The Automated Home Advantage & How It Makes Your Life Easier

What started out as a futuristic concept decades ago, has now cumulated into a full-fledged practicality. Yes, this is home automation we are talking about, which used to be an impossible idea just a few decades earlier. However, today we are so immersed in the various home automation devices around us, we have mostly started getting accustomed to it. Getting home automation devices installed in Dallas is as easy as calling up a relevant firm and proceeding ahead with a deal.

But what are the advantages of automated homes over basic homes?

Smart Security

Security is paramount for any home, hence it always takes top priority for any home automation installation. You can set up a smart door lock system or a central security camera system that can be remotely controlled and operated and pair it with an alarm system, making it almost impossible for any intruder to break into your home.

Smart Temperature Control

Many thermostats, smart air conditioners and heaters come with wireless remote control facility that can be connected to your home Wi-Fi and can be controlled via a mobile app. This allows you to seamlessly control your home temperature even if you are out, making your home ready for your arrival. You can also remotely shut down the thermostat in case you forgot to turn it off in a hurry when leaving home.

Smart Lighting System

Smart lights are available in a number of designs and options, such as motion sensor lights, color changing LEDs and Wi-Fi enabled light bulbs. While motion sensor lights are controlled by detecting movement, wireless bulbs and lamps can be controlled via mobile apps, which also offer color changing options for suitable lamps. This way, you can save energy by remotely turning the lamps off if you forget to turn them off while leaving home.

Smart home systems are comprised of many devices, and using a smart hub is the best way to seamlessly connect and control them all from one place. Some of the most popular smart hubs on the market are Google Home and Amazon Alexa, which are compatible with a large number of smart home devices.

Improvise Your Home With AV Installations

With the constant changes in technology, the upkeep of a lot of things in our life has become quite easy. It allows us to pay attention to a lot of details and essentials in our life that were previously left untouched due to lack of time. One such innovation in the field of technology is the use of audio-video installation in the house. If you are one of those who juggle with the work and home life responsibilities, then you might want to look into the benefits of using the audio video installations in the house.

Hosting people with great vigor

Living a great social life and getting appreciated for the efforts that you make in your life is a dream come true for many females. With the audio-visual installation in your house, you can play your favorite albums and take requests while you are busy heating the dinner in the kitchen. Imagine a centrally operated system that even makes your voice command to change the music. You might earn some brownie points as the tech-savvy friend in your friend circle if you can install them for your benefit.

You can also change the mood music or image on your screen to entertain that special someone when you are back from the office party. The centrally hosted system helps you manage the sound of other parts of the house while you are still in the living area. It not only enables you to set the mood but also allows you to save a lot of time money and resources of the house. For example, if you plan on Netflix and chill with your friends in the living area, then you can switch off the sound system in the bedroom to save light and cut down on the cost.

Home theatre experience

Your house will become the favorite binge watch area for all your loved ones once they get used to the idea of immersive home theatre system in your house. Imagine spending one-time money for getting a movie like an experience for the rest of your life. These are some of the well-known benefits of installing the audio visual installations in your house and reaping amazing benefits out of them.

How to Build a Great Compatible Audio Video Entertainment System for Your Home

When building your own home entertainment system, it is absolutely necessary to get it right the first time, for a second rebuilding can be a huge time and money sink. The right components can make or break your home theatre settings, so it is essential to have a plan in mind before getting started on shopping for the necessary peripherals. You do not want your equipment to be too underpowered or overpowered, as achieving the right configuration is all-important for the most immersive experience possible.

It is highly recommended to get professional help from any of the audio video installation firms in Dallas for a straightforward installation of your components.

The Video Systems

We all know that “the bigger, the better” is the usual way to go when shopping for a compatible television. However, a bigger TV is not always right in all occasions, especially when it comes to small rooms. Sure, they will fit well in halls and big rooms, but will look awkward in small rooms.

There is a simple formula for calculating the perfect size of the TV based on your viewing distance. First of all, measure the distance of your couch from the wall or table where the TV is to be set up, in inches. This data is called viewing distance.

For example, if your viewing distance is 120 inches, the TV size should be 120/3 = 40 inches. Use this data to get the right TV for your room.

The Audio Systems

As with the TV, even audio systems need to be integrated properly. An expansive audio setup will be too loud for small rooms, and small speakers will be insufficient for big rooms and halls. If you have a room big enough for 40 inch TV, then you should get a 5.1 surround speaker set, whereas for larger rooms, 7.1 will be the perfect fit. Always choose the best speaker brands to ensure that your speaker last long enough. Plus, speakers from top brands like Sony, Harman Audio, JBL, Bose and other critically acclaimed brands for the best sound experience.

Conclusion

If you get the right mix of audio and video, the experience will be like no other. While you can set up the components yourself, we recommend you to get the help of experienced audio video professionals in Dallas for a smoother and error-free setup.

Home Automation Systems Are A Huge Rage In Dallas

Time is rapidly changing, and each sector has made considerable advancement in the field of technology. The continuous inventions indicate in the direction of automation to make life easier for us and help us achieve more productivity by devoting time to things that need our attention. You do not have to walk around the house anymore to change the lighting or music in the area. With the touch of a button, you can easily switch gears and change from jazz to pop or classics. Owing to the difference in the environment the sale of home automation in Dallas has picked up recently and for the right reasons. Here is why you should get one installed too.

Managing the resources efficiently: the home automation systems help in contributing their bit for the environment. With the optimum use of resources on the click of a button, you can now conserve a lot more than you could before. The systems are designed in a way that anything that has been on the snooze for more than designated time will stop itself even if you physically forget to do so. You can switch on the lights or change the brightness with a voice command without having to walk up to the switchboard.

Improves your efficiency levels: if you have kids at home, you know that toddlers can be a handful and if you do not pay attention to them, they might end up hurting themselves. The home automation systems in Dallas are advanced enough to give you remote feedback of the movement of the child while you are in the other room fixing a meal for yourself. For those who have adults at home, needing round the clock care, you can remotely check on them without entering the room to disturb their privacy.

Hospitable environment: if you have your hands full and have been preparing for the romantic evening, you do not have to walk around the room to set the perfect lighting and mood with the help of carefully selected playlist. The home automation system works on voice command and can change the order of business from casual to romantic with a few controls. Imagine entering the home after a tired day only to be welcomed with sumptuous meal laid out on the table and your favorite music playing in the background. You are definitely in for a treat of a lifetime if you install these home automation systems.

Home Automation Guide For First Timers

Introduction

Home automation was once thought as a fantasy. Popular cartoons like ‘Jetsons’ effectively showed us in the 90s that what a home of future might look like. While we are still far away from talking robot maids and instant food machines, the age of smart homes has well and truly arrived.

Stats show that nearly 30% of Americans have at least one home automation product in their homes. This is only projected to grow to more than 50% by 2020, as home automation system becomes more mainstream and affordable to the average consumer.

Most first time buyers in Dallas ask many questions about home automation, such as what is this exactly? And what devices consist of a typical home automation?

Smart Home – What is that?

While there is no fixed definition of a smart home, it loosely means that the smart devices that makes lives easier for the occupants. The devices have become upgraded with technological innovations in such a way that they don’t need much human intervention in their daily function. They work in a way such that one device depends on another and vice versa for smooth functioning.

Home Automation Devices

There are many devices that consist of a smart home, and some of the very basic ones that first time buyers must get are as follows:

  • Home Security Systems: Home security is one of the first and foremost home automation module one has to set up. Modern home security systems consist of wireless enabled CCTV cameras and motion detectors. These automatically detect any intruders and notify the user by mobile notifications along with sounds. Modern facilities allow home users who are far away from home to access their security devices via internet.
  • Smart Lightning: Smart lights such as color changing LEDs and motion detector lights consist an important part of a smart home. Most of these lights have inbuilt wireless modules in them that enables them to connect with the user via a mobile app. In short, users can be alerted of running lights and can control those wirelessly.
  • Smoke and Fire Detectors: Smoke detectors and fire detectors have been around since a long time, but only recently they have been modernized with newer technologies such as sound alarms and remote notifications.

Deciding Which Tech to Buy

Before deciding which devices to buy, there are many things to consider such as budget and installation capabilities. Many devices are more complex than others, hence less tech-savvy users can get away with ignoring the more complex systems such as pin-code enabled door locks and remote cameras. The more the home automation systems to install, the more the cost is required, hence budget also plays a big role in deciding what to buy and what not to buy.

Why Do You Need Smart Home Automation System?

Just a few years ago, home automation was for the uber-rich who installed expensive and vastly complicated systems to be able to partially automate their luxury villas and condos. Even then, the technology wasn’t up to the mark to call these homes a true ‘smart’ home.

Fast forwarding to the present; the technology has caught up, the prices have come down, and today, almost anyone with a decent budget can install simple home automation devices to make their homes smarter than ever. What was once thought to be a thing of the distant future as shown in movies and TV shows, is the present and very much within reach of the average consumer.

But, the big question still remains: Do you really need home automation systems? What exactly will they do to make your lives easier? Do they offer any significant upgrades over normal, old-school homes?

To answer these questions, we need to see the top 3 ways in which home automation systems can change our lives for good:

Remote Security:

You are away on vacation, and someone breaks into your house and makes a gateway with all your valuables and important stuff. To make matters worse, you live in a semi-secluded area with no neighbors to be able to see the robbery in progress and alert you of the same. The above scenario is virtually impossible when you have a smart home security system and cameras in place, one that can send you a text alert or phone notification if someone manages to mess up with your house. You can immediately call the cops while being hundreds of miles away, all with just the tap of a few buttons, and the robber would have no idea what’s coming for him.

Smart Safety:

Home automation systems also consist of smart, fingerprint-based or pin-based locks, with keys becoming a thing of past. You can gain access to your home with a swipe of your thumb, without worrying about misplacing keys. Other safety devices such as smoke detectors and motion sensors can also quickly alert you of any impending danger, so that you can immediately take action to prevent any costly damages. There are even heat-sensing CCTV cameras that can alert you of any unwanted visitors in your backyard or the front door, even in the darkest nights. Safety is truly first-class when all the proper devices are used with all of them interconnected with each other.

Energy Saving:

Smart home automation devices can save a lot of energy, bringing down your electricity bills in the long run. Motion sensing lights turn on only when someone enters the room, resulting in lower energy consumption. Smart speakers go into sleep mode when not used for a long time, and immediately activate when needed. A fully interconnected smart electrical system can even be operated via a smartphone, allowing you to remotely turn off electrical appliances and light bulbs when you are out, resulting in greater savings in electricity bills and no chances of any random lights running by mistake.

Home automation offers so many advantages, which is basically like ‘missing out on the good things’ if you still don’t have any of these in place. As advertised, home automation truly makes our life much easier, safer and efficient, allowing us to focus only on thing that matter.

New Ways to Stay Safe for the Holidays

New Ways to Stay Safe for the Holidays

It’s one of the busiest times of the year for most people. You’re probably one of them. Thankfully, technology can help lighten the load for you. Here are some examples of what those white coated lab rats have been cooking up to help.

 

Out of the House, Fast and Easy

 

When you’re rushing out the door on your way to your next holiday function, the last thing you have time for (before getting stuck in traffic) is scurrying around your house, turning off the lights, closing the shades, and killing all the TVs and music. Sure, LED lights don’t waste as much power as incandescent lamps, but still, you’re pretty green at heart, right?

 

Now, you can just say, “I’m leaving now” and the house will do its thing, so you don’t have to. If that’s just a bit too 21st century, we can put the whole shebang on a single button press by the mudroom door, so you just hit it on the way out. It can also happen automatically when arming your security system to leave. Easy as pie!

 

Put Down My Packages, Please

 

Package theft is rampant during this time of year. If you’re gated, hey, one less worry for you. If not, we can help ensure your deliveries stay yours, or the PD can at least track down the perps.

 

Step 1: Install a motion/photocell controlled light on the porch or have us program it to come on automatically at dusk. Yes, your packages aren’t usually delivered during dark hours, but you may arrive home then. 

 

Step 2: Cover the porch with a camera. If we’ve already installed a camera and recorder for you, that’s fantastic. You should have us over to check everything out to make sure it’s functioning correctly.

 

Cool New Developments to Keep You and Your Property Safe

 

CCTV Cameras have come a long way in terms of clarity, but that’s only the beginning. They, like everything else in tech, are also becoming smarter. Their added brain power can save you plenty of headaches, while helping to catch the bad guys.

 

Motion detection features have been part of CCTV systems for years. A big problem is that they respond to many motion events that really aren’t a threat. That raccoon in your front yard may present a clear and present danger to fluffy, but it’s probably not going to run off with your packages. The same can be said for the bird that flew into the picture.

 

So, now your system can ignore such things. The field of video analytics is finally coming to the home. Developed for use by governments and large institutions, the technology goes much deeper when analyzing video. The result is no more raccoon, but you can tell if a car drove the wrong way down your street, or an adult ventured into your lawn.

 

You’d expect the CIA and Bellagio Hotel/Casino to have such sophisticated hardware but probably not an average citizen. The same can be said for a smart watch, though. Dick Tracy never imagined anything with apps! Drop us a line to discuss how we can help bring this to your home.

 

Every Piece of the Holiday Puzzle

 

4K is here to stay, and yes it looks real! The last puzzle piece, something to watch, is here too, as myriad providers are releasing and rereleasing titles in 4K. Enhancement technologies, such as High Dynamic Range (the “HDR” you see some TVs touting) make it even better.  4k displays are plentiful, and are finally the true standard. Even video game consoles have adopted 4K. 4K BluRay disc players are here and more are on the way.

 

If it all sounds fantastic, well, it is, but…… Yeah, you just knew there was one of those. 4K uses a bit of copy protection technology called HDCP 2.2. Yep, it’s another acronym, but the content producers insist on complicating everything in the name of digital piracy fighting. Then, there’s another bit of alpha-babble called HDMI 2.0. It’s the cable and transmission format the signal uses to get from one device to another.

 

Why does this matter?

 

It doesn’t, if you simply have a 4K TV and plug it in to your cable or satellite box with a brand new, compatible HDMI cable. Where the whole thing starts going sideways is if your system is more complicated, and you have surround sound and multiple sources (think Roku, cable/satellite receiver, Playstation 4, etc…).

 

All devices in your system, including cables, must be 4K compatible. If not, the wheels can come right off the bus, and you’re left with a big, fat blank screen and a whole lot of quiet. Relax! We can take a look and make sure your system is compatible with the latest tech, before you’re left staring at much nothingness. Sometimes it’s as simple as swapping out a cable or two. We’ll take a look for you though, while the bus is still merrily rolling down the street.