Elevate Your Smart Home Experience with the Right Partner

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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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How to Make Your Daily Tasks Simple with Smart Home Control

Make life easier around your New Orleans home with new automation technology

 As more and more technology finds its way into our lives, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the different devices in our homes. Our TVs, speakers, computers, gaming consoles, phones, tablets and even some appliances are all smart devices now, delivering a constant stream of notifications, feedback and information.

What if there was a way to link devices into one cohesive network you could control simply from one device anywhere in your home? This is the promise of home automation, particularly smart home control. With the right smart home control system, simplify everyday chores around your New Orleans home and enjoy a more relaxed, more comfortable lifestyle.

Here are five devices that can be linked to a control system to give you control over your home technology again.

SEE ALSO: Home Automation System Trends to Watch for in 2019 

MOTORIZED SHADES

Adjusting your home’s shades may not be a physically daunting task, but it is time-consuming. Motorized shades can be controlled remotely from your bed or couch, so you don’t have to get up to adjust them all the time. You can also program your shades to adjust themselves automatically based on a premade schedule or by following the sun’s path through the sky.

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FAQ: Answering Your Biggest Home Audio Video Questions

All the Information You Need to Choose the Right Solution

Research is vital any time you want to add new technology to your Mandeville, LA home. Learning everything you can about any upgrades will help figure out the right products and services. Even if you’re sure you want to integrate specific features, you’ll still want information on the best way to use them.

As you read this blog, you’ll discover answers to common questions on home audio video systems. Not only will the answers outline the basics, but also how to customize your AV solution according to your unique needs and preferences. Do you have additional questions you don't see listed here? Feel free to reach out, and we'll get you the answers!

SEE MORE: Style Meets Function With the Latest Hidden AV

What Does Your Home Audio Video System Include?

Home AV, at its most basic, offers a centralized solution for all your audio and video needs. Each of your sources, including streaming services, Blu-ray players, digital music libraries, cable boxes, and more are readily available through one solution. AV systems are composed of all the different entertainment devices in your home. Relying on a professional means you only deal with cutting-edge technology when it comes to speakers, displays, AV receivers, and the source components mentioned above. Do you already have devices you love? They can be incorporated easily, so you still have access to everything from one place.

Where Should You Install Your Home Audio Video?

Home audio video solutions are usually associated with media rooms or private theaters, but they can span your entire property. Expand the reach of your favorite music, movies and more with distributed audio and video in any area you may enjoy listening to  music or watching TV. It's easy to extend your home AV to your bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and even your outdoor spaces! Craft a personalized AV solution so you're not left without your entertainment when you want it or with systems that you won’t use in the long run.

How Should You Control Your System?

Easily manage all the components in your whole home entertainment system in a way that makes the most sense to you. Often, many people like to stick with traditional handheld remotes for any entertainment needs. For those installations, you can still upgrade to universal remotes which offer easy access to all your content, favorites, and even lighting and climate control.

However, there are still some fun upgrades you can make to your controls! Access your system through Control4's brand new OS 3 interface on your smartphone or a dedicated touchpad. Simplify your technology even further with voice command capabilities via Amazon Alexa or Google Home.

 Have more questions or want to set up a one-on-one consultation with our team? Reach out by calling us at 225.906.2589, fill out our contact form, or chat with us below.

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Make Back-to-School a Breeze with a Home Security System

Security Solutions to Help School Days Stay Safe

Summertime has come and gone, and the kids are back to school. Whether your children are learning their ABCs or how to drive this year, ensuring their safety after school isn’t always easy. Even if you have a babysitter or trust your teens with a key, you may find yourself distracted at work wondering how the kids are doing.

But with a fully integrated home security system from Control4, you can grant yourself the gift of peace of mind while the school bell rings in the afternoon. As a Baton Rouge, LA-based smart technology firm, we have years of experience building custom security systems for a range of homes and families. Continue reading to learn how a typical school day can benefit from smart home technology.     SEE ALSO: 5 Security Tips to Better Protect Your Home from Theft

Leaving the House

Cereal bowls are empty, bags are packed, and your family is out the door for school and work. Prepare your house’s security in just a few taps on your tablet or smartphone with the Control4 app. Lock all doors, set alarms, and turn on security cameras if they’re not activated already. You can even arrange for the thermostat and lights to turn on at specific times, so later tonight, your kids won’t have to fiddle with the temperature, and your walkway will be lit for your return. As the kids journey to school, and you head off to work, you can rest assured that your home is safe.

Kids Return from School

As your kids walk home from the bus stop or are driven back by a babysitter, you can avoid mishaps of lost or forgotten keys with smart locks. Your children can use an easy-to-remember pin code (perhaps a birthday or the year you adopted a dog) to unlock the door. You can also assign your nanny their own personalized code too. Codes can easily be changed or suspended from your device when necessary, and automatic locks will keep your entrances safe from forgetful children. Smart locks are a much sounder solution than spare keys under a matt or in a flowerpot, which intruders can easily take advantage of.

After your children open the door and walk inside, you’ll receive an alert to your phone of detected activity. The daily message will be a comforting reminder that the kids returned home safe, and you can check your entrance’s surveillance cameras to ensure it is them. If you don’t receive a notification that the kids returned home, you can call them or their nanny to see if everything is alright.

Check-in Remotely

Another perk of a home security system is the ability to check in on your home from any location. If the kids are in and out of the house in the afternoon, you can verify the status of your home’s locks right from your smartphone. Lock the garage remotely and turn off any lights that may have been left on. If the kids call saying, “Someone is at the door,” you can inspect live camera footage to see who it is. And through a video doorbell system, you may even communicate to the visitor. If it’s just a neighbor or friend on your font steps, let the kids know. But if it’s someone suspicious or dangerous, you’ll be able to notify authorities immediately.

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Lower Your Energy Usage with Smart Lighting Control

Smart Lighting Makes Your Mandeville Home More Energy Efficient

When it comes to smart lighting control, most homeowners are excited about the ease and convenience. You can adjust any light in your home from your smartphone, which opens up new interior design possibilities as you discover new ways to light your space. But there’s another valuable aspect of smart lighting control, and when we say valuable, we mean literal value for your wallet. Smart lighting control helps you lower your energy bill by making it simple to monitor and adjust the energy usage of your lighting fixtures, which is both good for your bank account and the environment.

Read on to learn about the different ways smart lighting control can help reduce the carbon footprint of your Mandeville home.

Set Energy-Saving Scenes

Smart lighting control allows you to program specific scenes that adjust the brightness, temperature, and even color of your light sources. You can create a scene that dims the lights for occasions that don’t demand full brightness, which cuts down on the electricity used by your bulbs. Used in conjunction with ambient light sensors, your fixtures automatically adjust to the amount of sunlight in a room, so you don’t even need to take action to see regular decreases in power usage.

Check If Lights Are Left On

How many times have you come home to an empty house with lights on everywhere? Your kids don’t understand how much you end up paying when they leave the lights on in their bedrooms while they’re at school, but with smart lighting control, you can turn off any unnecessary lights in your home from anywhere with an Internet connection. When you get into the office, open your control app on your smartphone to see which lights were left off and switch them off with a simple push of a button.

No People, No Lights

You can turn off lights through your app, but if you want to eliminate a step, there are multipurpose sensors that can recognize when a room is empty and shut off or dim bulbs automatically. Those can be the same sensors that detect ambient light, providing two different ways for you to save on your energy spending. You can program your scenes to react to occupancy sensors in various ways. For your morning scene, occupancy sensors can turn off any lights in empty spaces. In the evening, those same sensors can dim the bulbs so that rooms are still illuminated but conserving energy.

 Want to learn more about how smart lighting control can help you save on your energy bill? Reach out to one of our experts at 225-650-7840 or by filling out our online form.

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