“A few weeks ago, I read up on an Arduino project to create a home automation system. Being a electronic hobbyist, I wanted to be aware of the limits of my skill sets before attempting something like this. One of my major pain points was to open up a remote control, and hack in a microprocessor to manage this remote via a software program. This involved soldering very small contact points on electronic circuit boards. Cost of the components aside, I wanted to be sure that once I started on an automation project, I would be able to complete it without destroying any of the major functional components such as the remote control. This instructable is a “flight simulator version” of a web-based home automation system that I intend to put together in the next few days to come.”