We’ve waxed poetic about the virtues of motorized shades in our blog. If you are looking to remodel, modernize, or are merely rethinking your window treatments, they should be at the top of your list. They're also a great way to begin your smart home transformation.

One of the best things about motorized window treatments is all the ways you can control them. And we're not just talking about the smartphone app, either. Apps are great, but sometimes there are other things to do with your smartphone. Also not discussed: manual control. After all, if that's what you were seeking, you probably wouldn't be reading this. 

One of GHT Group's preferred brands for powered shading is Lutron. Lutron shades offer an incredible array of choices in materials, styles, and control. Since this blog is about all the ways you can control your powered Lutron window treatments in your Atlanta, GA home, we're going to focus on that aspect in the rest of this blog. Please keep reading!

There’s an old adage that says good lighting can make any room look good, and bad lighting can make even the most beautiful space look seriously deficient. OK, we’ll admit we just made that one up. 

However, adage or not, there is truth in our words. Our eyes see everything as reflections of light off objects. And any picture you see is also the capture of light into an image. Light is a critical factor in how you view just about everything. 

When it comes to residential lighting design, perhaps there is nothing more annoying than a poorly lit bathroom. Bathrooms serve multiple purposes. They are functional spaces, but they also increasingly serve as retreats for relaxation with luxurious tubs, showers and other amenities. How do you illuminate bathrooms in Brookhaven, GA, to serve these different needs? We're glad you asked. Keep reading for some of the latest lighting trends for today's bathrooms.

SEE ALSO: 3 Smart Lighting Design Trends for Home Offices

Audio enthusiasts come in many stripes. Some are continually upgrading every part of their sound system, looking for their ultimate dream setup that sounds "perfect." Others enjoy rotating equipment in and out of their system, looking for a tweak or two to improve sound quality or give it a different nuance. Many simply enjoy the audio journey, knowing there is no audio nirvana, but the ride sure is a lot of fun.

Now, you might think that this constant search for aural perfection can get expensive. And it can, but there is an amazing amount of excellent audio gear that fits many budgets. Many of the hi-fi brands we offer at GHT Group – Monitor Audio, Klipsch Heritage, B&W, and more – have affordable options. But if you already have a set of high-end audio speakers in your Alpharetta, GA listening room that you like, there are some simple tweaks you can do to extract that extra ounce of oomph you may be looking for in your setup.

Keep reading for some simple tips you can try to improve your sound. And afterward, if you still think you need an upgrade, we’ll be happy to assist you with that!

The audio world is full of terminology and buzzwords. There are the traditional ones, like preamplifiers, amplifiers, woofers, tweeters, crossovers, and more. If you’re into audio at all, you know what these are. Then there are words that describe how a speaker or system sounds, like soundstage. If you're an audio fan, you know what that means, too.

Then there are the terms that came in with digital audio. How about lossless vs. compressed, MP3 vs. AAC, 16bit/44 kHz vs. 24bit/192 kHz sampling? For some people, they might have little to no meaning, other than they might surmise lossless is always better than compressed. The reality is, like in most things related to audio, there are not always absolute truths.

If you are familiar with all this as you sit in Johns Creek, GA listening to music on your whole-home audio system, you might wonder if high-resolution audio is something essential or a feature you can blissfully ignore. Keep reading to see which side of the fence you may fall.

A few weeks ago, we wrote about how video games can help you exercise the latest features of your home theater setup. It's true, some of the best video games take full advantage of 4K, HDR, and the latest immersive sound formats. And we also noted that many movies don't take full advantage of everything your up-to-date theater or media room can do.

However, we didn’t mean to imply that you’ve wasted your money on your 4K HDR Sony projector, or that McIntosh-based Dolby Atmos multi-channel surround system. Indeed, we think that an incredible soundtrack does as much to draw you into a film as fantastic cinematography and special effects. So, we set out to find the best movies to bring a knowing smile to your face that says yes, that Dolby Atmos system was the best entertainment investment ever. And if you don’t have an immersive surround sound system yet, GHT Group is your local Atlanta home theater company you can trust for the job.

Now, on to the top three movies that will put your surround sound – and maybe your ears – through a torture test.

It's safe to say that technology moves fast these days. We have now come to expect annual (or even quicker) updates to smartphones, tablets, operating systems, and apps. Since the innovation in smart devices like lights, thermostats, and security cameras are primarily software-driven, these devices are also rapidly gaining new intelligent features. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is also driving advances. AI machine learning technology lets smart devices get smarter, detecting patterns and anticipating your moves and desires based on behaviors. What are some of the areas benefitting most from all this AI and software prowess? It’s hard to pick three areas, but we think these three have shown incredible leaps forward in the past couple of years, with much more to come. Keep reading to see how security cameras, voice assistants, and smart lights will enable more advanced home automation in your home in Alpharetta, GA or the greater Atlanta area.  

SEE ALSO: What Does the Future Hold for Home Automation?

At GHT Group, we’re proud of the audio brands we work with. Names like Bowers & Wilkins, MartinLogan, Klipsch, and many more are known for their vibrant reproduction of sound, which is also a way of saying, we know what good audio is!

When you take the audio outside, there are some different challenges in achieving high sound quality. Lack of walls to reflect sound, ambient noise, and wide-open spaces all play a part in requiring more planning for a great outdoor sound system for your Brookhaven, GA home.

While there are several excellent choices for outdoor speakers – and we offer many – there is one company that we particularly like not just for sound quality but also for the complete solution they offer. Read on to learn more about creating your ultimate outdoor soundscape with Coastal Source.

With the challenges of the pandemic still with us, working and schooling from home will be a continuing reality for the better part of 2020 in many areas. Major tech companies like Google have already announced they will continue work-from-home policies into 2021. Educational institutions at all levels are also grappling with how to resume classes, and many will adopt remote approaches in the short term. 

In this environment, communicating effectively from home has become critical. Communication is not just for work and school; maintaining social contacts with family and friends is also needed to not feel isolated.

Crestron has thought about this, too. A worldwide leader in enterprise video conferencing, audio-visual, and commercial automation, the company is bringing that expertise to improve communication and collaboration from home. Of course, Crestron is also a leader in smart home automation, so it couldn’t be a more perfect fit.

Keep reading to learn more about Crestron's new HomeTime, which brings together sophisticated video conferencing, communication, and home control to your Atlanta residence.

OK, we’re only joking here; we are nowhere near 77 articles on the subject of outdoor home theaters. However, it is a subject we love to write about, as few things bring as much pleasure as watching a good flick under the stars on a warm evening.

In this installment, we will show you how to put together a budget-friendly system for relatively impromptu home theater sessions on the patio. Unlike other options we've discussed in the past, it's not a permanent setup, but one that can be put up and put away reasonably quickly. What's more, this setup's components can also pull double duty indoors, like in a kids-oriented game room. 

Intrigued by this idea for your Roswell, GA home? Let's dive into what you'll need.

If you’re not a home theater or audio aficionado, you might think a subwoofer is a speaker you don't need. That is, until you hear the very same set of speakers you have, in your room, with a well-integrated subwoofer (or two). We'll put some money on the chance that you won't want to go back to your system sans subwoofers.

We will grant you that if you have some incredible full-range speakers, like B&W Diamonds, or others of that class, you may not want for more bass. Still, you might be surprised at how much the right subwoofer can add to even the best speakers' sound quality. The reason is that bass is foundational for music and movies, adding fullness and depth to the soundstage that gives the sound more gravitas and impact. We're not talking about rumbly, sloppy bass here. We're talking about punchy, tight, fast, and impactful bass that keeps up with the most complicated movie soundtracks and music.

Perhaps we’ve convinced you that you need a subwoofer, no matter what your system looks like. But, you say, I don’t want the big box in my listening room/home theater/media room/escape room. Once again, we'll grant you the point that most subwoofers are lacking in the aesthetics department. But we have a solution for you, too: the architectural subwoofer. Yes, subwoofers can be built into the wall and even the ceiling.

Read on to learn more about JL Audio architectural subwoofers for that room in your Atlanta home where you want to hear the bass but never see the box.

At this point, you may have heard of tunable lighting. We've written a bit about it on these very pages. And if you have looked at LED lighting fixtures and bulbs lately, you might notice that many are incorporating color-changing capabilities that enable the "tuning" of white light.

To review (don't worry, there's no test at the end), tunable lighting is the ability of artificial light to change its intensity and hue to mimic how sunlight varies throughout the day. Why is this important? Light affects us in subtle ways, and our bodies respond to the rhythms of natural light. The ability to change the color temperature of white light is a recent feature of LED lighting technology.

Quite a few competitors have emerged in tunable lighting. But you should know that not all tunable lighting is the same. Let’s explore one of the most highly touted features of tunable lighting – warm dimming, and how Ketra, a pioneer in this space, does it better. Read on to learn about how Ketra lighting is different and what it can do in your Buckhead, GA home.

Many people approach the idea of making their home "smart" differently. For years, our industry thrived on simplifying the control of AV equipment. That may not be the first thing you think of these days when it comes to smart tech, but it is still very much integral to the smart home experience. For others, it might be automated lighting and climate control, as those are also uber-popular do-it-yourself smart home products.

Still, others might place more importance on home security, as smart sensors, cameras, and locks offer more ways to keep an eye on the homestead and maintain safety. And there’s more, like automated pool equipment, irrigation systems, and other devices you can turn on or off or control their behavior.

The one thing you want to do when starting with smart home technology is to choose a system that can grow with you and accommodate a wide range of devices and skills to make home control effortless. For many Buckhead, GA homes, the right system that ticks all the boxes is Control4. Keep reading to learn why Control4 is the centerpiece of your smart home, no matter which feature is the most important to you.

You know what they say: Everything looks better in the right light. We have been known to use a turn or two of this phrase when talking about lighting on these blog pages. Just like photography is all about capturing the image in the right light, lighting can do the same for your home's appearance.

While there's equal parts art and science to interior lighting design, landscape lighting has its tricks, too. Even an average house—not that we're suggesting yours is average—can look amazing with the right landscape lighting design techniques.

Keep reading for the tricks of the trade in landscape lighting design that can make your Johns Creek, GA home the toast of the neighborhood when the sun sets.

Life is hectic, and sometimes we forget. We forget to close the garage door when rushing to work and getting kids to school. We don’t recall if we locked the back doors to the patio. And if things were really hectic, we might not remember if we turned off a gas fireplace or burner.

Is there a way to have another set of eyes and ears looking after your house when no one is home? That’s where a security camera installation for your Buckhead, GA home can help. With today’s smart cameras, you can monitor your home from anywhere that you can connect to the internet. 

Today’s smart security cameras are packed with features to make it easy to worry less and get peace of mind that everything is OK at home. And when it’s not OK, you’ll be the first to know to take the appropriate action. Read on to learn more!

One of the greatest benefits of smart technology is the capabilities it gives us to do things easily that were once both hard and expensive. Lighting control is one smart technology that can benefit any home. And while we’ve talked extensively about the many aesthetic, safety, and other benefits of lighting control, we want to swing back to a core one – efficiency.

Lighting control is one of the simplest, most straightforward ways to save energy. And Lutron lighting control is one of the easiest ways to corral, command, control, and cajole your Atlanta home's lighting into doing your bidding. Read on for three simple (did we already say simple?) ways that Lutron helps you save the environment and pad your wallet, too.