SMART Home System Installation
The technology has advanced to where even regular people can begin bringing advanced functionality to their homes– and then, at the other end, absolutely bonkers setups bocome viable options with an ambitious budget. Happy to help implement either scenario at opposite ends of the spectrum and all the different possibilities between.
It is actually a simple base concept, your home reacts. Something happens and your home has a response to it.
Gets dark. -> Porch light goes on.
Your out of town guest arrives early. From your office, you tap a button in your home control app on your phone. -> The front door unlocks.
The sump pump that normally keeps your basement dry has died. Water touches the sensor in the basement. -> Your house sends you, your spouse, and your live-in mother-in-law a text message warning.
It is midnight. -> The open garage door you forgot about closes itself.
You decide to look at the “nanny cam”. -> Your indoor surveillance camera shows you that the dog shredded another throw pillow. Ugh.
You open your home app and power up the Media Room. -> The mood lighting turns on to the dim setting, the audio / video receiver wakes up, the audio amplifiers for the 7.1 channel theatre quality audio turn on, the screen blinks to a slideshow of your instagram feed while it waits,… the popcorn maker warms up.
Your doorbell camera detects motion. -> You catch your children playing with each other outside.
Lighting
Imagine pulling into your driveway and the lights in your home turn on to welcome you back.
SMART Switches and SMART Bulbs are just scratching the surface. Dynamic mood lighting changing to any hue of the rainbow should you want that. Integrated speakers playing music anywhere you have light…
Practical and play, we can illuminate the way.
Voice Control
“Alexa, play 90’s hip hop.”
“Siri, set a timer for 23 minutes.”
“Hey Google, lights out.”
“Alexa, show me the baby camera.”
“Hey Siri, remind me about the napkins at 4:30.”
“Hey Google, set the thermostat to 70 degrees.”
“Alexa, buy churros again.”
“Siri, what is the temperature outside.”
“Hey Google, what time is it.”
(…This is my guilty pleasure. Do I have a few more minutes to snooze? I do not even open my eyes, I just ask what time it is and listen.)
…Are you concerned about privacy? Did you know that private voice controls exist? We do. Feel free to ask about voice controls that maintain almost complete privacy.
Private Voice Controls
Did you know you can ask your private voice control to consult Alexa, Siri, or Google?– “House, ask Google ‘can dogs can eat chocolate’.” It really is the best of both worlds. Amazon and Google only get to hear what you want them to hear, no worries about them listening when you do not want them to be listening.
Private voice controls are just that. Voice controls that are under your control only, privately. It is a system running inside of your home and you are its only master.
Let’s break the above command down: “House, ask Google ‘can dogs eat chocolate’.”
House – the “wake word”, which is customizable, sets the private voice control into listening mode
ask Google – the command spoken to the private voice control
can dogs eat chocolate – the “search query words” you want to pass to Google
(Google services have no access to the microphone. Google only receives what the private voice control explicitly sends it).
Then you hear the answer from the nearest speaker connected to your SMART Home
Security
There are so many devices to make life hard for people out to get you.
- Surveillance & Doorbell Cameras
- Motion & Sound Detection Sensors (e.g. Broken Glass Audio Sensor)
- SMART Door Locks and Dead Bolts
- Door & Window Sensors
- Simple 911 Speed Dial or Customizable Panic Buttons
- Remote Gate Controls
- Laser Trip Sensors
Audio / Video Media
I would die of old age before I successfully listed all the equipment available out there. I walked past the largest seamless LED video screen in the entire United States on a regular basis. Watched it gradually be installed as the Flexjet Global Command Center was being completed. ( New $50 Million Headquarters Has Largest Seamless Screen in the United States )
Do you just want a screen hung on the wall? Do you want to renovate an outside wall of your home so you can have your own personal drive-in movie theatre?
Do you want your music playing everywhere you go? Three are relatively inexpensive lightbulbs with speakers built-in that can put your music into every room with a lightbulb socket.
Go ahead, dream it. Tell us those dreams.
It is almost as if there are no limits anymore. And, yes, happy to get you one that goes up to ’11’.
Maintenance
Robot Mop / Vacuum
In-wall Vacuum Systems
Robot Lawn Mowers
SMART Lawn Sprinklers
Sensors
Smoke detectors that send a message to you and the fire department.
Flood sensors that help protect you by kicking on a sump pump and notify you immediately.
Attic fans that fire up inexpensively save on expensive cooling costs with bonus reduction in extreme temperature damage. Poorly ventilated attic spaces can reach 200 degrees easily.
The point is that your home can monitor or watch for so many things– so you do not have to.
Artificial Intelligence
It is the next new thing. Have your house figure things out for you.
ChatGPT and OpenAI modules are already available.
Other
The future is here, now. Whatever is in your imagination, happy to have a quick chat about it.
My favorite “other” use has been an indoor camera to monitor a garage door. This door being monitored happened to be in the kitchen. …By shifting the camera just a smidgen to the left, the oven was able to be captured in the frame. Security camera that doubles as a way to check to see if the oven or stove is still on.
There are so many ways to make life easier or get just a bit more peace of mind.
Network Engineering
Ethernet
A wired connection is generally both faster and more reliable. Gigabit is great… 10 gigabit is still hard to believe. I will advice Cat 6 cable unless 7 or 8 is required for an optimal experience of your connected devices.
I use a small exploratory video camera to make sure that it is safe to make the small surgical holes I need to.
Wi-Fi
Some people may feel their Internet is “slow”. It may actually be that cheap Wi-Fi box the cable company or DSL gave you– or even worse, charges you for every month.
Wi-Fi devices from manufacturers of quality hardware can accommodate dozens of wireless devices at full capacity.
Enterprise and campus solutions are now available as “pro-sumer” access points now that they are priced reasonably enough for home use. Access points send and receive WiFi wireless communications. “Mesh” Wi-Fi is how people at work can walk through the building and begin working in a conference room well away from their desk seamlessly.
Mesh Wi-Fi in your home allows you to use your phone in your bedroom and your kitchen. Mesh Wi-Fi also increases the quantity of wireless devices your network can support.
New Construction
It is just plain easier to install all of this magical equipment when the bones of the home are exposed. Optimally we come in near when the electricians are working for any low voltage wiring. The smallest holes, no nail plates. Then after the painters for interior finish work. And after the siding & exterior crew for security cameras and various sensors or other outdoor goodies.
Multi-Unit Solutions
Leveraging industrial grade 5g products from Ericcson, apartment complexes and commercial properties can leverage a single (or a few) more robust Internet connections and distribute it to tenants. Make a call or send a message to sales to see if it makes sense… or even is profitable to offer Internet as good or better than the services they would traditionally sign up for. Win-win for everyone. profit for the property while also having the option to provide savings on a utility service your tenants many find vital.