Life is complicated enough as it is. Work, kids, school, staying healthy, volunteering, social obligations, and more occupy a tremendous amount of time and mental energy. What’s one thing that shouldn’t add to the complications in your life? Your Mountain Brook, AL, home should be a refuge of tranquility and comfort. Unfortunately, homes also take up time and mental energy. But with the help of a home automation company, smart home technology can take care of many things at home, freeing you up for what’s important to you. Let’s explore how below. 

If you're considering upgrading your Rosemary Beach, FL home with the latest in smart home technology, you may be wondering if you should go the DIY route or hire a professional home automation contractor. While a DIY approach can be cost-effective, there are better choices for those who want a fully integrated and customized home automation system. Let's explore the benefits of hiring a home automation contractor and six reasons why it's worth the investment. 

YouTube is chock full of resources for learning how to do almost any home project. From amateur plumbing to electrical to flooring, there's a video for it online. You might be tempted to say, "I'll do it myself" to avoid calling a professional when you need something done, but much will depend on the size of the project. Some people call a plumber at the first sign of a slight leak under a sink; others will get under there and figure out the problem. When it comes to smart home automation, some will install that new Nest thermostat; others will let their HVAC professional do it. 

But suffice it to say that most people that might choose to DIY a minor repair or upgrade don't redo all the plumbing for a bathroom remodel or replace their heat pump if it fails. Surprisingly, many people think it's easy to fully automate a smart home because it just takes some electronics and software.

 As with the projects we mentioned above, it’s one thing to install a Nest thermostat but quite another to embark on a full home automation project for your Atlanta, GA, home. So if you do hire a professional, what should you expect from a home automation company? Read further to learn more. 

You might be familiar with some of the most popular ways to make your home smart. Smart thermostats like Nest and Ecobee have been extremely popular with homeowners, and professionally installed options from Lutron and Control4 offer integration with other smart home features, remote temperature sensors, and more. Intelligent lighting is also a top feature in smart homes, offering streamlined and simplified control of a wide array of lights. 

But those aren't the only things you can manage in a smart home. In your Alys Beach home, you likely have a pool. Since it's Florida, ceiling fans are a must. And your home probably has a garage for your car. Did you know that you can include all those in a smart home system? As a professional home automation company, we use systems like Control4 that can integrate and manage a wide array of smart features in your home. Learn more below!

If you are looking at building a new home or doing some extensive remodeling in Brookhaven, GA, lighting should be one of the high priorities on your list. People often don't pay enough attention to it and settle for standard solutions. The truth is that lighting can be just as much a part of your interior design as wall flooring and countertop materials. 

Some people might work with their builder, architect, interior designer, or electrician – or all of them –for their lighting needs. So what role can a lighting design company play in your project? That’s the subject we’re going to cover here. Please keep reading!

Everyone has that friend who is the "tech person." They seem comfortable with technology and might be the go-to person for questions about smartphones, computers, or any device with an internet connection. We think that's great. But we have a word of advice—please don't rely on that person to put together your smart home. 

Smart homes are not simple projects. And your friend might know about some popular consumer smart home products, but chances are they don't understand the complexity of a complete, integrated smart home. To do your Vinings, GA, home the right way, you need a local smart home contractor. Let’s explore the reasons below.

Lighting control is one of the most popular smart home features. People often associate it with energy savings, but the benefits go far beyond that. While lighting control can be an excellent solution for one or a few key rooms of your Freeport, FL, home, it’s even better when you integrate a whole home lighting control system into your property. 

To give you a better sense of what you can do with a lighting control system, let’s explore what a typical day is like with this smart solution. 

Ask an interior designer about smart technology and AV equipment in the home, and they might say, "just make sure I can't see it." We might exaggerate some here, but designers work hard to create a customized aesthetic and atmosphere in their projects. And while many AV and smart tech products are beautifully designed, the reality is that many don't add much aesthetic value. 

However, you might be surprised to learn that smart technology can streamline homes and make them sleeker and more stylish. And that you can hide technology that you don't want to see! Here are three smart home interior design suggestions for your Rosemary Beach, FL, residence. 

With so many devices communicating wirelessly these days, you might think the days of wiring in homes are over. For many years, homes have been routinely prewired with low-voltage cabling for things like doorbells and security alarms. When home networking was taking off in the late 90s and 2000s, wiring new homes with ethernet cabling was standard practice for connecting desktops and laptops to the internet.

Now, high-speed internet and Wi-FI inside homes are commonplace. A wide array of devices use wireless protocols and Wi-Fi to communicate. So is wiring really needed that much anymore? Yes! It turns out smart home prewiring is still required for building the connectivity infrastructure for the burgeoning number of devices and functions in today's homes. Keep reading below to see what key smart home features still need and benefit from prewiring.

Occasionally, something you dream about becomes a nightmare in reality. Maybe it's the sports car that spends more time in the shop than on the road or the dream vacation that became the trip from hell. It happens to all of us, and sometimes it happens with technology products too. 

If you’re thinking about a home automation system, the last thing you want is a smart home that doesn’t work the way you think it should. Of course, premier home automation solutions like Control4 systems are great products; nevertheless, sound planning is required to ensure you'll love your Alpharetta, GA, smart home. Please keep reading below for three tips to put you on the path to smart home bliss.

In the past, security systems and solutions tended to be islands unto themselves. You might have had an alarm system with window, door, and motion sensors that would sound the siren if one of them was tripped, and it might also be monitored by a security company. You might have also had a video surveillance system that looked out over various parts of your property. Those systems were separate, had their own controls, and never communicated.

Today, integrated security systems not only provide more ways to keep an eye on your home and stay safe, but they also do it in concert, giving you many options for safety and controlling access to your Atlanta, GA, home. Let's explore a few elements of integrated security systems below.

While much of today’s smart technology operates with wireless technology, many things still need good old-fashioned wiring and cabling. Whether for more reliable networking connections or whole-home audio, prewiring your home will give you the ultimate flexibility for including all the smart solutions you want. Plus, when you do it early in your remodel or build project, you can choose to add things later, even after the home is finished. 

Keep reading below to learn why smart home prewiring is a smart move for your Buckhead, GA home. 

Motorized window treatments are undeniably convenient and luxurious, but there’s a practical side to them too. At the most basic level of practicality, you are more likely to raise and lower a shade that takes just a button push rather than pulling on strings, twisting louvers open and shut, or pulling heavy drapes. That means you’ll get the benefits of window treatments, from instant privacy to natural light to keeping interiors cooler in the steamy Georgia summers. 

We’re not here to tell you that motorized window shades are less expensive than manual ones. They’re not! But over time, they’re extremely reliable and have significant comfort and energy-saving benefits. In these times where saving energy and money are helpful, the decision to go motorized becomes an easy one. Learn more about what motorized shading can do for your Sandy Springs home below. 

Summer isn't over yet, and we're already talking about holidays? If you plan to make some home improvements, it certainly isn't too early to start planning. As we write this, Labor Day is upon us, and with it begins the school year and many other activities that keep families very busy going into the fall season. 

The December holidays may seem distant right now, but autumn isn’t. Halloween and Thanksgiving will be here sooner than you think. And what better way to celebrate holidays than with a little light? Here are three ways you can use Lutron lighting control to put a shine on the fall in Vinings, GA.

There are many ways to personalize your home. From custom wall finishes and flooring to furniture and window treatments, your home should reflect your style and sense of aesthetics. One way to show off your style (and your techy side, too) is with custom motorized shades. 

Your Buckhead, GA, home likely has many windows of differing sizes and shapes. For example, you may have bay windows in a living room or bedroom, clerestory windows in a tall living area, or a wall of glass windows that open to the outside. One way to customize the look and improve the utility of your home is with customized window treatments. There are styles to suit almost every window! Learn about three of them you might not know about below.