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.

Add a Greater Layer of Security to Your Home with Luma’s Cutting-Edge Technology

When many people think of video surveillance systems, they envision a few security cameras spread out throughout their property. A Luma surveillance system offers so much more than that to better protect your New Orleans, LA home. Not only do you have cameras providing crystal clear video resolution, but video recorders let you store, view and search content as needed. And with intuitive control that makes it easy to pull up what you want, you'll be able not only to protect your home but also capture vital family moments like a kid's first step or your dog's go-to napping spots when you're not there.  

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.

Our Security and Surveillance Solutions Protect Every Aspect of Your Louisiana Home

Installing a security and surveillance system seems to be fairly straightforward, but perhaps you have not considered the many different ways you can use it in your everyday life. Security alarms and cameras aren’t just about protecting your home in the Baton Rouge, LA area; it’s also about simplifying your day-to-day tasks and keeping an eye on everyone in your house – even the dog! Continue reading to discover all the benefits of installing one of our systems in your house.

SEE ALSO: Security & Surveillance Solutions for Your Baton Rouge Home

Baby Cam, or Nanny Cam

When there is a baby in the house, there is nothing more important than making sure the little boy or girl is taken care of. When they are that small, they need constant attention and a watchful eye to make sure nothing goes wrong. We have small cameras that are most appropriate for capturing your little one 24-7. You will be able to check in on him or her at any time through your mobile device or computer. The video is in color and crystal clear so you can see even the smallest movements. Of course, we have audio tied to it as well so you can hear if the baby is crying. Our cameras are also wonderful for keeping an eye on the nanny too so you can observe how they handle your kids.

Pet Care

Screen Visitors

Our goal is to help you stay connected with every member of your family and make sure they are safe at all times. While safety and security are top priories when installing these systems, we like to assure you that there are many other ways you can take advantage of the technology too. Do you need an update, a new install, or a repair? Call us or message us online!

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.

Protect Your Home with Control4 Security SolutionsA security system that is connected to your smart home system is quite different than simply having an alarm or a few cameras around your Baton Rouge, LA home. Since we are Control4 dealers, we choose to install their security and surveillance solutions because they are easy to use and very versatile. While there are different ways to install a security system in your house, in this blog we’ll give you an overview on how Control4 systems differ and why they have additional benefits over traditional systems.

SEE ALSO: How to Protect Your New Orleans Home with Security & Surveillance SystemsIntegrate Every FeatureWhen you have a Control4 smart home, your security isn’t a standalone system – it’s integrated with every other feature of your house. For example, you’ll be able to set your alarm, shut the blinds, and turn off the lights all by pressing one button. It’s also easily expandable so if you want us to install smart locks later on, or more cameras, we can easily tie them into your home.

Use Wireless TechnologyPlenty of alarm systems can be controlled by your phone today, but what about your smart watch? Do you get automatic alerts based on smart sensors? Control4 systems are capable of much more because you can receive notifications on your phone, smart watch, or computer the second something isn’t right – like a pipe leaking, or a garage door that is left open. The benefit is that your smart home is keeping an eye on every part of your home for you, and doing the work of alerting you when something goes awry. With wireless technology at your fingertips, you can also easily check on your home while you’re away by opening up real-time video footage, looking at past videos via cloud-based memory, and seeing the status of door locks on your user interface.

Mockupancy Settings“Mockupancy” simply means that your home will look occupied when it’s actually empty. Create a scene with your Control4 app by setting certain features to turn on a varying times. For example, your smart home will lower the shades at noon, and then raise them at 3 p.m. As soon as it gets dark, the lights and TVs will turn on to simulate you’re there. By simulating your family’s normal, everyday activities, you’ll have additional peace of mind while you’re away.