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.