There are few more pleasant ways to wake up in the morning than with some quiet music playing low as you get out of bed. But with whole house audio throughout your Lake Norman, NC home, you’re morning bliss doesn’t have to end at your bedroom door. The music can follow you down the hallway, into the bathroom as you get ready for your day and into the kitchen as you prepare breakfast for your family. Creating a soundtrack to brighten up your life can make your home more enjoyable, keep the kids happy and provide a unique listening experience in every room of your house. Take a look at the ways whole house audio can enhance your smart home.

Music That Follows you Throughout the House

Imagine this: you’ve planned a dinner for family and friends. As your guests arrive, they’re greeted by the sound of music seemingly coming from the walls of the foyer. As they sit down for dinner, they are immersed in a surround soundscape that is fully audible but not so loud that they have to strain to hear each other. Afterward, the party moves to the dedicated listening room, where they are taken aback by the elegance of your Monitor Audio or Meridian speakers – pieces designed so well they are really more like furniture than perfect sounding pieces of audio equipment. From here the gathering can go on well into the night.

All of this is possible with whole house audio. And by integrating your sound gear with the rest of your smart home controls, you can control more than just the sound. Set the scene with perfect lighting, draw the shades to enjoy your surroundings and adjust the climate as you pick the perfect melody for the occasion with just the touch of a button on your remote, tablet or smartphone.

Continue the Party Outside With Outdoor Audio 

Control4 has been one of our longstanding partners, offering reliable and simple controls to families and individuals who seek high-quality technology. With mobile apps and smart home trends on the rise, Control4 has made some improvements to their systems and also added new products and features to their solutions.

The Integrated Home is excited to announce and explain some of this new technology to you. If you already have a Control4 system in your Charlotte, NC home and want to add some of these new features, or you have been waiting for the right system to come along to get you jump started, you should read on. Here’s a few of the latest innovations from this premier company.

OS 2.7 Software & Climate Control Features

Control4 has designed an elegant new user interface that provides easy and interactive climate control in the home or from miles away. Their “Comfort Control Experience” gives you quick access to all your thermostats’ functions and presets. The presets allow you to save all of your HVAC settings and recall them with one touch, or simply have them take effect automatically on a schedule or when a designated event occurs.

The climate comfort experience is designed to work with leading HVAC systems and includes control of temperature, heat/cool set-points, thermostat mode, fan speed, and humidity levels.

Control4 also now has their own battery-powered and wireless thermostat that has been designed in partnership with Aprilaire. It delivers a consistently comfortable home and features enhanced compatibility for use with more modern HVAC systems that have geothermal, dual fuel, and humidity control systems for increased flexibility and comfort. Additionally, the new wireless thermostat can be powered using AC power or batteries, allowing for maximum installation flexibility.

Lighting is such an essential part of your home; the right levels can set the perfect mood and the right switch can make managing your home easier. The Integrated Home, in partnership with Lutron, has a myriad of options for you when it comes to style and controls. Here are a few features we don’t want you to miss out on.

1. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, lighting accounts for about 15% of your electricity use at home. Leaving lights on when not in use can affect your utility bills and wastes our planet’s resources. Our team can help you set up an energy-saving strategy with your lighting controls by timing the lights to go on or off, installing motion sensors and dimmers.
2. Whether you are leaving the house for work, or are going to the Outer Banks on vacation, a control system can help you save time managing your household while you’re on the go. Simply press a button on your phone or iPad that says “Away” or “Vacation Mode” and every light in the house goes off, or can be dimmed to a low level. It’s convenient and energy-conscious.
3. Motion sensors remember to turn off the lights for you. When a sensor detects that a person has left the room, the lights automatically go off. In contrast, if your spouse comes home late, he or she can easily see to get in when a light on the front porch turns on overhead. This technology helps you move throughout the house with ease as you don’t have to reach for switches if you are carrying items, and it will also saves energy in the process.
4. Lastly, dimmers help you save energy and also keep you comfortable at the same time. You can use a keypad on the wall to reduce the lighting to an appropriate level or adjust it remotely on your smartphone. Dimmers can create a different mood in the room, reduce glare on your screens, and take some dollars off that utility bill.

As you can see, lighting control has so many benefits. You won’t waste time trying to figure out which switch on the wall turns on the kitchen light, or leave lights on all day in the family room. Your control system can automatically turn the lights off for you, or you can manage the settings yourself throughout the day.

Interested in the many benefits of lighting control with Lutron and The Integrated Home? Contact us to learn more!

Interior design is an art, and therefore is highly personal. Everyone has different tastes when it comes to style, and the same goes for technology. Some people love showing it off while others would like to hide it. If you are into hiding your whole house audio and video products, then you have come to the right place.

The Integrated Home specializes in blending technology with your Charlotte home décor. In this blog edition, we’ll give you some ideas and show you some fun possibilities when it comes to hidden technology.

Hide TVs in Any Space for Impressive Surprises

Séura is a master at creating TVs that magically appear in a variety of forms. Their Vanishing TV Mirror can be placed anywhere in the house, even in the shower. You can wake up in the morning, walk into your bathroom to get ready and watch the news in the mirror while you brush your teeth. Séura also has a line of outdoor TVs that are weatherproof and built to withstand nature’s elements.

If you find that a TV mirror isn’t your style, TVs can also be placed behind pieces of art or conceal them inside ceilings and walls. The Integrated Home uses motors to move screens in and out of spaces. With just the touch of a button, you can bring out the TV and get ready for an evening movie. Hidden technology is a great option if you want to add to a room, but don’t want the technology to stand out.

With our integration professionals, you can distribute different videos to every screen in the house and not disrupt your interior design in the process.

Many residents of Charlotte, NC have learned that installing a Control4 system simply makes your life better. And here at The Integrated Home, our years of experience have taught us that an intuitive home control system from Control4 can fit a variety of needs.

Want to create the ultimate entertainment space for family and friends? Done. Interested in a green home that reduces your carbon footprint? Got it. Focused on making sure your property is secure and your family is safe from harm? We’ll take care of that. No matter what your needs are, an automated Control4 system can be customized to suit your lifestyle.

Interested in knowing what makes a Control4 home so special? Read on to find out:

Simple

Home automation allows you to be able to monitor and manage multiple systems throughout your home, directly from your smartphone or tablet. Control4 allows you to access your home through one easy to use interface that is consistent whether on a phone, in-wall touch panel, or a laptop. With Control 4, your entire home functions together and is accessible from one location. Everyone in the family can turn on the AC, choose a playlist to stream music in any room, or set the home to “away” mode with just a simple press on a touch screen device.

Smart

One of the primary reasons many homeowners decide to add automation to their homes is the enhanced level of comfort that accompanies the upgrade. Remote controlled lighting and shading helps keep your home cool, regulating the amount of sunlight in any room. This not only reduces harsh glare, but helps keep your AC from working overtime. With smart features from Control 4, your entire home becomes a pillar of energy savings and convenience.