Insights & Innovations: The Integrated Home Blog

There's nothing more relaxing that enjoying a glass of wine or a cocktail outside by the lake. Even if you don't live in the Lake Norman area, hanging out by the pool or resting on the patio is a fantastic pastime of North Carolina springs and summers. Add a relaxing music playlist to your R&R time, and you'll just feel all your troubles melt away. And then when it's time to party with friends and family, you can play the sports game on an outdoor TV and turn on a hit radio station. But what is the best way to add audio and video to your outdoor areas? We recommend hiring a professional that has the right speakers and TVs – and of course you can always trust The Integrated Home to deliver the best solutions. Continue reading to learn more about our outdoor audio video solutions.

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

Watch Movies and Sports Outdoors

If you love the great outdoors, then it's nice to have entertainment available on those days you want to get some vitamin D and catch up on the latest news or sports games. The summer is also a wonderful time to organize movie nights for the kids.

Seura TVs have been designed to live in your backyard all year long. They have a triple lock seal to block out moisture and protect against extreme temperatures. The best part is they still deliver incredible picture. Whether there isn't a cloud in the sky and the sun is shining super bright, or it's shaded and cloudy, your ability to see the video won't be affected. The Storm Ultra Bright TV uses luminoptics technology so that you can see it in direct sunlight. Seura also just released a line of Storm TVs that are in 4K UHD, so you can experience the best picture quality outside as well.

Spring is not only a time for renewal and fresh beginnings, but many people also do some "spring cleaning" and home renovations. It's also time to re-evaluate those goals we made in January. So why not consider using technology to help you reach your goals and also beautify your Lake Norman, NC home? Installing motorized shades is a great way to spruce up your home décor and also save energy, time, and money. Continue reading to learn all about the benefits of motorized shading.

SEE ALSO: Smart Home News for Control4 System Owners

1. Save Energy

A main reason people decide to install motorized shades is saving energy. Shades are an essential part of a climate control system. They work with lighting control systems and smart thermostats to affect the temperature of your home and reduce energy use.

Solar shades block out UV rays so that your home stays cool, but also let sunlight in so you don't have to keep the artificial lights on all day long. Lutron reports that you can save up to 60% on energy usage by coordinating your shades with a lighting control system, such as dimming your lights and lowering your shades for most of the day. The best part is, your smart home automatically raises and lowers the roller shades or draperies all day long and you don't have to lift a finger. Put them on timers, or hit a button to activate a morning or goodnight scene.

There are a lot of reasons a homeowner may want to install security cameras in their Lake Norman, NC residence. Formerly, families used security alarm systems to scare away invaders with loud, obnoxious sounds and then alert the police. Sometimes, criminals could find ways to avoid setting off the alarm, or the police wouldn't arrive in time to make the arrest. Today, surveillance cameras provide the solution of capturing the robber's activity on video so that even if he or she gets away, you have at least captured their face and actions. In addition to protecting your home from intruders, there are many other ways you can use security cameras in an integrated control system, such as checking in on children, hired help, or pets. Read on to learn more.

 SEE ALSO: How can you boost your home's cell phone signal?

Use Wireless Access to Monitor Your Home

Going out of town for vacation? Or maybe you have a second home you like to visit when the weather is nice. You can make sure your property is safe and in good condition at all times by installing wireless-enabled security cameras and then checking in on the video footage with an app on your phone. Use your smartphone to view various cameras around your home or let the system update you with text message alerts. If a person hops the fence and enters your backyard, you'll know it right away with real-time updates and video clips of the intruder. You'll be able to determine if it's a stranger, or just a neighbor or mail man, and then act accordingly. If you are busy doing activities or working during the day, you can play the recorded video later at your convenience.

Use Smart Locks for Additional Security Measures

Are you tired of being relegated to a specific corner of your Charlotte home to get reliable cell phone signal? Our phones are no longer solely used to make calls; we use them to stream our favorite entertainment, control our technology and read up on our favorite topics. This means that when you're designing your home, you should also take into account solutions that get you consistent coverage throughout your space. The Integrated Home does this by installing cell phone signal boosters that extend the reach of your signal.

How do Cell Phone Boosters Work?

Cell phone boosters are made up of an antenna, a signal amplifier, and an indoor antenna. Mount your first antenna where your coverage is the strongest. This can be near a window or even outside. The signal is received by the antenna and passed through a cable to your amplifier which then sends it to your indoor antenna. You can include multiple boosters in problem areas throughout your home.

These boosters also work inversely. There's no need to rely on home Wi-Fi to send out an email. Your smartphone signals just take the reverse route, sending the message to your indoor antenna, to the amplifier and back out through your main antenna.

Why Do You Need Cellphone Boosters?

With so many new technologies on the market today, you may wonder if it's really worth it to upgrade your home theater system with the newest features in your Charlotte, North Carolina home. We are here to tell you that 4K TVs and the Kaleidescape Movie Server are some of the best products you can add to your family room right now that are well worth the effort. Read on to learn about why 4K is here to stay.

SEE ALSO: Enhance Your Home Theater with a Control4 System Installation

4K TVS

You may be wondering if upgrading to 4K is really worth it. After all, why do all the work of setting up a new home theater system if you like the one you have? The truth is that the newest models of 4K TVs have all of the latest enhancements, including high-contrast, brightness, depth of color, high frame rates, and of course – high resolution. TVs that are in UHD have four times the amount of pixels than HD. This means that you can sit just a few feet away from the screen and not see any of those 8 million pixels. UHD TVs are so detailed and clear that they almost look 3D, like the picture is popping out at you. Also, available 4K content is growing at a rapid pace. UHD Blu-rays were released at CES 2016, and Netflix, VUDU, and Amazon Prime have already started developing 4K content beyond what they already have available for viewing. You can also purchase many 4K movies through the new Kaleidescape Movie Server Strato.

Kaleidescape