i want to control the lights in my house

Projects Discussion and Showcase Home Automation
1

i want to control the lights in my house, i was thinking using a relay per each light bolt, and control the relays using arduino that connect to ethernet shield and push buttons,
the ethernet shield will allow me to control the outputs to the relay using a router, and the push buttons is connected to arduino analog pins to turn on and off the light manually,

what the i want to ask if there is a better way to do this ?

2

If you're able to wire all lights and switches to Arduino, it's a good solution.
Depending on the amount of lights/ switches, you should choose between an Uno or a Mega.
In my case, I used Solid State relays, I didn't want to hear the click of the mechanic relays.

3

I use the HTC G1+Arduino UNO to build a system.
May be you can use like a to remote control the system/

4

You may use wireless (not Wifi) boards mixed with Ethernet one to have a distributed network, this will allow you to cover different areas of your home.

Regards,
Dario.