Insights & Innovations: The Integrated Home Blog

Smart lighting has so many benefits, from saving energy to adding convenience. It’s definitely a simple yet stylish luxury. You may be familiar with dimming the lights to create ambiance and turning all your lights on or off by hitting one button, but you may not know about some of the other lighting features we offer in Charlotte, North Carolina homes. Customers sometimes ask us, “what else can it do?” We know you like to stay up to date on the newest home technologies, so in this blog we’ll share a few of the newer functions you can add during our lighting installation – including colored lighting, customizable keypads, smart watch control, and car control.

SEE ALSO: 3 Tips on How to Enhance Interior Design with Automated Lighting

Add Color Both Inside and Out

Today, you are not limited to picking from either white light or yellow; The Integrated Home can incorporate any color of the rainbow in your home. Colored LED light fixtures are often used outside to highlight gardens, fountains or other landscaping details, and inside for special occasions. Since fall celebrations are on the way, you could plan to decorate your yard with fun fall décor, or spooky Halloween decorations and use smart lighting to show every detail. Inside, pick orange or green lights to display pumpkins or monster characters throughout the house. Of course, Control4 lighting scenes can be created for all of your holidays or family gatherings throughout the year. Using an app on your smartphone or tablet, select a color and the room you want to display it in. Tie in other features, like shading and audio, and then save the scene for later. You can also select a different setting for every light. Choose red for the front porch during Christmas or dim the lamps in the living room for a soothing evening in. Control4 lighting controls are in one convenient location on your mobile device, or are accessible using your in-wall keypads.

Stylish Keypads

Control4 keypads eliminate the wall acne created by too many switches and dimmers by simplifying your buttons and displaying them in a stylish and simple way. Our keypads can also be customized to any setting you like, such as “Welcome”, “Movie”, or “Entertain.” They have over 35 different configuration options. In addition, the engravings are backlit so you can see the titles easily. You won’t have to try every switch to figure out which one turns the kitchen lights on. Every button is named. Not only can you customize the names of each scene, but you can also pick your keypad color and style to match your personal interior design taste. You could stick with a basic white or choose a sleek chrome. It’s all up to you how you want your home to look and feel – and even the buttons on the wall are included in that effort.

There are many home theater systems on the market today, which can make it difficult to figure out which one is best. We’ve even written a blog all about your options and the premium brands we offer in the Lake Norman area.

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

In this article we want to cover what type of space is best for your system. Your preferences and needs will determine if a multipurpose media room is better for you, or a dedicated home theater. Continue reading to discover all your options for home entertainment.

Multipurpose Media Rooms

A media room is a great option for families who want to include their home theater system in common areas. A lot of interior designers today are using an open concept in homes so that rooms aren’t divided, which can make the home seem smaller and more confined. Open areas give parents the ability to watch their kids as they cook or clean since they can glance from the stove to the living room. Open concepts are also beneficial for entertaining. You could be preparing drinks in the kitchen and still have a conversation with your company in the dining room or media room. People can also flow from one space to another easily, and all of your décor pieces can be coherent. A media room comes into play by allowing your friends and family to enjoy a variety of activities at any moment. For example, we could hide a TV behind a piece of art or in a mirror so that a living room turns into a home theater instantly with the press of a button. You can have a cocktail party one moment or simply read a book, and then get ready to watch a movie or play a video game the next. Media rooms are both practical and pleasing to look at. One important factor to note is that the quality of your home theater system will not be compromised when we install it in an open area. We can install speakers in the ceiling and in the walls in front of you and back to create the surround sound effect. We also have special projectors and screens that display defined, vivid images even in bright light. The black diamond screen by Screen Innovations can be enjoyed in broad daylight. Be rest assured you’ll get both quality and beauty in your media room.

Today’s security cameras are incredibly smart with many high-tech features that will protect your Charlotte, North Carolina home. But you don’t want to just choose any security company to work with or any surveillance brand. We want to assure you that our products are of the highest quality and that working with a smart home professional is the way to go – even when installing just security and surveillance. Here are some of the best features of our surveillance cameras. 

SEE ALSO: How to Protect Your North Carolina Home with Security Cameras

Experience High-Definition Viewing

Snap AV has enhanced their Wirepath series of surveillance cameras to create a brand new, better-than-ever system called Luma. The Luma HD-TVI analog cameras can capture images in high definition, which is three times the pixels of typical analog models. It’s perfect for indoor ceiling installation in small or medium-size rooms, and can be tilted so it can pan around the room as needed. This series also delivers smooth video at up to 30 frames per second so the video is clear and smooth as you are watching it. And, thanks to the 1MP sensor, the cameras can show a true widescreen view, giving you a wider view of the action to fill your TV or mobile device screen. Snap AV also has outdoor models that are protected from spraying water or dust and are even resistant to intentional damage. With many high-quality surveillance cameras in different shapes and sizes for any application, Snap AV is our recommended brand for top-notch security.

Check in on Loved Ones with Live Video Streams

Installing motorized shades in your Charlotte, North Carolina home has many benefits, like saving energy, time and money. Yet, there are many other great features of automated shades you may not know about. Lutron’s award-winning line of smart shades stand out from the rest for four key reasons. Continue reading to find out why we install Lutron shades in Charlotte homes.

SEE ALSO: The Top 3 Benefits of Installing Smart Shades

A Top Brand You Can Trust
Lutron has been one of our top, trusted partners for years. This company has a long history of providing the very best lighting and shading control systems to families around the world. Since 1950, Lutron has expanded to become the leading lighting and shading company in the entire world – from installing lights in the White House to the New York Times building. Other companies have come and gone, but Lutron has successfully climbed to the top, developing new and innovative products for the smart home. We know you can count on these shades to perform perfectly and last years.

Quiet Motor Technology
Lutron shades have a proprietary motor technology that allows them to operate smoothly and quietly. In the past, these motors were disturbing, but years of innovation have improved them so you don’t hear a sound as they move up and down. Even if you have dozens of windows in your home, and they all operate at the same time, you will barely hear them. That’s the advantage Lutron’s technology has over its competitors.

It’s fairly common for people to purchase an electronic device, use it for a few months, and then realize it’s already outdated or needs an upgrade because a new model has already been launched. Most of us have experienced this with smartphones. There are now seven models of the iPhone, and companies often have to alert you to software updates, sometimes even every month.

It’s true that any piece of technology you purchase is a long-term investment- especially smart home automation. You have to regularly update and occasionally upgrade your device. But the truth is you don’t have to worry about losing out when you work with a professional like The Integrated Home. Not only will we service your smart home for life, but we’ll also make any needed smart home updates along the way so that it reaches optimal performance. Keep reading to see if your house in the Lake Norman, North Carolina area needs an upgrade.

SEE ALSO: Partner with a Control4 Dealer to Build or Renovate Your New Home

#1 Your Smart Home is Slow, and Can’t Connect with All Your Components

If your smart home system is slow, and often has problems connecting with your devices, this is likely a network issue. A smart home must have the proper network infrastructure to work properly. An average Internet provider just won’t cut it. You need a professional to install the network and analyze your home to make sure all the connections and routers are placed in the proper location. This is especially important if you want to be able to do things like arm your security system from another state. It’s also crucial when you regularly use streaming services like Netflix or Spotify. Establishing a proper network connection is the first upgrade you may need to make.

#2 Your Devices Are Outdated

If you are still using the older models of controls to use your smart home it’s definitely time for an update. A lot of the older universal remotes and controllers are heavy, bulky, and are limited. Since most people today use their mobile devices to control and manage their lives, most smart home companies have adapted and now offer smart home mobile apps that you can download onto your phone, tablet, or computer. They also have sleek, simple, and lightweight touch pads that are dedicated to controlling your home. They can sit on a table so you can move it throughout the house, or be installed inside the wall so it’s more stationary. Our partner Control4 even offers fun colors for these controllers, like fire red, and many of these in-wall touch screens have charging stations for your devices too. Upgrade your controllers, and you can enjoy a lot of new smart home features like streaming surveillance footage in HD, or creating custom scenes like “Wake up” and "Goodnight.”