How Do You Define “Home Automation?”
Your favorite CT-area Custom Audio/Video Integrator puts it all together
What IS home automation? When customers call Rich AV Design for advice on how to automate their homes (or make the homes “smart”), they’re often unsure exactly what automation is, let alone know the level of “intelligence” they want. Drawing from years of experience providing integration services throughout Connecticut and New York, we assembled this brief guide to help you decide exactly how “automated” you want your home to be.
Security & Surveillance
Concerns over security are often the introduction people have to “smart” home capabilities. Ever forgotten whether or not you locked the door on your way out? No need to turn the car around––all it takes is a press of a button on your smartphone to lock the door or close the garage. Going on vacation? Many home control systems have a “vacation” mode that locks the house, closes the garage door and makes sure the installed security cameras are up and running for you to check remotely at any time.
Safeguard your family and valuables by incorporating a security and surveillance system into your custom home automation system.
Lighting Control & Motorized Shades
People who make movies know: everything depends on perfect lighting. Not only does natural light help reset your internal clock, it can also make a room feel both cleaner and cozier. By installing motorized shades on windows, you control the amount of light getting through (plus they double as a privacy screen). Motorized shades can be integrated into a home’s control and automation system and programmed to raise and lower depending on the setting you choose. Save money and lessen your carbon footprint throughout the year by utilizing natural light and motorized shades.
Home Theaters & Media Rooms
The entertainment center of a fully automated home combines power and design in one package. Your private home theater or media room does not need to have wires tangled up, or even be visible at a passing glance.
Rich AV Design is an expert in hidden home technology and can customize your home theater/media room to your exact taste. Want a room that doubles as a play room? No problem––Rich AV Design (working with such manufacturers as Seura and Stealth Acoustics) can hide a TV behind a piece of art, or utilize a TV lift so it can drop down from a hidden compartment in the ceiling! Speakers can be recessed into the wall or hidden behind acoustically transparent panels so you can enjoy premium sound without boxy speakers strewn around the room.
Total Home Control
The first step toward reaching the level of automation that works for you is to consider how automated your home is today. For example: Do you change the thermostat frequently or can your home decide the correct adjustments for your comfort without any additional input?
A full home automation system enables you to control all the technology in a room (or your entire place) from one or more touch panels. It makes it easy for you to control how a room reacts to your presence––whether automatically turning on the lights and playing music when you walk in, or turning off all the technology when you leave.
Rich AV Design works with such respected manufacturers as Savant and Lutron to provide our clients with guaranteed results. We can prepare a new home with prewiring for automation solutions during construction, or ensure your renovations for upgrading services are virtually transparent. Either way, we look forward to exceeding your expectations.
If you have any questions about these or other components of home automation, feel free to contact us here at Rich AV Design!
