Insights & Innovations: The Integrated Home Blog

Sometimes adding a surround sound system to your Charlotte-area home is a fairly simple project. But what if the room you want to watch movies in is oddly shaped or is made of materials that complicate the installation? We want to assure you that when you work with a professional audio/video installer you can overcome any challenges. Read this helpful guide for more information.

SEE ALSO: Take Your Gaming to the Next Level with Media Room Design

Oddly Shaped Ceilings

Positioning two or four speakers in the ceiling is key to creating 3D audio where you can hear the sound coming from above you. If a movie includes a plane flying overhead or other sounds that come from above, you’ll need them. But what if your ceiling is a dome, caved, or made of a difficult material like brick or glass? In cases where the speakers can’t be installed in the walls or mounted on the ceiling, you can use upward firing speakers, which play the soundtrack directly upward so the sound reflects off the ceiling and back down towards you. Keep in mind that these work best when the ceiling is made of a hard and smooth surface.

Open Spaces

A smart thermostat is certainly a key feature in any smart home. Being able to control the temperature of your Charlotte, NC home quickly and easily is quite convenient. Today we are sharing a few new ways you can access your climate control system. Our Control4 smart homes have many different options, from using an app on your smartphone to geo-fencing technology. Keep reading to learn more.

SEE ALSO: What is the Best Wireless Thermostat?

Geo-fencing

Geo-fencing technology allows you to control your smart home using your location. Your smartphone uses GPS to pinpoint where you are and then start or stop certain functions. For example, if you want your home to be nice and cold when you get home from work, create a setting that turns the air conditioning on to 72 as soon as you are one mile from home.  Geo-fencing creates an invisible perimeter around your property so that when you step inside that fence, your smart home goes into action turning on the air conditioning or heater, turning on the lights, music, or TV as well.

Voice Control & Smart Scenes

Many Charlotte, NC smart home owners have a limited understanding of the terms and equipment associated with Wi-Fi and networking. Understanding how your home network is setup and operates is the first step towards ensuring your smart home performs reliably and effectively. Then, you need a trusted home network installation partner to provide the essential pieces of equipment and services you need to ensure a secure connection in your house. Our goal is to educate our customers and clients on all things related to home technology, and the network is a large part of that discussion. Read this guide on Wi-Fi to learn about the basics of a network in a smart home.

See Also: Reasons to Consider a Wireless Networking Professional

The Essentials

What pieces of equipment do you need for a reliable connection? We start this guide on the smart home network with a look at some the essential components that make up a robust Internet connection. You probably already have some of these pieces of equipment in your home already, but do you have an understanding of their purpose and how they work? 

Routers and Access Points: We use wired routers to establish a strong connection in your home and wireless access points so you can get a signal at any location. Access points work by connecting to the network cable and converting it into a radio signal. That signal is picked up by network cards in your wireless devices in order to connect to the Wi-Fi. Routers need to be upgraded regularly—both the hardware and software. Work with a local professional like us to find the right one for you.

What are your plans this summer? With school out and many couples taking time off work for vacation, it’s time to consider where you’ll be having all that fun. Of course you don’t have to leave home to make your summer memorable and enjoyable. You can stay right in your Charlotte, NC house and have the time of your life. One way to make your home a destination for fun is by installing a media room for watching movies, listening to music and playing games. Here are some ways to incorporate home automation into your media room.

SEE ALSO: Prepare for Summer Fun with Outdoor Audio Video in Your Lake Norman Home

Gaming

A popular and often addictive activity during the summer is playing video games. But how do you take your gaming sessions to the next level? Whether you are playing vintage consoles like Playstation or new ones like XBOX One, a video wall is a great way to display all the players’ views in the room. A video wall is made up of multiple televisions. You can display one large image on all of them or create a grid of multiple channels or views at once. Let’s say you are playing the classic Mario Kart, each player can follow their path on the large TV and enjoy an immersive experience. Add a surround sound system and you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of a battle. If you need to pause, just press a button on the Control4 universal remote. The lights will come on, the game will stop, and you can pick up where you left off in a hurry.

Movies

Spring is the perfect time to spruce up your home with new styles. Whether you want to completely redesign your home or just rearrange the furniture, the small touches make a big difference. Shades, in particular, can have a dramatic impact on your interiors. But are your shades easy to control and are they versatile enough to work with the other smart devices you own? Motorized shades are not only convenient to use, but they also add beauty and style to your home. With so many options, how do you make the right choice? The first step is learning about all the different shade types and fabric types and how they will affect your smart home performance. Keep reading to learn more. 

SEE ALSO:  The Top 3 Benefits of Installing Smart Shades

Choosing a Shade Brand

The Integrated Home is your local Lutron-certified dealer, and there's a reason why we have chosen this brand over many of the others. While Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, Lutron practically invented lighting control. Their company has been innovating lighting and shading solutions for over 40 years. They've installed lighting and shading systems in the White House, Windsor Castle, and many other famous sites all over the world. As a leader in integration technology, we trust Lutron over all the other names.

Choosing a Color for Your Shades