How to Customize Your Baton Rouge Home with Smart Home Automation Scenes

You may think that having a smart home is all about the convenience factor—controlling your house with a mobile device so you can focus on the important parts of your life. While that’s true, smart home automation is also about creating unique experiences. Yes, it’s quite nice to be able to turn the lights on and off with your phone. However, how do you create the right environment for an important dinner party with your boss using smart controls? In this blog, we’ll explain the concept of ‘smart home scenes’ and how you can use them to automate different events in your Baton Rouge, LA home.

When MLB all-star Adrian Gonzalez, was traded from the San Diego Padres to the Boston Red Sox, Gonzalez and his family purchased a new home on the opposite coast, nearly 3,000 miles away.

He wanted to include in his new home some of the best features he came to enjoy in his current residence.  In 2010, Gonzalez’ San Diego home had been equipped with an Apple-based Savant home control system, relying on Savant apps on iPads and iPhones to command the system. The integrator included a five-screen home theater with four built-in iPads in a counter in the rear to surf the web or play games.

Fortunately, the Gonzalezes wanted the same Savant control system in their new home. So his integrator just had to duplicate some of its original efforts into the new home.  Only this time, the company would need to fly their crew to the other side of the US and ship everything needed for the job (including tools) ahead of them.

As it turns out, it wasn't until after construction on the home was completed, that the Red Sox traded Gonzalez back to the West Coast to the Los Angeles Dodgers, so he’ll be able to use the Savant system to keep tabs remotely on his Boston home … before he presumably puts the home on the market.

Two industry magazines featured Gonzalez' Boston home each of which included a slideshow of the results.  Here's a link to one such slideshow illustrating the finished product.  You might want to find out more about what he incorporated into his home.  Click here to read an article about how it all came together.

The International Consumer Electronics Show for 2012 (CES 2012) is now history. And it truly proved to be “historic” in the process. Get this: Record attendance…more than 153,000 industry insiders (NOT open to the public!) Record show floor space…1.86 million square feet (that’s 37 football fields!) Record number of exhibitors…more than 3,100

You can see the official CES recap video here which is a brief teaser.

But I thought I'd give you a quick run-down on some of the products that were considered "best of CES" by CNET.  If you've ever surfed for reviews on technology then you know you've already been to their site.  So while LOTS of media will walk away with their own take on the show, CNET's list is gonna provide a pretty good take on what earned buzz.

At the top of the list is their "Best of Show"...LG's 55-inch OLED TV.  Just gorgeous!  First, it is the slimmest and lightest anywhere.  It weighs only about 16.5 lbs and measures (get this) only 4mm thick...that's just 0.16 inches!  Its little more than a sheet of plate glass.

And picture?  Engadget called it "crazy sharp" and Gizmodo said this: "OLED is no joke. Acronyms are often hype, but damn does this set look killer. The wafer-thin screen is terrifically bright, small details pop, and colors are gorgeous, making the rest of the panels on display already look like old tech." The first model ships out Q3 of 2012 so don't go hunting stores looking for it just yet.

In tribute to that greatest event in history, I wanted to share this brief video.  Click on the artist's pic for the link.

by Bryan Naquin.  Follow Bryan on Twitter @ACIexperts.  And you can always contact him at 225.906.2589 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Bryan Naquin is president of Acadian Home Theater and Automation based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  CEPro Magazine ranked Acadian in the top 100 consumer electronic companies in the U.S. coming in at Number 87 for 2011.

If you're in "getting in shape" mode, you might be interested in learning about the help you can get from technology and the internet.

Bathroom Scales

This is the first and most basic tool for any weight-loss program--measuring where you are currently and helping you decide where you need to go.  But now scales are Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth compatible.  There are so many of these products on the market that the easiest way for you to check many of them out is to simply click here to link to Amazon.com to give you a good starter list and prices of some that are available. They don't just measure weight!  Depending upon the model (and what you're willing to pay) you can learn your degree of body fat, bone mass, muscle mass, hydration and more.  And you don't need to keep record.  The scale will send your results to your computer or smartphone and log it for you through software and/or phone apps they provide!

Activity Monitors

Light activity is where you want to start?  Then all the experts say you should have a walking regimen.  Again, LOTS of products available and they start with the technology version of pedometers and advance to handle other forms of exercise.  This blogger covers six different devices that may be of interest to you.  In short, these devices will do such things as total up your activity level, monitor your heart rate, measure your blood pressure, calculate calories burned, etc.  Of course, most of them will do the recording for you in your health/fitness program on your computer or phone.

Rest is Important Too

Getting proper rest is important to an overall fitness program and, yes, there is even technology to help with that!  One of those is Zeo.  Whole clinics are now devoted to sleep assessment because having your eyes closed at night doesn't equate to sleep.  So most people don't know why they're fatigued when they awake thinking they've had a good night's sleep.  One product Zeo offers is a headband you wear while you sleep.  The information the headband downloads shows you how restful or else restless you sleep, measures the amount of REM sleep you got and scores your night.  You'll even get recommendations on how to improve your sleep.

Weight loss and fitness management is about about measurable results.  These products and SO many more can help you keep that New Year resolution.

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Update Your Covington Property with Smart Surveillance & Security Many families in the Covington, Louisiana area travel around the holidays, which means empty houses and abundant opportunities for break-ins. So how do you keep your home safe while you are away? Today’s surveillance cameras give you a lot of options for monitoring your home. You may be surprised by all of the advanced features security and surveillance systems offer your family. In this blog, we’ll cover some of those finer details on what you can do with security cameras. With a lot of knowledge at your side, you’ll be confident in protecting your home and can also find new ways to use them for everyday activities.

Luma Surveillance Cameras Acadian uses Snap AV’s line of Luma surveillance cameras for a number of reasons. First, their analog and IP systems give you easy-to-use controls. When you have days’ worth of video footage, it can be difficult finding the image you are looking for. With the Luma user interface you can playback video, fast forward, snip pieces of video and capture screen shots with just a click or a tap. Initially the interface presents multiple camera views in a multi-window format. But you can easily change this and make one specific camera angle a full screen on your desktop or mobile device. A colored line in the timeline of the video at the bottom of the screen indicates a unique event. So if you arrived home at 5 p.m., the surveillance camera hanging above your garage will mark that event in the timeline. All you have to do is press “watch live video” to switch back to video streaming in real time. If you want to find even older recordings, click the search icon and choose from a list of entries organized by date and time.

Types of Surveillance Cameras When you hear the words NVR and DVR you might get confused, but they simply mean Network Video Recorder and Digital Video Recorder. The Network Video Recorder records IP cameras that are transmitted with a network cable just like your computer. The cameras connect with a network switch or router, whereas a DVR transmits video using a coax cable. Why does this matter? Analog cameras, or DVRs, can be beneficial for plug and play-type jobs where the home simply needs an update rather than a brand new installation. If you purchased a home with a wiring infrastructure in place or CCTVs this may be a beneficial and cost-effective solution. However, if you are installing a surveillance system for the first time in your house, a NVR may be a better choice. IP cameras allow for more flexibility as to how and where video footage is recorded since there’s no transfer between analog video to digital. IP cameras also offer higher resolution images.

Luma IP cameras give you a lot of quality features, like high-definition video and sending alerts via email or text. The Luma Surveillance 700 series IP outdoor camera for example offers an ultra-high resolution 4 MP digital image with motorized zoom and focus. They have cameras suited for wide angle views like monitoring a back yard, and for closer proximities, such as screening visitors at the front door. You can adjust the camera from your computer, using the zoom and focus controls on the interface.

The 700 series cameras also allow you to capture movement based on precise settings. For example, you can create an alert that gets triggered when a vehicle crosses a specific point on your driveway. These advanced features let you select up to eight target areas in a grid view using a click and drag of the mouse.

Protect Your Louisiana Home 24/7 with Security and Surveillance TechnologyAccording to the FBI, burglaries dropped about 8 percent in 2015. While that is encouraging news to hear, thousands of burglaries are still happening all over the country, including Lafayette, Louisiana. Last year there were about 1,500,000 break-ins and three-quarters of them happened in residential neighborhoods. While we certainly do not aim to create fear and anxiety among homeowners, this reality should cause families to consider how effective their security systems really are. Continue reading to discover three ways to prevent break-ins with security and surveillance systems.

Secure All EntrancesBurglars first look for unsecured entrances like open doors or windows. One in three residential burglaries is simply an unlawful entry, meaning the person has entered the home through an unsecured window, door, or other opening. While many of us do our best to make sure every door is locked, there are times when we simply forget. A smart security system, smart locks, and sensors can help prevent these errors. Firstly, by installing a sophisticated security system in your smart home, you’ll receive alerts on your phone if a door is left open or unlocked. With smart locks in place, you can then immediately fix the problem by locking the door via an app on your mobile device. If the door is wide open, you’ll at least know it so you can rush home and close it. Additionally, window sensors alert you if someone smashes it or if it’s left open as well.

Outsmart Your EnemyBurglars also wait for the house to be empty before they strike. To reduce their chances of being detected, they work similar hours as you. Therefore, most break-ins occur during daytime hours when homes are vacant and most vulnerable. One way to confront this is to create a mockupancy setting that makes it seem as if someone is home when in reality no one is there. Create a scene using your Control4 smart home system to make the shades rise at various times, the lights turn on and off and even leave the TV or music running to make it sound like people are inside. If the perpetrator still makes an attempt at robbery, you’ll still be able to catch him or her in the act with your surveillance cameras. Those smart cameras will also immediately let you know that someone is inside because they detect movement.

Look IntimidatingMany animals use an intimidation strategy to protect themselves. For example, the porcupine raises its quills to make itself look bigger and more deadly. You can use this tactic as well by sending the message to intruders that they are being watched. Sixty percent of burglars will go elsewhere if they see a security system is in place. Studies report that if burglars discover a security system even during a break-in, they will leave immediately. Just having a security and surveillance system in place will help protect your valuables and loved ones.

To stay safe during this holiday season and all year long, contact us online for a smart security installation.

Enjoy Voice Control Technology with Alexa
In search of the best Christmas Gift for the Techie? The holidays can be quite hectic, especially if you’re hosting a lot of family and friends at your house. Aside from the festive parties, you have a lot of shopping to do. So what is the best gift for the techie? If your family member or friend loves smart home automation, Amazon’s Alexa is the perfect choice. Not only would it be great for your modern family, but you can also benefit from the technology yourself right now. In this blog, we’ll explain the newest trend – voice control – and how you can add it to your home in the Lafayette, LA area.

What is Alexa?
Developed by Amazon, Alexa is the smart home automation software that allows you to perform all kinds of tasks through voice commands. It runs on the Echo, Dot, and Tap – smart speakers that connect to your smart home and listen to your voice commands to start or stop tasks. Previously seen as a standalone product for DIY-type home automation products, now Alexa can be integrated into your Control4 smart home. You can simply ask Alexa to turn the heat on or give you the weather report, and it will perform your request instantly. It even gives you a confirmation response of “OK” to re-affirm it heard your command.

Hands-free Automation
If you’re planning on getting a lot of shopping done on Black Friday, you may come home with your hands full. Imagine walking into your house and saying, “Alexa, turn on the lights,” and instantly your living room is illuminated. Voice control technology can be used in a variety of situations like this when you want to quickly change your environment. Not only can you ask the device to perform standalone tasks, but you can also activate saved scenes as well, like “Good Morning,” “Welcome Home,” or “Dinner.” All you have to do is say, “Alexa, turn on Welcome” and right when you step through the front door, your house lights will turn on, the shades will rise, your favorite album will start to play, and the HVAC system will turn on the air conditioning or heat.

Here are a few other examples of what Alexa can do:
• You need to start preparing the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. You say, “Alexa, turn on ‘cooking’ and the kitchen dimmers make the room brighter, the TV turns on the Food Network, and the in-ceiling speakers turn up the volume so you can follow The Pioneer Woman’s recipe.
• After a long day of wrapping gifts, from the comfort of your own bed, say, “Alexa, turn off the house” and the lights will turn off, the shades will close, the doors will lock, and the security system will arm.
To control individual devices say commands like this:
• Alexa, turn on the dining room chandelier
• Alexa, dim the bedside lamp to 40%
• Alexa, adjust the temperature to 75 degrees

These are just a few examples of the ways you can use Alexa in your smart home. Whether you decide to add voice control now to help you out around the holidays, or wrap it as a gift for someone else at Christmas, Alexa is the perfect addition to any connected home.

To add Alexa to your house, fill out this online form.

If you want to add streaming internet to your TV (or switching altogether from cable or satellite) there are at least two units to consider.  One is the AppleTV which is quite familiar to most while the other is Roku, a newer device which may be more suitable for many users.  So we thought we'd take a moment to consider both.

Let's start first with WHY you might want to consider streaming TV.  More and more, people no longer hurry to their TVs to catch their favorite program in real time.  Instead, they will record the programming to view later at their convenience.  VCRs and, later, DVRs made that possible and popular.  Now however, with so many downloading their programming via streaming internet, the DVR may become less and less relevant.

Roku's head, Anthony Wood, forecasts, "Within four years I would say that the majority of TVs will stream over the Internet versus cable and satellite.... It is inevitable that all TV is going to be delivered over the Internet."

If that is true, then let's consider two such streaming devices currently making waves.

We'll start with AppleTV, an Editor's Choice from CNet.com.  The Apple TV is a tiny streaming box for $99 that lets you stream all of the movies and TV shows available in the iTunes Store to your HDTV on a rental or purchase basis, with purchases stored in the cloud. Netflix, MLB.TV, Hulu Plus, and a handful of other online media services are available, plus music, videos, and photos can be streamed from iOS devices (iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch) using AirPlay.  Those who've already invested in iTunes content and Apple hardware will find the Apple TV to be an indispensable living-room companion, and it's an excellent streaming-video box for non-Apple folks as well.

Would you like some expert advice on finding the perfect gift for the music or movie lover in your life? Here are four surefire options that are available now from Acadian Home Theater:

1 - Sonos music bundle - Play:3 or Play:5 with "Bridge" - $299 / $399

The Sonos Play:5 resembles an ordinary table radio, but is much more because it is part of the world-famous Sonos multi-room music system. The Play:3 is its even smaller sibling. Simply put, the Sonos music system streams not only your current digital music library (iTunes, etc.), it has streaming access to many popular music services such as Pandora, Rhapsody, Spotify, MOG, Sirius/XM, and many more. As of just a few weeks ago you can now "push" the music on your iPhone or iPad wirelessly to the Sonos system...very cool!

You can add more rooms wirelessly, too. Simply add more Play:5's, the smaller Play:3, or if using your own speakers, you can add Sonos Connect and Connect:Amp units. If you want multiple rooms of music, you can opt to have them all play the same music source or independent music streams. It doesn't get easier or more convenient than that! Control is from a free app that is available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, or Android devices. There is also free computer software for control from a PC or Mac. The price above includes the Sonos Bridge, which connects to your broadband Internet connection and establishes its own wireless connection with your Sonos components. The free Bridge offer is valid until January 3, 2013 and is only for new Sonos customers.

2 - Control4 one-room remote control system with 3 lighting dimmers = $1700 including installation (plus tax)

3 - Sonance Landscape Series Outdoor Speaker System = $6,700 + installation

4 - PRIMA Cinema First-Run Movie Machine = $35,000 + installation

by Bryan Naquin.  Follow Bryan on Twitter @ACIexperts.  And you can always contact him at 225.906.2589 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Bryan Naquin is president of Acadian Home Theater and Automation based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  CEPro Magazine has ranked Acadian in the top 100 consumer electronic companies in the U.S. for the third year in a row.