Multi-functional residential communication approach

A signal-repeating device control arrangement for use in a facility having different types of user-controllable devices that are co-located with respective user-interface units in various zones of the facility and that provide user-selectable information to the user, the respective user-interface units providing input selectors for controlling operation of the user-controllable devices, the signal-repeating device control arrangement comprising:

• a user-interface control device having a user interface for receiving inputs from a user, having a transceiver for sending data wirelessly in response to the user inputs and for receiving data, and having a programmable configuration for providing user control over the different types of user-controllable devices;
• for use in communicating with the zone-located user-controllable devices, a signal-repeating base-station including
• a base-station transceiver adapted to communicate data with the user-interface control device,
• a data-routing circuit adapted to respond to the user inputs received via the base-station transceiver by sending designated groups of digital data sets to various zones of the facility to manipulate operation of at least one of the different types of user-controllable devices, and
• a data port adapted to download information for configuring both the signal-repeating base-station and, via the base-station transceiver, for configuring the user-interface control device.