Innehållsförteckning för March/May 2020 från Residential Tech Today

St. Louis, MO and Dallas, TX based members of Thoughtful Integrations are made up of some of the brightest minds in technology and business. Led by partners Joe Whitaker and Steve Sigel, the combination of technological knowledge, organization, process, management, and business operations allows the company to provide solutions that encompass the end users’ needs in a budget threshold and time-managed fashion, whether for commercial building automation or a smart home system. Whitaker has almost two decades of experience in custom systems integration and design and is one of the most proactive members of the Control4 community. Among the first to be certified by Control4 in Texas, Whitaker continues to design and implement amazing solutions while contributing to the consumer knowledge base. He also has helped in product development, creation,…

Despite my role as a tech magazine editor, over the years I’ve been a fairly reluctant smart home customer, resisting offers to install a full-featured control system from the various pro-quality manufacturers, such as Crestron, Control4, Savant, URC, or RTI. But, last fall, something finally clicked for me, and I decided it was time to commit to completing a system that had been built in bits and pieces over the 13 years I’d lived in my home. But, first a little background. Back in 2008, after writing about residential tech for almost a decade, my wife and I moved with 2-year-old daughter Ella and dog Otis, out of a tiny one-bedroom New York City apartment into our first house – five-bedroom suburban residence in the thriving Indianapolis suburb of Carme.…

Nortek Security & Control’s new array includes six outdoor IP cameras, one 8-channel NVR, and accessories. Sonance Patio Hogar Controls Metra Home Theater Group’s Naim Audio Curl and Parasound Savant, SnapAV’s new Signature by Episode custom install speaker line features 32 models across three series, one- and two-step installation options, seven optional cradle accessories that can be paired with pre-construction brackets, back boxes, and several grille options. The 3 Series models feature polypropylene woofers and silk dome tweeters. The 5 Series feature polypropylene woofers and adjustable silk dome tweeters, both with vacuum-deposited titanium. The 7 Series features honeycomb fiberglass Nomex woofers and pure titanium tweeters. SurgeX URC Deako AudioControl’s Focal’s Just Add Power Harman’s NAD Electronics Legrand’s Vanco International…

Racepoint Energy, the energy solutions sister brand, acquired the technology and team of NOON Home, including residential lighting control innovations developed by the NOON team based out of Campbell, CA. This acquisition, announced at the beginning of 2020, will enable Racepoint Energy and sister-company Savant to deliver more comprehensive and intuitive lighting and intelligent control solutions. NOON entered the smart lighting market in 2017 with the development of the NOON Lighting System, designed to eliminate many of the installation complexities associated with traditional lighting control solutions. NOON, with its unique lighting hardware, offers a complete lighting control platform that can be discovered, configured, and controlled with a single app experience. This acquisition will expand both Racepoint Energy and Savant’s lighting control offerings, including the addition of NOON’s unique keypad style…

The Smart Home Revolution has begun. Approachable, affordable AI has infiltrated nearly every piece of consumer technology and frankly, it’s a wonderful time to be alive. Whether it’s a sliding glass door that opens by itself, luggage that follows you through the airport, or a self-stirring martini, our daily lives are getting easier by the minute. Here are some of the coolest home-automation technologies entering the market this year that are sure to remind you what a fantastic era you’re living in. Smart Kitchen Cooking Machine Waking up at five a.m. to make the biscuits is so last century. Why not let your robotic chef do that for you? With CookingPal by TecPal Ltd., you can do just that. “Julia,” as its creators lovingly dubbed it, handles all the monotony…

In the world of consumer electronics and residential technology it seems that it has always been you, your brand, or your company’s fault when something goes wrong or doesn’t work, even if that is not the case. It may feel like a parent or a teacher asking a child, “Why did you do that?” when the response is “It wasn’t me,” and for once it really wasn’t. Sometimes that takes a lot of convincing. In today’s increasingly “streaming-centric” media, hardware and software environment, devices that you installed, either as a technology provider or as a DIY consumer may work one day, and then not the next. Services that were once compatible, all of a sudden didn’t work anymore or were gone entirely Whose Fault is It? Actually, in most cases…

It’s 2020, and we’ve come a long way since the advent of smart home control systems so expensive that only the very wealthy could afford them. We live in a world chock full of choices (maybe too many!). Consumers are often confused by the array of shiny objects available to make their lives easier, leading some of them to seek out the services of home technology professionals like my company, Livewire. We cater to these harried consumers by collaborating with them to pick the best solution. Our presentations are oriented around showing choices using a “Door #1, Door #2” analogy. By stepping back and assuming the role of trusted advisor, we avoid being labeled as trying to “sell” something. I’ve always found that the best professionals seem to answer questions…

“It’s the most radical and exciting business move that Audio/Video Systems has undertaken since lighting control, and it has nothing to do with voice assistants, wellness, or the hottest trends in home automation,” said AVS COO Franklin Karp. It is all about process: pre-building systems in the integrator’s Plainview, NY, design lab, so that they’re fully tested and proven before they even reach clients’ homes. AVS adopted Millson Custom Solutions’ RackFrame product, part of what CEO Richard Millson calls their FrameWork platform, which includes proprietary products, off-site production and testing, and a standardized project process. Millson designs and sells their WireFrame (structured wiring), CinemaFrame (home theater), PictureFrame (TV installations), and RackFrame (equipment rack termination & testing) under their Millson FrameWork umbrella. RackFrame, a solution for terminating and connecting equipment racks,…

Phrases such as “adjust the rabbit ears” and “flip over the cassette” are extremely rare in the 2020s. These terms were destroyed by, unsurprisingly, the rise of streaming, which has allowed users to fit generations of music and decades of video content onto a minuscule smartphone. But, while we all know that streaming media is king, some of the specifics are still a mystery to the general public. Let’s take a look at some surprising stats from the wide world of streaming. VIDEO STREAMING SERVICES WITH MOST SUBSCRIBERS STREAMING VIDEO ON DEMAND (SVOD) REVENUE U.S. MUSIC SUBSCRIPTION/STREAMING REVENUE MUSIC STREAMING SUBSCRIBER SHARE (First half of 2019) Spotify - 36%Apple Music - 18%Amazon - 13%Tencent - 10%Google - 5%Deezer - 3%Pandora - 2%MelON - 2%Others - 11% Source: www.statista.com Super Bowl…

With the dramatic increase in everyday connected devices, homeowners and business owners alike have come to expect an always-on connection. That means there’s a new standard for network dependability, and that standard is only going to get higher. Today’s integrators are faced with the challenge of installing systems that are expected to work quickly and reliably 100 percent of the time. What end users don’t always realize is that there’s a strong network running behind their system for connectivity. The best networking equipment isn’t the only thing necessary to meet customers’ expectations – a reliable install can make or break a network. Meeting this demand starts with the right design that specifies the right equipment. Luxul’s Customer Assurance Program, or CAP, is a free service for Luxul dealers that helps…

While I’m not an expert in the thermal management properties of motorized window shades, I do know what a drafty house feels like during a cold winter day in the Midwest. So, when I received a promotional kit from the public relations firm for Hunter Douglas promising to show me how window coverings can improve efficiency and comfort in my home, I was intrigued. Having recently installed my first AC-powered window shade (courtesy of a company called PowerShades), I was already a big fan of what I often call the most undersold technology in the smart home. I only have one window shade because almost all of my other windows are already covered by high-quality wooden blinds. There were only a few windows that were left “clean” by the prior…

I’m sitting in one of two screening rooms at the Theory Audio Design/Pro Audio Technology Experience Center in Lake Forest, CA, having just heard the single most powerful soundbar demo I’ve ever heard in my life, when owner and president Paul Hales makes a curious proclamation: “I don’t want Theory to be known as a soundbar company.” Curious, because the core of Theory Audio Design’s home cinema sound systems is built around three different soundbar offerings, designed to match 65-, 75-, and 85-inch TVs, with a unique style that relies on custom-extruded aluminum chassis and Apple-esque industrial design. Whether you’re building a 3.0-channel Theory system or a full-blown 5.2.2-channel Atmos system complete with on-wall and on-ceiling surround and overhead speakers, one of those soundbars is almost certainly front and center.…