Home automation, smart homes, connected devices: whatever you might want to call this set of technologies, they are as inexorable a trend as the smartphone revolution. Scarcely a day goes by without another smart device introduction from companies large and small.

Since it’s the beginning of the year, it’s always a good time to make some fearless prognostications on what will be big in home automation for 2021. But we're not going to take big chances on predictions in this blog; the trends we see are already here and will accelerate even more sharply in 2021. What are they, and how might they affect your Atlanta, GA home? Keep reading below.

Is home automation merely a luxury? We would be the first to assert that it's not a necessity for your home. But contemporary society does adjust quickly to modern technology – after all, how many of us want to give up our mobile phone? How about your refrigerator, dishwasher or washing machine?

All of the things we mentioned above were once luxuries which are now standard equipment of today's world. And all those devices had a profound influence on shaping modern lifestyles.

Will home automation have the same level of impact as these standards of modern life? We think that ultimately the answer is yes, which is why we also believe that home automation technology is a smart investment for your Buckhead, GA home right now – financially and otherwise. Read how below.

Crestron is a pioneer in home and commercial automation, with a history dating back to 1971. Some companies tend to rest on their laurels when they've done well for a long time, but not Crestron.

Many competitors to Crestron have sprung up in the home automation space, both with professionally installed systems and DIY consumer automation devices. Yet, the company has stayed true to its roots to deliver meticulously engineered, sophisticated home automation solutions that scale up to the needs of the most complex homes.

How is Crestron continuing to stay ahead in home automation? Let’s look at three reasons you might want to choose Crestron for your Marietta, GA smart home. 

SEE ALSO: How to Enhance Online Activities at Home with Crestron Automation

In this highly connected world we live in, much of what we do is tracked. No one is lurking in the shadows snapping pictures of us like in old detective shows, but it’s far easier than that. Your smartphone tracks your location continuously, and a variety of apps for which you grant access to your information knows where you go and where you’ve been.

Now, most of you already know that much of your activity is being watched. Your browsing history is used to target advertising. Your Facebook activity is a fountain of information that may understand more about you than you do. Google and Apple Maps know where you go, by car and on foot. Yet, there's a tradeoff we make for sharing all this information. We get some beneficial, dependable, and free services like navigation around Brookhaven and Atlanta and just about anywhere in the world (remember when navigation devices cost hundreds of dollars?) and a host of other free information services we use without a second thought.

What does that have to do with home automation? Plenty. Keep reading for more.

We're all still making adjustments to our lifestyle with the ongoing pandemic. And while some schools and workplaces are back in operation, suffice it to say that everything is not back exactly the way it was before.

During this timeframe, we have leaned heavily on technology for work, education, entertainment, and even fitness. We’re not here to claim technology is a substitute for in-person interaction. Still, as a longtime home technology integrator, we are here to make it as easy and seamless as possible to enable you to do all that you want to accomplish.

While everyone is working on desktops, laptops, tablets, and Chromebooks, we think there's an opportunity to leverage existing AV setups in your home for more flexible and engaging work, learning, and socializing. It’s easy to do, especially if you employ Crestron Home smart automation in your Roswell, GA home. Let's explore some scenarios below that you may not have thought about. 

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?

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.

If our clever title has you lamenting the end of summer in Georgia, we did not skip the season by Springing into Fall. Indeed, please read all about enjoying summer fun with outdoor entertainment technology. But as you read this, you are quite likely wondering what might be happening with school schedules this fall, given the ongoing pandemic.  

As your local smart home company in the Atlanta area, we can offer you some innovative ways to have smart technology make the new home routines for work, play, and fun a little more manageable, and, dare we say…fun! Not only that, but we can also show you this tech in action at our 20,000 square foot showroom in Marietta. Keep reading for some ideas that may spark your imagination. 

SEE ALSO: The Three Things to Look for in a Smart Home Company

While the current generation of kids may not know the Jetsons, it left a lasting impression on those that watched the cartoon in the 1960s and in many years of syndication after that. It promised a world of flying cars, robots, holograms, drones, and video calls. Guess what? We have all of those today, sans the flying cars. If we can get the coming generation of self-driving cars to run on real streets without crashing into each other, perhaps they can take flight next.

If the imagination behind the Jetsons was a portent of things to come, then what do the next 50 years hold for the future of home automation in Atlanta and around the world? Braced with the knowledge we have today, and given some of what we’ve seen in technology the past few years, we’re going to make some fearless prognostications about the next few years.  Perhaps in a couple of years, we'll circle back and see what we got right and wrong!

SEE ALSO: A Quick Look at the Top 3 Features of Crestron Home Automation

To paraphrase a common refrain on airline flights, "we know you have many choices in home automation systems, and we're glad you chose us." True, there are many choices in smart home automation. There is an almost bewildering array of options in consumer automation devices and platforms, tied together by software and devices from Google, Amazon, Apple, and Samsung.

But when it comes to managing larger, more sophisticated homes, the choices narrow down further and quickly. Sure, you can use parts of excellent consumer products like Google's Nest ecosystem to manage some functions of your home. You can run your own email server at home, too. But few people operate their own email servers because they have to be quite technically savvy to keep them running correctly. And while consumer home automation is far more accessible, the more you do with it, the more complicated it gets. And there are some things that these systems won't do without a great deal of advanced hacking.

There is a more straightforward way. You can call GHT Group to design and build a customized home automation solution that works exactly the way you want in your Johns Creek, GA home, with no tech support required from you. And if your property is quite large and there are many things to manage – we would likely recommend a Crestron solution, as there are few limits as to what it can do. Read on to learn more about three ways Crestron systems are a different breed of automation solution.

A few months ago, we undertook a big step in changing and expanding our company's direction, rebranding from Georgia Home Theater to GHT Group. Why the new name? We’re still big on home theater, but the name was only part of what we do now.

GHT Group is all about home technology, with a fast-growing business in the commercial sector as well. We want to be the premier technology partner for residences and companies in Johns Creek and across the metro Atlanta area. And we think, to paraphrase the Carly Simon song, that nobody does it better in Georgia. Whether you are looking for the best brands in audio and video, the top solutions in smart home automation, the latest in home security, and most important of all – top-flight service – GHT Group does it all.

Keep reading for three ways GHT Group is a different smart home company, and why you should turn to us for your technology solutions.

Social distancing may be easing, but things are not going back to "normal" immediately. With most activity now confined to the home – be it work, school, or entertainment – stress levels have been rising. Having the entire family at home, doing all the things they often do elsewhere, can become a balancing act.

However, there are things we can do to make everyday life more comfortable in Brookhaven, GA. When you're home a lot, you might tend to notice some routine tasks that you often do, over and over. Fortunately, smart technology offers some solutions to take a bit of the load off. And these things will be just as valuable timesavers when social distancing is a distant memory. Read on to see how a Control4 smart home control system sweats the small stuff while you make the most of your time at home. 

You may think motorized shades sound like a luxury. Indeed, they are luxurious. However, onetime luxuries are now essentials and staples. When is the last time you cranked down a manual car window? Exactly, that’s what we thought.

Adding power to window treatments and shades are far more practical than power windows in automobiles. In a car, it's mostly about convenience, but motorized shades have real efficiency and even safety benefits.

When it comes to motorized shades, one name stands out – Lutron. Our favorite lighting control brand is also one of the premier vendors for powered shades and window treatments. Read on for four reasons why Lutron shades are not just a luxury for your Roswell, GA, home; they are also an excellent investment.

As we all know, the current COVID-19 health crisis has presented significant challenges to everyone. With Georgia now officially under stay-at-home orders, home life has all family members under one roof pursuing typical activities at the same time – work, school, entertainment, and staying in touch with friends and family.

This time may bring about some new stresses on home life, but we have some technology solutions that may help. GHT Group has always maintained that smart home automation offers a variety of important benefits in various areas, including security and safety, comfort, efficiency, and even wellness. If you have some aspects of smart home technology in your home, you may already appreciate that. If you don’t, we have some solutions that you can consider to make this time a little easier. GHT Group is still open for business and available to help with your home technology needs.

How can home automation help with this period in your Johns Creek, GA home? Read on for some ideas.

We’ve discussed the merits of Crestron home automation systems at length in the past. Crestron is the company that is practically synonymous with automation in both the residential and commercial spaces. For some smaller residential applications, Crestron solutions had the reputation of being complex to integrate, as the system had many options.

Several months ago, Crestron introduced OS 3, a redesigned automation system aimed at making a home automation system easier for a homeowner to use and for integrators like GHT Group to install. In truth, OS 3 was not radically new; it was an evolution and improvement over the Pyng system that they had introduced a few years earlier that added many modern features to Crestron automation.

It’s important to understand Crestron’s approach to home automation. They are a company that designs and tests all their own equipment and software, not merely designing equipment that is manufactured offshore. When it comes to the software, the ability to control a home remotely through the internet also means being able to do it with the utmost security and privacy. 

If you have multiple homes, like your primary residence in Brookhaven and a cabin in Blue Ridge in the Georgia mountains, Crestron OS 3 is an ideal solution for managing your homes securely. Read on to learn more.