

The program costs about $6,000 to install in the typical three- or four-bedroom house. That price includes the cost of a home computer, because the system requires its own dedicated PC.NetMedia can be reached at [phone] or http:/www.homeautomation.com.