Patent ID: 7904209

Claim:
An environmental control system for controlling at least a first environmental control appliance and for receiving at least a first detected environmental characteristic from at least a first environmental control sensor, the environmental control system comprising: an Internet protocol communication network, wherein said at least a first environmental control appliance and said at least a first environmental control sensor are directly connected to said Internet protocol communication network; a server computer comprising a control module; and an environmental control sub-system comprising an environmental control sensor software module and an environmental control appliance software module; wherein: the environmental control sensor software module is adapted to receive the first detected environmental characteristic from the first environmental control sensor in a format of an environmental control sensor protocol, to convert the first detected environmental characteristic into a format of an Internet transmissible protocol, and to send the first detected environmental characteristic in the Internet transmissible protocol over the communication network; the control module is adapted to receive the first detected environmental characteristic in the Internet transmissible protocol from the communications network, to determine a control signal based at least in part on the first detected environmental characteristic, to convert the control signal into the format of the Internet transmissible protocol, and to send the control signal in the Internet transmissible protocol over the communications network; and the environmental control appliance software module is adapted to receive the control signal in the Internet transmissible protocol from the communications network, to convert the control signal into a format of an environmental control appliance protocol, suitable for controlling the first environmental control appliance, and to send the control signal in the environmental control appliance protocol to the first environmental control appliance to control the operation of the first environmental control appliance.