Insights & Innovations: The Integrated Home Blog

Network breaches can put you and your family at risk — learn how to prevent them here

Over the past several years, our homes and lives have become more digitally connected than ever before. Modern-day smart homes run on home networking infrastructure that connects TVs, gaming systems, smart devices like thermostats and doorbells, computers, mobile phones, and more to the internet. 

And while the vast Internet of Things (IoT) has indisputably brought more comfort, entertainment, and convenience into our lives, there’s a dark side too. As we move more of our lives online, our home networks, devices, and personal data are at risk from cyber threats like hackers, malware, viruses, and ransomware. 

How can you better protect your home and family from network breaches in Charlotte, NC? Keep reading to learn five tips. 

Make the Most from Your Outdoor Areas, Day or Night

With relatively mild winters and beautiful springs and autumns, North Carolina is a place where the outdoor seasons can be enjoyed more than other areas. And there’s no reason you can’t enjoy them in the convenience of your own backyard. One way to make sure you’re never bored outside is with an outdoor audio/video entertainment setup. 

No matter the size and layout of your outdoor space, there are outdoor entertainment solutions for your Charlotte home. You can enjoy music on your patio or all over the backyard and TV in the sun or your comfortably shaded covered patio. Keep reading to explore the options below. 

See How Whole Home Audio Can Differentiate Your Design/Build Projects

As design professionals and builders, you’re always looking for ways to differentiate your work. Whether it’s a custom design flourish, a style in which you specialize, or the use of materials and construction techniques, you look to set yourself apart.

Prospective homebuyers and remodelers are highly interested in smart home technology. Yet, many of them may not know about all the potential a smart home system can offer in their home. One way to get people excited about it is with whole-house audio. Everyone can appreciate the luxury of listening to music all over the house – even outdoors – with consummate ease, without needing an audio system in every room. The beauty of it is that with systems like Control4, whole-house audio is just the "killer app" that pushes people to take the plunge– but they get much more with the rest of the solution. Read on to learn how whole house audio is the gateway for integrating smart home features to make your Charlotte, NC projects stand out from the pack.

Keep these factors in mind while choosing the centerpiece of your home cinema

A projection screen is a classic display choice for a home theater design. A 100-inch or larger screen most closely recreates the commercial theater experience in a home environment, and the sheer size of the screen brings all your content to life before your eyes. Therefore, choosing the right projection screen for your theater in Charlotte, NC, is paramount — not only because the screen is the centerpiece of your room design but also because the display has a significant impact on your overall viewing experience.

Keep reading to learn three considerations to keep in mind while selecting the right projection screen for the most authentic and enjoyable movie-watching experience.

SurgeX Power Management Solutions Keep Expensive Equipment Safe

If you live in North Carolina, you’ve likely experienced it. The brief summer thunderstorm with heavy lighting took out the power in your neighborhood. When it came back on, some of your electronics didn’t quite work anymore.

Of course, any good audio-video installer (like The Integrated Home) will always protect sensitive and costly equipment in a home theater or media room with a good power conditioning and surge protection system. Clean, stable power is essential for the proper operation of your equipment and to prevent damage from unexpected power surges.

Fortunately, today’s power protection solutions are more sophisticated than ever. The new SurgeX Squid system is one such solution, packing advanced power protection and analytics in a compact package that’s easy to install in your home theater, home office, or anywhere where you need to protect sensitive electronics. Keep reading to learn more about power management and protection solutions for your Charlotte home.