Insights & Innovations: The Integrated Home Blog

With so many options for wireless music systems today, it’s pretty easy to get lost in a sea of audio brands and equipment. Which one is best and matches your needs and specific preferences? The Integrated Home is here to help you not only understand how wireless music works, but also pick the right solution just for you and your family. With our help, you’ll be rocking out to your favorite playlist in no time, and playing DJ entertaining friends and family like a pro at your next house party.

SEE ALSO: Transform the Soundscape of Your Home with Whole House Audio

“Wireless Music” Doesn’t Mean There are No Wires

So you may be surprised to find out that there are wires in a wireless music system – that is unless you purchase a Bluetooth speaker. Bluetooth speakers can be charged using a plug-in cord into the wall and then can be played anywhere without a power source until the battery dies. These are great for picnics, volleyball games, or any other fun outing where you want to bring music with you – but not transport heavy, expensive audio equipment. But these types aren’t what we are referring to when we talk about wireless music systems. It refers to connecting multiple speakers without wires so you can play the same song in multiple locations at once. For example, place a Sonos PLAY:1 speaker in each bedroom in your home, plug in the power source, and then connect all three using the app so you can play “Purple Rain” on all three simultaneously. You can play different songs on each one as well, but if you want all of them to sync, you need wireless speakers in order to do that.

You Can Use Accessories for Every Application

Our partner Sonos has a lot of different products to choose from – including soundbars, bookshelf speakers, and loudspeakers. But what if you want to install one on the wall? Or maybe you want to create a surround sound setup in the living room. This can be accomplished using audio accessories. Sonos speakers include screw ports for mounting hardware, but since they are uniquely shaped and somewhat heavy, they can be hard to mount. If you don’t have a shelf to put them on, then you need either speaker stands or wall mounts. We offer swivel wall mounts so you can reduce clutter in your room and stands to place your speakers on. If you want to match your soundbar to a flat-screen TV, we can help you mount that as well and fit it to size. Knowing that you have options when it comes to displaying your speakers is helpful when your rooms are different shapes and sizes.

You Can Integrate Them with Your Smart Home

Sonos systems and a lot of other wireless music systems can be integrated into your smart home – meaning you can sync them to other features like lights and shades. Not only can you enjoy the convenience of controlling your speakers with an iPhone or Android smartphone, but you can also play them, turn on your lights, and open your doors all at once. Sonos is compatible with Control4 and Savant smart home systems so you can incorporate music into a variety of scenes. For example, wake up to your favorite radio station and raise your shades at the same time. Play the news as you walk into the front door after work to catch up on what happened that day. You have many options with wireless devices.

Maybe you are adept enough to hang a flat-screen TV on the wall, or set up some speakers in your living room for surround sound, but did you know there are a lot of perks to working with a local professional to install your AV (other than not having to do the work yourself)? Not only do we have exclusive technologies and luxury brands that you can’t find in a local store, but we also have decades of experience creating the very best media rooms and home theaters – suited for your exact needs and desires. From organizing all your content, simplifying controls, and streaming and controlling media to or from any location, The Integrated Home is your local audio video installer in Charlotte, NC who knows exactly how to create the best home entertainment setup. 

SEE ALSO: The Best Home Theater Systems for Your Charlotte Living Room

1. Boost the Quality of Your AV

Here is a common occurrence: you buy a brand new flat-screen TV, you bring it home and discover the sound is never loud enough. The picture looks really nice, but you have to turn up the volume to the maximum level just to hear the movie. The truth is that the thinner TVs become, the worse the speakers perform. The average flat-screen TV has two speakers that are just barely larger than the size of a quarter. With speakers that size, you can't expect to hear anything at a proper level, not to mention you won’t feel immersed in the action like you want.

While adding a surround sound system is a great option, if you don't have the budget or space for a full 5.1.2 or 7.1.2 system, a high-quality soundbar will do the trick in the meantime. Add a soundbar by a quality manufacturer like Sonos and you can turn up the volume as loud as you like and will notice the difference in clarity. Give us a call and we can mount this beautiful soundbar in your living room. When you’re ready, we can add on to your system at any time – like upgrading your TV to 4K or installing a full Dolby Atmos surround sound system.

2. Easily Control Content in Every Room

One of the great features of having a smart AV system is easily switching content from room to room. For example, you’ll be able to start a movie in the living room, pause it, and then pick up exactly where you left off upstairs. Play a different channel in every room of your home – inside or outside – or the same program on all the screens. Control4 has various audio and high definition video distribution switches and controllers to scale to the size of your house. So it doesn’t matter if you have 15 TVs or three, we have the right equipment to meet your needs.

The term “green” evokes many things today – from global warming to solar energy. There is a big movement today in preserving the natural world, and even the small things matter. So how do you do your part in saving our precious resources, and also saving your own? While recycling and purchasing electric cars can help, installing a home energy management system can make a huge difference. Here are seven ways you can save energy, and money in your pocketbook, using a smart home in Lake Norman or Charlotte North Carolina. 

1. Install Dimmers

According to Lutron, installing dimmers in your house can save you up to 20 percent on energy alone. Your smart home system can automatically dim the lights at specific times of day when the sun is brightest, or certain sequences like a romantic dinner. Keep touch pads on the wall so you can manually adjust lighting levels at any moment. Control4 reports that simply lowering your lighting setting by 10 percent can save enough energy to reduce up to 850 pounds of carbon dioxide each year—the equivalent of not driving a car for an entire month.

2. Use Motion Sensors

Have you ever forgotten to turn off the lights when you left the house? Install motion sensors and you don’t even have to check every room as you walk out the door. Every time a room is empty, the system will turn the lights off for you.

3. Add a Smart Thermostat

We’re sure you have heard of the smart thermostat, Nest. Whether you have one or need to add a smart thermostat in your home, this is one of the biggest opportunities to save a lot of energy. Air conditioning and central heat account for 25 to 40 percent of energy usage in the home. Having access to your thermostat on your mobile device makes it easier for you to set temperatures at strategic points throughout the day. It can also go on autopilot to adjust the temperature all on its own, and if you have Nest, it will learn your habits and remember them.

4. Coordinate Lights with Motorized Shades

Both smart lights and shades will make a difference in saving energy, but coordinate them together and you’ll save even more! Imagine your motorized shades going up at noon to let the sunlight in and the lights turning off at the same time when you don’t need them. As the sun sets, the lights will dim to 50% and the shades will come down to protect your privacy. Daylight sensors can be added as well to detect the presence of natural light and adjust artificial light accordingly.

There are many surround sound systems to choose from today, ranging from placing 2 to 10 speakers around the room. Additionally, there are multiple ways to achieve an immersive audio experience in your home. However, Dolby Atmos, a 3D audio format, stands out among them as a unique listening experience that you can enjoy right in your own home in the areas of Lake Norman or Charlotte, North Carolina. Dolby Atmos surround sound is well known and used often in commercial theaters across the U.S. and it has now made its way into home entertainment. Keep reading to learn how this revolutionary technology works, as well as what is required for your media room design or home theater installation.

What is Dolby Atmos?

Dolby Atmos is a special audio format that allows your speakers to play multichannel sound in a 3-dimmensional space. Traditionally, sound has been mixed creating two or more channels, or tracks to play from a few speakers. This type of sound mixing confines all the sounds to a few channels so you can only hear it from certain angles. However, with Dolby Atmos, sound is freed from these channels and treats specific sounds as individual files, called audio objects. These objects can be placed and moved anywhere in the room using in-wall speakers that are in font, back, and above you. The Dolby Atmos cinema processor decides which speakers it will use to create the realistic sound.

SEE ALSO: The Best Home Theater Systems for Your Charlotte Living Room

The movie's sounds flow all around you to completely immerse you in the action, heightening the impact of the show and creating a powerfully moving cinema experience. If you are watching Gravity for example, as the spaceship flies across the sky, you can hear the engines moving from one side of the room to the other via in-ceiling speakers above you. Or, if you are watching The Hunger Games, can watch Katniss shoot her arrow and hear the pulling of the bow at the front of the room, and the impact at the back through the speakers behind you. As a result, your home theater system is able to bring the movie to life as never before possible.

Let’s face it, you really can’t get anything done without Internet access. It’s a byproduct of living in the 21st century. We use our smartphones for everything today, from managing our schedules, checking into the gym, and now controlling our smart home. But what happens when your Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) equipment isn’t cutting it? The truth is that it may not be their fault; local ISPs in Lake Norman or Charlotte aren’t built to handle large residences, advanced smart home systems, or high-end audio video components. For these applications you need a trained and knowledgeable professional for wireless network installation. Here are three issues you may be facing right now, and the solutions we offer to solve them.

Let’s face it, you really can’t get anything done without Internet access. It’s a byproduct of living in the 21st century. We use our smartphones for everything today, from managing our schedules, checking into the gym, and now controlling our smart home. But what happens when your Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) equipment isn’t cutting it? The truth is that it may not be their fault; local ISPs in Lake Norman or Charlotte aren’t built to handle large residences, advanced smart home systems, or high-end audio video components. For these applications you need a trained and knowledgeable professional for wireless network installation. Here are three issues you may be facing right now, and the solutions we offer to solve them.

SEE ALSO: How Can You Boost Your Home’s Cell Phone Signal?

1.You have a smart home, or many connected devices.

If you have a smart home or are thinking about getting one, a professional wireless network is a requirement, not an option. If you have many connected devices or streaming platforms in a dedicated home theater, you’ll need one as well. High-bandwidth devices put a lot of pressure on home networks, and simply purchasing a faster Internet speed won’t solve the problem. You need a local professional to place routers in the right locations and provide commercial-grade hardware. Higher-quality networks use faster CPUs and memory to process multiple connections at once, and advanced thermal management to keep equipment cool. They also can handle a greater number of connected devices and the intense network traffic.