Surprising Things You Can Do with Custom Audio Video and Home, Building or Environment Automation

Custom audio video and home, building or environment automation may sound awfully complicated and out there – something that your normal, everyday person would really have no particular use for. After all, how hard is it to run around and turn off the lights in all the rooms or check that the doors and windows are locked?

Consider for a minute how often you use the remote control for your television and cable box. Back in the day when remote controls first showed up on the scene, the common reaction was to question the sanity of anyone who couldn’t be bothered to walk across the room to change the channel. Of course, the whole world of audio/video has changed so much since those days that the idea of controlling even a simple television without a remote control is ludicrous. It won’t be long before most people see home automation systems the same way. Take a look at these four very possible, everyday situations where integrated home automation systems can coordinate lighting, security, communications, networking and other systems in your home to make your life so much easier.

Monitor and Control Everything from Anywhere in Your Home – Or Outside It

With a Wi-Fi enabled laptop, tablet or PDA, you can control and monitor any Wi-Fi connected device from anywhere in your home. Advanced home networking allows you to use your iPad to turn on the oven or lower the thermostats in your home from the backyard, turn on the lights upstairs from the basement or unlock the bathroom door from the kitchen.

Control the AC with the Windows

“We’re not cooling the outdoors!” How often have you heard that when you open a window while the AC is on? With custom audio video and home, building or environment automation, your house can automatically turn off the AC whenever someone opens a window – and turn it back on when they close it again.

Let Your Cleaning Service In – But Only When You Want Them In

Hate the idea of handing over a key to cleaning services and other people who occasionally need access to your home when you’re not there? You can set up your security system to recognize unique security codes – but only during specific times on specific days so you don’t have to worry that someone will sneak back into your house at other times of the day or night.

Boom Boom – Out Go the Lights

Set up specific lighting scenarios and activate them with the same remote control you use for your audio/video system. Turn on task lighting in the kitchen for dinner prep, switch to entertainment lighting for relaxing or shut down the downstairs lights when you head upstairs. It’s not only convenient, it’s energy-saving.

If this sounds like something that would be handy in your house, contact a company that specializes in custom audio video and home, building or environment automation to learn more.

What You Should Know About Custom Audio Video and Home Automation Systems

Imagine a home where the lights turn themselves off when the room is empty, where you can turn off the movie you’re watching in the living room and turn it on in the bedroom upstairs after your shower – without missing a single line of dialogue. Imagine being able to let the cleaning lady in from your desk at work – without having to leave a key for her. How about blinds that open and close themselves, depending on the temperature in the room or the time of day? These are just a few of the lesser possibilities when you install integrated custom audio video and home automation systems in your home. Sound intriguing? Here’s what you should know about custom audio video and home automation systems for new and existing construction.

It’s All in the Wiring

The most important part of an integrated system is the wiring. It’s what allows all of your systems to communicate with each other. That’s why the first thing you want to do when creating a home automation scheme is bring in a wiring/pre-wire specialist who can lay out a “skeleton” on which you can build your security, lighting, home networking, environmental control and audio/video systems.

Preplanning Allows for Easy Expansion

You may only want lighting and thermostat control automated for now, but it makes sense to set up the wiring for other components at the same time. This is especially true if you’re building new, but also makes sense if you’re renovating and retrofitting an older home. It’s easier and less expensive to set up the wiring in advance and add new components when you’re ready to add them.

Home Automation Is Energy Efficient

Automating your thermostat controls obviously contribute to energy efficiency, but other home automation systems can also reduce your energy use and your energy bills. A system that opens and closes window blinds to reduce heat transfer, for example, can keep rooms warmer in winter and cooler in summer simply by blocking or letting in the sun.

Security, Access Control and Lighting Work Together

Lights that turn on when you approach the front door may seem like a nice convenience, but they also increase safety and security.

If you’re considering adding some automated features to your home, bring in a pro to help with the planning. An experienced custom audio video and home automation systems designer can help you consider all the implications of the choices you make, and suggest many things you may not have considered.

Are You Ready for Building or Environment Automation?

Building or environment automation – it sounds like something new-fangled and edgy, but the truth is that we’ve been automating many home environment systems for decades. When you put your sprinklers on a timer, program your thermostat to turn on the AC at 74 degrees and add a motion sensor to your outdoor lights to turn them on at dusk, you’re using elements of building or environment automation. Until recently, though, each of those elements had their own systems that were controlled by separate elements. Today’s technology allows for deep integration of all your home electronic systems, including lighting, security, environment control, audio/video and other entertainment systems in either your home or commercial settings. Are you ready to take advantage of the new home automation technologies of today – and tomorrow?

Wiring/Pre-wire

The cabling and wiring in your building form the skeleton on which you can create a custom audio video and home automation system. If you’re building a new home, it makes sense to pre-wire – lay the cable and wire you may need for future upgrades and innovations even if you’re not going to integrate all of the systems now. It’s much easier to add on to a home automation scheme if you’ve done the wiring/pre-wire in advance. If you’re working with an existing home, a specialist in custom audio video and home integrated systems can advise you on the best ways to upgrade your home and make it compatible with the latest and upcoming technologies.

Integration

Integrated electronics is the name of the game when it comes to today’s home automation. Instead of having a console for your security system, a remote control for your lighting and three more remote controls for your cable, DVR and home theater systems, today’s technology allows you to control all of the electronic systems in your home from one central location. In most cases, you can even get an app for your iPad or smart phone that allows you to control all of your home systems remotely even when you’re at the office or on vacation.

What You Can Control

Building or environment automation encompasses nearly every system or appliance in your home that can be controlled electronically. Change your home security settings or add a new key code from your smart phone, program the lights for entertainment lighting schemes or task lighting schemes and set up your home entertainment system to play your favorite playlist in any room with the press of a key on your keypad. Thermostats, sprinklers, security lighting, home networking and communications systems can all be integrated into a single building or environment automation system.

Building or environment automation and control is one of the biggest selling points in new residential and commercial properties. A custom audio video and home automation specialist can show you how to integrate your existing systems with a whole new building automation and control scheme.

Get Ready for the Future of Custom Audio Video and Home Automation

Is your home ready for the future? The trend in new home design today includes preparing for custom audio video and home automation devices and schemes. The right networking and devices can prepare your home for new technology and devices as they become available on the market. Laying the groundwork now with a comprehensive home automation plan and custom wiring/pre-wire will make it easy for you to adjust and adapt your home as new technology becomes available and affordable in the future. These four steps will help you prepare your home for the latest and best custom audio video and home automation devices of the future.

Know What’s Possible and What Will Be Possible

The field of custom audio video and home integration is evolving rapidly. Capabilities that were just dreams yesterday are commonplace today, and today’s dreams will be tomorrow’s standards for home automation. Before you start planning your building or environment automation schemes, do some research to find out what’s currently available for security, entertainment, environmental control and security automation. Be on the lookout for announcements of cutting edge technology that will rapidly become accessible to the average homeowner.

Understand the Language

Like any other industry, the field of custom audio video and home automation has its own vernacular. Understanding the language can help you understand the services and products that are available to automate your home devices. One of the most important terms to understand, for example, is “event-triggered automation,” a term used to refer to any event that is triggered by another event. If you want the lights in your home theater to dim when you start a movie, for example, the triggering event would be hitting play on the movie, which would trigger the lighting system to dim the lights in the room. Other terms to understand include wiring/pre-wire, which refers to laying the cabling for future upgrades in advance. Understanding these terms will make it easier for you to discuss your custom audio video and home automation plan with an expert.

Get Yourself Integrated

The future of home automation is integration – creating systems that work together to provide an fully automated and integrated home. Just about anything that’s controlled electronically can be integrated into a home automation system, from thermostats and lighting, to home networking, security systems and audio/video devices. Imagine a system that turns on your favorite music, dims the lights, lowers the thermostat and allows you to control it all from one central panel – or from your iPad or smart phone.

Contact an Expert

When you have a basic idea of the features you’d like included in your custom audio video and home environment control plan, contact an expert in wiring/pre-wire and custom home automation to price out your choices. You’ll be surprised how affordable it can be to make your dreams a reality.

The Importance of Pre-wiring for Custom Audio Video and Home Electronics Systems

Pre-wiring. It’s a fairly new term in the home construction industry, but it’s an essential one to understand if you’re building a new custom or semi-custom home. If you’re interested in installing any custom audio video and home electronics systems, it’s essential to get the wiring and cabling in place from the start. Just as conventional home builders have wired a home for electricity, today’s home builders provide wiring/pre-wire services to accommodate electricity, networking, home security and other home automation systems. When you build in the wiring/pre-wire from the start, you’ll maximize your future options and minimize your future headaches by incorporating what you need to accommodate new technologies as they become available.

What the Heck is Pre-wire?

Pre-wire refers to installing low-voltage electrical wiring inside your home’s floors and walls. These wires can accommodate many different kinds of electronic devices. By doing the wiring/pre-wire for all of your systems – even those you don’t plan to install immediately – during the home’s construction phase, you reduce the costs of installing items like HDTVs, multi-room audio/video systems, home security and home monitoring systems and communications systems when you do get around to installing them. The best wiring/pre-wire structures will allow you to create custom audio video and home automation schemes that are convenient for you, the customer, rather than the contractors you hire to install them later.

Can You DIY It?

While there are lots of home automation tasks that an experienced homeowner can tackle, wriing/pre-wire tasks really aren’t among them. It can be tempting to try to do it yourself because low-voltage wiring typically doesn’t require a certified electrician. Setting up the wiring for a home automation scheme is a lot more complex than installing an automatic dimmer switch on your chandelier. A professional custom audio video and home automation professional will understand important aspects of the job that will make it more stable and reliable, not to mention easier to access and upgrade in the future.

Why Wired Is Better Than Wireless

Wireless may be the direction of the future, but for now – and the foreseeable future – wireless systems aren’t really up to demands of a whole-house automated system. While they may perform well in a single room, common home obstructions – such as walls and stone facades – can make the reception and performance of your custom audio video and home security systems spotty – or worse. If you want reliable service for your home electronics systems, cabled is the way to go.

Intrigued? Contact a local company that specializes in custom audio video and home electronics systems to find out more about how wiring/pre-wire systems can prepare your home for the future of home automation.

Trends in Building or Environment Automation

Building or environment automation may seem like something that’s only for the well-to-do or the high-tech geek. After all, when would you ever do more than put your lights on a timer or set your thermostat to kick in when your house gets too chilly. These days, building or environment technology is capable of far more. Imagine this scenario.

You’re on your way to the airport to catch a flight to the vacation of your dreams when you suddenly start to wonder if you turned off the iron. What are your options? Until recently, you had two choices: head back home and risk missing your flight, or get to your flight on time and worry that your house would burn down in your absence. If you had the foresight to leave a key with a neighbor, you could make a call and ask them to run over and check to make sure the iron is off, which is a little more convenient, but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to call your house and tell it to cut the power to the outlet you’ve left your iron plugged into?

Today’s home automation technology makes that possible – and that’s barely the tip of the iceberg. With the right wring/pre-wire setup and smart home technology, your house is capable of doing many common, time-consuming tasks without any input from you. Here are just a few of the most popular – and very affordable – trends in smart home building or environment automation.

Let There Be Light – or Not

Lighting automation has been around for decades and may be the best known and most widely used segment of home automation technology. You can set your lights to go on or off based on a wide variety of inputs. Want the kitchen light to turn on when the garage door is opened? A wiring specialist can set it up to do that automatically. Hallway lights can be set to respond to motion, light, time or a door opening. You can set your bathroom lights to turn on automatically when someone enters and off when the lighting system senses no one is in the room. You can even create “mood profiles” for every room in your house and control them from a remote control, your home computer, your tablet or your smart phone.

Audio/Video Automation

Audio/video controls run a close second to lighting. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that only ten years ago, recording your favorite television show automatically was a complicated process. Today, you can set up and run your DVR remotely from anywhere in the world – and even access your recorded programs from a hotel room on the other side of the country. Beyond recording, there’s a whole world of ways to access your entertainment from any screen or sound system in any room in the house.

From the serious to the frivolous, building or environment automation is here to stay. Whether your concerns run to family security or you just want to turn off the lights automatically when your movie starts, your house can be programmed to do that. Talk to a custom audio video and home automation specialist today and find out how.

Assessing Your Building Or Environment Automation Capabilities

Environment automation sounds like a new concept, but building or environment automation has been around for a long time. While new technology allows for deeper integration of lighting, security, audio/video and other home or commercial systems, the fact is that you probably employ some degree of systems automation already. Assessing the building or environment automation capabilities you already have can help you plan for future integration and automation. These are some of the areas where you may already have some automation capability.

Security

Automated security elements include such things as motion-activated or sound-activated lighting and security cameras. You can also integrate your other systems with your security system to turn on lights, music and television on a timer to simulate that someone is home. Some aspects of building or environment automation make your home or business safer: garage lights that turn on when you open the garage door, for example, or stairway and path lighting that remains on for several minutes after you enter your driveway.

Lighting

In addition to the security aspects of lighting, you can also set lights on a timer to conserve energy, or install motion sensors to turn lights on when someone enters the room and off a certain number of minutes after the last person exits the room. This kind of automation can be a huge money saver in commercial buildings, where customers and staff frequently leave lights on in bathrooms or other seldom used areas.

Audio/Video

Many cable and satellite companies already offer distributed audio/video capabilities that allow you to watch the same or different channels on different screens in your home. Some of them also allow you to integrate a central audio server that stores your entire music collection and lets you access it from any room in the house. Turning that into a distributed audio system doesn’t take much effort – talk to a wiring/pre-wire specialist about wiring ceiling and wall speakers throughout your house to deliver music anywhere you want.

Environment Control

Programmable thermostats are the most common type of environment automation found in homes and commercial buildings everywhere, but they’re only an example of what’s possible with building or environment automation. If you can measure something with equipment, you can use it as a signal for event-based automation. Set your window blinds to open automatically to let in sunlight or close for privacy based on lighting levels, time of day or temperature. Put your lawn sprinklers on a timer, or program them to turn on when a motion sensor is tripped – a rather novel home security measure.

Building or environment control capabilities are becoming a bigger and bigger selling point in new and existing homes and commercial properties. Contact a home automation specialist to find out what capabilities your property already has and how they can be upgraded for more convenience and security.