Today’s tech scene is more advanced than most of us can accurately grasp from TV’s being hidden in every corner of the home to drones to some of the most elaborate sound systems this planet has ever seen.
In a world that contains millions of devices and the ability to track just about anything for everything, how does this affect our lives? There have been many studies that suggest in the current state of technology overload each household is currently connect anywhere from 5 to 10 devices. Trust me it won’t stop there as The Huffington Post is estimating “By 2022, the average household with two teenage children will own roughly 50 Internet-connected devices”. Not only should we be expecting “roughly 50 Internet-connected devices”, but Forbes author Mike Krell has written the article “Is ‘Home Automation as a Service’ The Future?”, which overviews the idea that home automation will reach such a trend that home automation service teams will be in every home across the country helping these 50 devices keeping connected and staying updated. Simply stated, home automation is becoming a “Big Deal”! Let’s take a step back and overview the factors in which make home automation such a popular element, what products to be looking for, and how to choose the right AV company
Home automation has become very popular over the last few years because individuals and families crave being in control, simplicity and security. How many times have you left the house and could not remember if you had closed the garage door, set the alarm or locked the front door? Let’s be honest this happens all of the time, innovative companies from all over the world have developed a way that we can monitor all things via the internet. To take this a step further there are companies out there that allow all of these devices to speak together and be monitored and controlled from a single device from practically every corner of the world, through a single app. Home automation simply stated is making your life more simplistic and connected through devices. There is more elaboration to this statement though due to power outages, updates, network issues and devices breaking down homeowners should be advised on purchasing battery backups, remote access tools, surge protectors, etc. which we will discuss later. Home automation service companies have developed ways in which allow you to completely monitor your home remotely to alleviate break-ins and tragedy through security systems, increase health through air quality monitoring devices and increase entertainment by being able to control your homes audio video and lighting scenes using a single device. Not only will this improve the quality of your life but it will also save you time and money by being able to manage lighting scenes, monitor the thermostat, turn the sprinklers off, track the load of laundry and program lighting when you are away and those services are not needed. One customer stated about their control system that “At first we did not want to spend the money to get a control system in our home, but now we truly cannot live without one!”
The product catalogue for home automation devices is about a mile long and truly needs to reflect your lifestyle and what means the most to you. Today’s tech scene is more advanced than most of us can accurately grasp from TV’s being hidden in every corner of the home to drones to some of the most elaborate sound systems this planet has ever seen, but what should we be concentrating on when setting our home up for this technology burst? As briefly mentioned above we need to start with a control system in order to centralize the homes devices to a minimal amount of devices, such as Control4, Crestron and Savant. The next element of our systems should be how to protect our system and devices and we do this through battery backups, remote access tools and surge protectors. These items allow your system to keep running in case of an electrical short or power outage, your homes system is similar to a computer it needs to be properly shut down and refreshed at times, that is the sole purpose of these objects. Next we have the fun part, the devices, from TV’s to sound systems to coffee makers to security and lighting controls to just about anything you can think of there are devices that can connect in a way that simplifies your life. Lastly, we need to connect everything together via network devices and wiring and regardless of what companies say these items are not all made the same, think about it you are not going to build a beautiful home full of the nicest items with the infrastructure being built out of play-doh.
With all of this there comes the factor of choosing the right AV (Audio Video) company. With this industry exploding with companies and merchandise, with limited regulations at this point, how can we possibly choose the right AV company? This is not always a simple task and Yes there are hundreds of companies, big and small, that are trying to become your AV company in one way or another, who can blame them this is cool stuff. When choosing an AV company do your research, find out how long they have been around, what types of projects they have done in the past, how successful they were with integrating technology into other homes like yours and what types of products are they trying to present to you. Also, learn more about the complete process of the organization in regards to the project schedule from start to finish, payment plan, what to expect with your project (design, engineering and project management) if needed and how the company represents themselves from the time you meet the account managers to project managers to installation crew. All companies claim they are the best and have the best service, take time to find the company you prefer, ask around and get recommendations. Find out the quality of service they provide and what programs they have in place to maintain your systems and if those programs fit your needs, as you will need updates and to know they will be at your service if anything were to come up regarding your system. Finally, never stop dreaming because home automation is constantly improving and that means the capacity of your AV teams abilities needs to be as well, if you can dream it up there should be a company out there willing to transform your dreams into realities.
Home automation is such a dynamic industry full of innovation geared simply to make our live easier, more entertaining and save us money. Consider this you are on a flight to visit family on the East coast or just for vacation and you realize you have left the thermostat cooling your home at 68® in the hot Arizona summer sun. Or you are late for an important meeting that needs your attention and you can’t remember if you locked the front door. Imagine getting a phone call from you neighbors saying your sprinkler system is leaking down the street. All these situations have caused headaches for years and now with the development of home automation, you have a solution!