Answers to Builders' Top Questions Starting a new partnership with a home technology professional can inspire some anxiety in even the most experienced homebuilders. Technology evolves at a rapid pace, and keeping up-to-date on the latest trends and options can be a full-time job.
Fortunately for homebuilders, an experienced home tech pro can resolve these concerns and ensure your next home technology project runs smoothly Q. I see working with you as risky. Why shouldn't the client just add technology after I am done working with them? A. From the builder's standpoint, this may seem like the easiest thing to do. However, bringing in a home technology professional can positively impact the design and make your project more valuable to your client. It's easy to think you just need to plan for a few flat-screen TVs-just run the coax and put an outlet on the wall and you're done. But a home tech pro who comes in early in the process can work with the client to see what they want to achieve in their home, and they may arrive at a solution that gives the client much more control over their environment. Rather than having five or six controls in one room, a home tech pro can integrate lighting, shading, and a hidden sound system along with entertainment controls all on one control device. Q. Can't you bring the price down? After all, it's just a few speakers, a receiver and some TVs. A. Designing home electronic systems properly requires planning, knowledge and expertise. For example, electronic components generate heat, so selecting where to locate the equipment can help make sure it stays cool, adding to its longevity. Wiring distances, balancing equipment aesthetics with optimal sound design, and budget concerns are just a few of the things the home technology professional has to take into consideration. To ensure the homeowner is getting a system that will offer enjoyment and convenience for years to come, it pays to invest in the expertise of a qualified professional. Q. Why do you want to be involved so early in the process? I prefer to hold onto the reins myself. A. Working with a home tech pro from the beginning may seem like a cause for concern to builders, because they're not always accustomed to working with the subcontractors that early. However, this actually gives the general contractor more control. It keeps the homeowner from bringing in someone who doesn't have a relationship with the builder and doesn't know their processes. I always try to put myself in the client's shoes so I can learn about how they want to live their life. The general contractor, having different processes and perspective, probably won't ask the questions I need to ask in order to deliver what the client needs. The builder and the home tech pro should meet one-on-one, without the homeowner, early in the process to learn each other's preferences and processes and build the foundation for a relationship. Depending on the project, a home tech pro may be involved with not only the A/V but also lighting, shades, gate controls, heated driveway, HVAC control, and more. The greater the scope of the project, the more crucial it is to involve a home technology professional early in the process. Q. I don't know what I don't know. How can I trust that you know what you're doing? A. With as fast as technology changes, it can be difficult even for a pro to keep up-to-date. It may be beneficial for the general contractor to get a top-level understanding of the technology in order to feel more comfortable speaking the language with the home tech pro and the client. One place to start is by finding a CEDIA Outreach Instructor in your area who offers courses that help give builders, architects and designers a general working knowledge of home technology. Additionally, any good home tech professional will have a process. It's their responsibility to educate the general contractor on that process and keep them involved to the degree they choose. Q. If you don't deliver, my bottom line will take a hit. How do I know you're not putting me at risk? A. Partnering with a reputable professional with established processes and a secure business model is key to minimizing risk. It's important for the general contractor to know the integrator's reputation, their experience, and their longevity in business. It's also helpful to know the product lines they sell, because if the client experiences an issue with the product, they always have the option to go back to the manufacturer for resolution. Q. What if something goes wrong after the project is finished? What if the client doesn't like it? A. A good integrator will set manageable expectations from the beginning in order to ensure client satisfaction. Let's take lighting control as an example. As a home technology professional, I explain to my clients that the lighting control is not going to work exactly as they want it to at move-in simply because they haven't lived with it yet. They'll discover over time that they want changes to the programming based on their usage. That's why they hire a pro. By setting manageable expectations at the beginning, we are able to refer back to that point to manage client satisfaction. Q. How do I make money on this? A. If you can present the value to your client, it is easier to make money on the process. You're doing that by showing that there's a lot more to this process than buying a flat-screen TV at the big-box store and hanging it on the wall. It is a process of questioning, teaching, learning and applying the tools of our experience and knowledge to each and every project we do. © 2015 CEDIA Saving money, not just timeSmart home technology is all about the automation or management of your home and daily life. This could be anything from lights that can be controlled remotely or on a schedule, to connected home entertainment systems for streaming media to multiple screens, or added features to enhance your home security.
Actually save money: Smart thermostat, Rather than simply operating from a timer or standard temperature setups, a smart thermostat has adaptive scheduling and pre-sets which are programmed to match your life and always keep your home comfortable. They can even be controlled from your phone--or even from your wrist—while you are away. Smart lighting control, motion sensors tied that turn off all lights in rooms that have been unoccupied for a certain amount of time, to lighting pre-sets that never turn lights on at more than 75% brightness, thus extending bulb life and using far less electricity. Smarter home securityIn addition to making your energy usage more efficient, smart home technology is enormously beneficial for home security. Smart lighting can activate in patterns while you are away from home, making it appear that your home is occupied. Blinds and video entertainment can also join in on the fun, giving the house and even more lived-in feel. For surveillance, indoor and outdoor cameras can be viewed remotely from a smartphone for live monitoring. You can even receive alerts when movement is detected. Door locks can be made smart, too. locks with keyless entry and integration with your smart home. They provide a greater level of access control—so you can, for instance, set a limited use entry code for visitors coming to your home when you’re not there. You can even remotely unlock your door if you need to grant access for a delivery, and lock it right back up again. It’s good to talkA key aspect of any smart home is how well it integrates with other products or systems in the home. Control4 does this better than any other home automation company because of their focus on interchangeability. There’s a growing amount of very cheap DIY smart home hardware, but you’ll find that anything which lacks support for a wider ecosystem of smart home technology is going to become quickly outdated, and oftentimes is much harder to install than you’d think. Not to mention that the plug-and-play devices do not work over one platform, often requiring multiple apps and devices to use each. Ensuring your smart home is compatible with other devices will make it more useful now and help make future upgrades easier. http://www.control4.com/blog/2016/02/smart-home-technology-to-improve-your-life Spring is just around the corner and now is the best time to install the home automation you have always wanted. The Control4 system is a powerful system that can run your entire house inside and out. If you’ve been living without Control4 now is the time to get automated, you probably have wondered what your life would be like with a customized automation system. Home automation will make you love your new Control4 system:
Control4.com Apple Music is now streaming on Sonos. And with handpicked albums, songs and playlists for everyone, easy access to over 30 million songs, plus Beats 1 radio—all playing out loud, in any room—we’re changing the way people connect at home.
And now you and your customers can listen to Apple Music for free. Simply add it on your Sonos app and sign up for a 3-month trial.* Sonos February Dealer Newsletter Spring is upon us and everyone is getting the itch to get going on all of their projects. Many people are considering home automation, because it has been advertised a lot this winter. Many think that home automation is only for the wealthy and they have already started to build their home, or they did not plan for automation before remodeling, so now it is too late. Well that is where you are wrong!! Here is some key points to get you started on your goal to automating your home.
Picture from of Paradise Home Entertainment Control 4
Innovative Living Group would like you to test this theory! Go one day without any kind of music. No radio in the car, at work, during your workout. NO MUSIC! Let us know how your day was! Day two listen to music all day and see how much happier you are and how much more you get done. We at Innovative Living Group never go without music, whole house audio is the best gift you can give to you and your family. December 3rd was a great night with all of our partners, clients and friends. We opened our Experience Center for everyone to see and now invite the public to come Experience it for yourselves. We would like to give a special thank you to our partners that helped make this night a great success and our experience center an amazing place to work. Game Time! Your “screening room,” the ultimate home theater is ready for the ultimate football game. Mounted on the wall is a gorgeous 100” projection screen that displays the HD picture with dazzling sharpness, facing the screen are plush leather recliners. You take your seat, place your hand over the one remote control in the room, and—here’s your favorite part—you tap just one button. Immediately the shades begin their graceful descent over the windows as the lights in the room fade down and the LED star-studded ceiling glows like moonlight. The projector powers on, automatically switching to HDMI1 while the cable box tunes to ESPN. The audio floods the room with luxuriant sound from seemingly everywhere, The thermostat boosts itself up a couple of degrees, catering to the notion that everyone will be sitting still for a while. The ball is kicked, and the game soars into play. Somewhere, near the end of the first half, the doorbell rings, and from your portable touch screen you see the pizza has arrived. You hit the Pause button, and the lights in the room automatically ramp to half brightness. You tip the pizza guy at the door, return to the screening room, tap a button, and the room returns as it was while the game continues. Your guests are duly impressed with the technological wizardry so thoroughly integrated and easily used. And not a wire or cable in sight! What they may never believe is everyone can have this in their home! Contact us today to find out more. 406.404.1221
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tv INSTALLATIONGet your family room ready for game day with a secure and professionally mounted flat screen TV by the experts at Innovative Living Group
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