Design and Consultation
Over the years we have learned which components work well with one another and how to provide our clients with the most “bang for their buck.” We help educate our clients during the consultation phase so they get exactly what they are looking for. We work with interior designers and architects to create a truly custom one of a kind project.
Pre-wiring
If you are building or renovating a home, at a minimum you will want to include wiring for telephone, network and TV. In addition to these basic wires we can discuss the addition of Audio/Video wiring and control wiring for some of the systems in your home. Each home will have different requirements for wiring. We take the time to discuss what your individual needs are, and the best way to meet or exceed your expectations.
Audio/Video Distribution
If you haven’t experienced distributed audio and video before; imagine your every day tasks made more pleasurable with high quality music in the background. Or, start a movie or TV show in one room and finish it in another, all in high quality High Definition video. These systems can be scaled to fit your current and future needs. Single zone systems (where all speakers in the house play the same thing) or Multi-zone systems (where each room in the house can listen to or watch something different) are available with many options in between. We even have completely wireless systems available. During our consultation the benefits of each type of system will be explained in detail, and the system will be designed around your specific needs.
Dedicated Home Cinema
Imagine watching a movie in a room that is designed to replicate sound and video just as the director imagined. Some companies install speakers, a screen, and a projector and call it a home theater. We take the time to design a space that has the proper acoustical treatments, screen size, speaker locations, etc. to make the theater experience much more life-like. Proper speaker placement has become even more important with the latest surround sound modes such as Dolby Atmos®
Lighting Systems
With a lighting system you are able to control multiple lights with a single button. Have lights turn on (or off) based on time of day, or other triggers such as opening a door or simply entering or leaving a room. Have you ever driven up to a dark house and wished your lights came on automatically, or that simply opening the garage door would trigger pre-determined lights to turn on, allowing for safe entry? Our lighting control systems can do this and much more. These systems also make it easy to set a lighting “mood” throughout the entire house with a single button press, or turn off all the lights when you go to bed. Lighting systems include controlling natural light with motorized shades, as well as any type of lighting load with dimmers and switches.
Surveillance Systems
Keep an eye on your home while you are away with our surveillance systems. There are many different options and styles of cameras, from very discreet cameras that blend in, to larger more commercial looking cameras that have heaters and defrosters built in so you will always be able to see what is happening around your home or business. When combined with a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) or some of our automation systems you can even log in and monitor your home from your Internet connected phone, tablet or computer. Some cameras even allow you to pan/tilt (move the camera left, right, up or down) or zoom in or out. This ensures you can see the area you need to see. Combine the cameras with a DVR and you can rewind or search for events to see something that happened in the past. Cameras are now available in “better than high definition” resolution. The benefit to these systems is that you can zoom into a recorded video without loss of detail. You will be able to clearly see license plates or faces up close, something traditional analog cameras couldn’t do.
Automation Systems
These systems help you manage and control your home from a simple interface both inside and outside the home. These systems allow control over many different systems in your home. Lighting, HVAC, Security, Surveillance, Audio/Video, Irrigation, Pool/Spa, even energy management and more can be controlled. The system can set lighting levels (and virtually anything else) based on time of day, someone entering or exiting a room or many other events that can trigger different things to happen. This automatic control helps you go green and save energy. Simply dimming your lights or adjusting your thermostat will have a dramatic effect on your energy bills. Did you know that dimming your lights just 10 percent can save you 10 percent on your electricity and make the bulbs last twice as long? Dimming the lights more makes the savings grow exponentially. You can also have the peace of mind in knowing your home is secure. By simply logging into your home from an Internet connected phone, tablet, or computer, you can view security cameras and check on the status of all of your sub-systems, all from the same familiar interface that is used in your home.
Networking
As more and more people are using Internet based streaming services for music and movies, the bandwidth necessary for this experience to be a pleasure, without buffering or stuttering requires a properly designed network. “Off the shelf” networking parts are no longer good enough for most homes. Imagine a congested 5 lane highway with the cars moving at a steady pace. All of sudden the five lanes merge to one. Some networking parts will cause this to happen to your data. Many different devices (the cars) are all fighting for the same bandwidth (the 5 lane highway), when they reach an inferior networking part it is the same as merging all of those lanes to one. Network data traffic slows to a crawl and you get stuttering and buffering of your audio and video. Even web pages can slow down. We can design a network system for you that includes both wired and wireless access based on enterprise grade components. The networking parts we have chosen to use allow us to setup a reliable, secure network. Having the proper wiring and hardware in place ensures that you will have maximum performance, both now and in the future. Wired networks typically provide faster speeds, allowing for large file transfers to occur more quickly, and more reliable streaming video. Wireless networks can be used for quick and easy access from a laptop, an iPhone®/iPad®, or any other Internet connected device.