Host the Ultimate Backyard Party With Outdoor Audio

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Your Guide to Creating the Perfect Outdoor Sound Environment

As the weather cools down in Tampa, FL, it's time to dust off the patio furniture and head outdoors! The crisp air and the golden hues of the setting sun create the perfect backdrop for social events. But what truly elevates an outdoor gathering from good to unforgettable is the quality of your outdoor audio. The right playlist emanating from perfectly placed speakers can set the mood, keep the party going, and turn your backyard into the social hub you've always dreamt of. In this guide, we'll delve into how you can host a backyard party that entertains and impresses your guests with exceptional outdoor audio.

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Why Are We the Best Smart Home Company in Tampa, FL?

Engineer connecting an in-ceiling speaker to an AV rack to test it.

Our Experience and White-Glove Customer Service Sets Us Apart 

Do you want technology that transforms your life for the better? As smart technology becomes mainstream, it's easy to be lured into the DIY path or think a small shop or handyman can handle it. However, designing a whole-home solution requires professional installation, programming, and maintenance. 

Are you looking for the right smart home company for your luxury home? Acadian Home Theater and Automation has delivered personalized smart home systems for its clients for more than two decades. 

Initially founded in Louisiana, we now offer our full suite of services in Tampa, FL. Find out why we've already become one of the most trusted smart home companies in the area. 

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Bring Incredible Music and Entertainment to Your Outdoor Spaces

An open-air concept with an outdoor kitchen and entertainment area with a TV and in-ceiling speakers.

The Latest Outdoor Audio Systems Redefine What’s Possible in Outdoor Entertainment

Many may not remember the days when outdoor audio consisted of portable radios or CD players. These days, many people have turned to Bluetooth speakers or one-directional under-eave speakers to deliver music to their outdoor areas. While these certainly suffice, they are a far cry from today’s outdoor audio systems that bring high-fidelity sound throughout your yard - whether it's an expansive estate with gardens, pathways, and water features or a smaller area with a patio and pool.

Let’s explore the makings of a high-performance outdoor audio system for your Tampa, FL, home.

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Elevate Your Smart Home Experience with the Right Partner

Wide interior shot of a home showcasing a white kitchen with marble countertops and a glass dining room table with six gray seats.

Verify You’re Working with the Top Smart Home Company in the Area

Choosing the right smart home company is vital to getting the most out of your technology. Establishing a company’s credentials should be the first step to sift through the many options you might find online. 

Ensure they’re certified dealers for the companies you want, and look for those with HTA certifications. Reserved for only the top integration firms in the country, HTA-certified companies undergo an extensive process to prove they deliver reliable, high-quality services to their clients.  

Understanding the different levels between those certifications is just as important. Entry-level certifications for new dealers mean something completely different than those only available to top-tier companies. 

Acadian Home Theater & Automation boasts the top Control4 and HTA certifications. Find out what that means for your next Tampa, FL, project. 

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Unleash Your Technology’s Potential with a Smart Home Company

Fireplace with TV mounted on top of it, sits in front of a white sofa and bed with gray duvet. 


Our Award-Winning Team Will Design the Smart Home of Your Dreams

Are you considering a DIY approach to your smart home technology? Leave the hard work to the professionals instead. Not only do you avoid dealing with a mess of wires, but a smart home company brings all your devices together, so you don't have a mess of apps either. 

Though going with a pro may be an easy choice, it may be hard to choose who to trust with your home's technology. But finding the right partner is easy if you focus on the right things, like their range of solutions and standards of service. 

Since 2010, Acadian Home Theater & Automation has made the CEPro 100, a label awarded to the top custom technology experts in the country. Read on to find out why we are the most trusted smart home company in Tampa, FL. 

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3 Awesome Benefits of Professionally Installed Outdoor Audio

Coastal Source bullet speaker sitting behind a rock and among surrounding foliage.

Enjoy a High-Performance Audio System That is Easy to Use 

New Orleans offers beautiful weather to enjoy your outdoor spaces–particularly in the fall and spring. Whether having a drink on your deck or a dip in the pool during a hot day, it feels great to leave the confines of your four walls. And in a town so rich in musical history, it’s hard to deny that outdoor festivities are much better with the right soundtrack. 

Recreate the sounds of your favorite brass band or listen to the latest Saints broadcast as you enjoy the fresh air with a professionally installed outdoor audio system. With the help of our AV specialists, it is easier than ever to listen to what you want whenever you want.

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What to Look for in a Smart Home Company

A large living room featuring two couches and a coffee table in the middle. In the background is a wall mounted TV above a fireplace featuring a Control4 interface.

Get the Most Out of Your Smart Technology with the Right Partner 

Smart home technology is now a must-have feature of our everyday lives. When building a new home, working with a contractor, architect and interior designer is no longer enough. You also need someone to help with all your technology needs to have a truly live-in-ready home once construction ends. So how do you know which smart home company to partner with in Tampa, FL? Below we outline some things to consider when looking for a technology partner.

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What Is the Key to Getting Successful Outdoor Audio?

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Find Out Why Coastal Source is Our Go-To Partner for Outdoor Sound Systems 

The beautiful year-round weather is one of the reasons Tampa, FL, has one of the fastest-growing housing markets in the country. When it comes to valuable real estate, you want to make each inch count. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your outdoor spaces like your pool, patio and backyard are as fun, comfortable and engaging as your indoor ones. 

Manicured lawns, heated pools and beautiful landscape lighting are just the beginning. You also need to add the right soundtrack! Unfortunately, that’s not as easy as it sounds. Don’t settle for Bluetooth speakers; instead, go with outdoor-rated solutions that deliver crisp, powerful sound. 

When it comes to outdoor audio, we trust Coastal Source to do the job. Below we outline some of the reasons we recommend them for clients who want to enjoy their favorite music while taking in the Florida sun. 

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What Drives Your Smart Home Costs?

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Explore the Difference Between DIY and Professional Solutions 

Recently we published a blog explaining the costs of our smart home systems and did a high-level overview of precisely what goes into the pricing. Not only is it about using higher-grade components, but also incorporating professional designs to make technology work more efficiently and reliably. At a high level, this might make sense, but we know it can be hard for some to visualize. 

Sometimes, it is easier to go over some more concrete examples of what a smart home company does. So let us look a little more in-depth into some of the aspects of our smart home projects and what’s driving the costs throughout Baton Rouge, LA homes. 

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How Much Does a Smart Home Project Cost?

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As the Go-To Smart Home Company in Tampa, FL, We Help You Budget Efficiently 

Usually, during our initial conversations with potential clients, the first question is about price. It makes sense for both you and your smart home company to approach the topic early to make sure you're the right match for each other. Our benchmark response is that though the price will vary based on the systems you want to include, for the most part, projects end up costing $8-12 per square foot. 

The natural follow-up question is, why? We understand that people want to know where their money is going, which is why we decided to craft this blog to outline the general costs of these projects. Though the equipment will take up the bulk of the budget, it's important to account for all the labor that goes into getting the smart technology in your Tampa, FL home running smoothly. 

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How to Avoid Common DIY Outdoor Audio Problems

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Find Out How a Professional Delivers Stellar Sound Anywhere

Do you want to add a spark to your patio, pool, backyard or veranda? Usually, the first thing people think of is integrating outdoor audio. Outdoor audio seems like an easy enough addition to your New Orleans, LA home, and what better way to liven up the day than with the right playlist? But placing a few speakers near the wall or resorting to portable Bluetooth speakers won’t do the trick.

If you’ve ever experienced bad outdoor sound—whether at a gathering or a restaurant’s live music night—you know how quickly it can ruin your day. Vibrant sound is much easier to accomplish indoors where there’s less noise interfering with the signal and four walls prepared to bolster it.

Not only does a DIY setup lead to poor, uneven sound quality, but it can result in damaged electronics too! This blog focuses on the most common outdoor audio complaints we hear and explains how a professional installer can address each.

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Solutions for Designers: What About That TV?

A great home interior always maintains a consistent scheme throughout.  Architects and designers work closely to create the kind of ambience the homeowner client desires. Sometimes, though, introducing technology into a room can interfere with that ambience...but it doesn't have to!  Certainly not when you have experienced technology experts who keep "design magic" on hand for just such an occasion!

Since an "Old World" look is so popular with finer homes, we thought we'd demonstrate a problem and suggest some solutions.

Problem. The home below has a certain look its trying to achieve.  With the furniture removed, its easier to see the problem:

That TV!  What's that doing in a room like this?  Well, truth be told, it probably needs to be there as a main place for family gatherings.  But we would suggest hiding it exactly where it is now!  We'll show you how a little further in this article.  You might also notice the speakers to either side (visible just beyond the columns) and another center speaker right above that flatscreen?  Painting the grills to match the room is a great idea.  But if you want those to be impossible to see, we recommend speakers like LiveWall.  Even your painter will never know they are there!

Solution A.  Let's suppose you, your architect and your designer have collaborated on a room with the following look:

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How to Personalize Your Smart Home Experience

Relish in Technology Designed with Your Unique Needs in Mind

Many clients ask us why they should work with a smart home company when they first reach out. Very few realize we’re there to provide a service rather than just sell them products. Which is why many think going to their local electronics store is a better move. As the go-to smart home company in Lafayette, LA, we bring our own set of experience and expertise to advise you on the best technology. We then design it in a way that elevates your everyday lifestyle.

Though greater reliability may be the biggest perk of working with a smart home company, getting a system tailored to you is just as important. How do you want to interact with your technology? Everyone will have a different answer which is why all our projects have a personal touch in the ways outlined below.

SEE MORE: Raising a Family with Home Automation

Manage Technology Your Way

The most significant selling point for many smart devices is the ability to manage everything from a mobile app. However, there may be times when a mobile app is not the best approach. During a movie marathon, a handheld remote will still feel more natural. Need to turn on the lights when your hands are busy? Enjoy hands-free control by linking your smart home to your favorite voice assistant. Each of our installations includes various control solutions, depending on what you feel fits best.

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Your Guide to All the New, Exciting Updates with Control4 OS 3


Free software update offers simpler controls, more customization options, easier access to favorite rooms or activities, and much more

 
With any home automation system, the most important piece is the control system. It’s what you use to manage everything in your house, so the system needs to be intuitive, responsive and powerful.

These attributes are precisely what you get with Control4’s OS 3 software update. OS 3 is a free update for users with an EA-category system, and it delivers “over a thousand new features and interaction enhancements,” according to the Control4 website. These improvements range from tweaks to the interface to higher-quality music streaming, and much more. As a smart home company in New Orleans that installs Control4 systems, we’re here to show you some of the changes OS 3 will bring to your automation system.

SEE ALSO: How to Make Your Daily Tasks Simple with Smart Home Control
GREATER CUSTOMIZATION
Every home automation system is different because every home is different. With OS 3, Control4 has made it easy to customize your interface exactly how you want it to be.

As just one example, you can now pick a photo from a selection of preloaded wallpapers for every room in your house. For a more personal touch, you can also upload your own images. These wallpapers make it easier to see which room you’re interacting with. If you have wall panels in your home, you can take a picture of the area around the panel and set it as the home screen to help the panel better blend in with your décor.

The most substantial change in terms of customization, though, is OS 3’s new Favorites system. You can now select favorite rooms or favorite activities and access them in seconds by pinning them to your home screen. OS 3 also lets you customize your interface further by adding, removing and rearranging icons. This eliminates clutter and gives you faster access to your most-used apps. Favorites are also synched to individual devices so that you can have certain selections on your phone and different ones on a remote, wall panel, etc.

SIMPLIFIED CONTROLS
Letting you select favorites is just one way OS 3 has made controlling your devices simpler. Anything you’ve chosen as a favorite can be accessed from the main Rooms Screen, from lighting control and motorized shades to your smart security system and speakers. OS 3 has also added gesture control for activities like your cable or satellite TV guide, as well as sliders for volume control.

Speaking of volume control, OS 3 has made managing media throughout your home a breeze. An Active Media bar instantly shows you what’s playing when you select a room and lets you adjust the volume, change tracks or see the quality of the music being played.

For media control at a broader level, the new Sessions system lets you see and control media anywhere in the house. You can raise or lower the volume in individual rooms or systemwide, add or remove rooms from different media Sessions, or turn various devices on or off. Now if you want to turn off your outdoor speakers but leave music playing everywhere else, you can use Sessions to simplify the process.

MISCELLANEOUS IMPROVEMENTS
Here are a few other highlights from the OS 3 update. Systems with OS 3 can now support Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) music streaming from services like Tidal, the highest quality audio available for discerning listeners. The icons within the app have also been tweaked by making them larger and the text easier to read. New filtering options also make it easier to monitor the status of individual systems across the home.

OS 3 represents a significant change to your Control4 system, with a multitude of improvements we haven’t even mentioned yet. To learn more, call us today at (225) 442-9849, click our contact page or type a message in the chat box at the bottom of your browser.

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What Tebow Has to Teach Us

Whether you're a Tim Tebow fan or not, he is teaching us something all of us should take both personally as well as on the job.  And it has nothing to do with football!

I already admired Tebow for his drive to make it in the NFL; for his candor about his faith; for his unwillingness to yield to public mockery; and for his determination to be himself.  But then an article by Rick Reilly appeared on ESPN.com and I was hooked!

This guy is amazing.  While most professional athletes live, eat and breathe their sport--not true of Tebow.  Despite his long hours spent in overwhelming devotion to training, self-discipline and leading his team, he will be the first to tell you football is not who he is.  Football is what he does.  And that is clearly evident in Reilly's article!

Reilly knows a thing or two about sports.  He has the distinction of having been voted National Sportswriter of the Year--not once--but ELEVEN times!  Here's how he put his take on Tebow:
There's not an ounce of artifice or phoniness or Hollywood in this kid Tebow, and I've looked everywhere for it.
Why is Reilly almost forced to that conclusion?  Well, I invite you to read his article linked here: http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7455943/believing-tim-tebow and then what I'll say about what Tebow has to teach us will become abundantly clear!

What Tebow Teaches UsFirst, stay true to your own values.  Always get the job done, but at the end of the day you are the one who has to be able to look yourself in the mirror and be able to tell yourself you did things the right way.

Second, remember that what you do is not who you are.  Its easy to get that backwards.  Who you are should define what you do.  Let your occupation be an extension of your life and values.

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