When installing a smart system in your Keller, TX home, regardless of how small or big you’re starting, we want to make sure that it’s going to work exactly the way it’s supposed to 100 percent of the time. One way we can ensure this is by having a good home network established.

A smart home needs a solid network to function. With a smart system, all your products and devices — like security systems, smart lights, window shades, thermostats, televisions, speakers and more — are connected through one central control system. This system facilitates the communication between devices via your home network.

You may already use your home network for something as simple as internet access. But is it ready to carry a much heavier load with each additional smart device? The fact that your home network plays such a huge role in the functionality of your devices is why it’s imperative to ensure that you have a reliable one.

It’s tempting to think that setting up your smart system means just installing the products and then assuming they’ll be fully functional from there on out. However, your home network should be considered as another vital piece of the puzzle during installation.  

Here are a few of the reasons why a home network is so valuable and essential to your smart home system.

Bringing the movie-going experience to your own home means upping the immersion factors, and truly engaging with films on your screen.  But half the riveting atmosphere is due to clear, high-end audio enveloping you from all sides.  Along with a 4K Ultra HD screen, perfected surround is one of the many features that will considerably enhance your home theater system in your Dallas, TX space.  Read on below to learn more about these essential audio and video components.

Surround Sound

Where you place your speakers is a vital decision.  To create the ultimate surround sound system, setting multiple speakers around the room, depending on your theater’s size, will create the best sound and help the existing acoustics.  Install your seating in the “sweet triangle” precisely between the left and right speakers, so that nothing muffles the sound – and be sure to choose leather or another fabric that doesn’t absorb noise!

If you don’t want that many speakers messing with your home cinema’s theme or décor, there are plenty of hidden options available.  Whether concealed within the walls or hung from the ceiling, you can still maintain your design without the equipment taking up space in the room.

However, bookshelf speakers are a great option if you don’t mind the look of the components, and want to place them on top of cabinets, tables, and other furniture easily.  Perhaps your theme is a more traditional theater feel.  If so, standing speakers are sure to be the focal points of the room that will make your space look like a downtown commercial theater.

SEE ALSO: HOW TO DEAL WITH AMBIENT LIGHT IN YOUR HOME THEATER SYSTEM

When crafting your Fort Worth, TX media room, you might only be thinking of where you’ll place your 4K TV screen or how to arrange your seating for the best view possible.  But you can use your entertainment space for so much more than a crystal-clear showing of a film!  Read on below, as we highlight the various ways to utilize your multi-purpose media room.

A Place to Jam

Whether you’re home by yourself or surrounded by family and friends, a good song can always elevate the mood.  By setting up a smart audio system in your media room, you can have your entire music library at the tip of your fingers.  Turn on your favorite playlist or change songs on command, all from your smartphone, tablet, or anther smart device.  And with a multi-room music setup, you can also have the high-end audio fill up the room, and then follow you throughout the house as you walk around.

Truly enhance your audio into top-notch quality with the right speakers.  To keep your room from being dominated by the AV equipment, choose bookshelf speakers to place inconspicuously on top of furniture or cabinets.  You could also hide speaker within the walls, so they’re completely hidden all of the time.

SEE ALSO: TOP DOS AND DON’TS FOR MEDIA ROOM DESIGN

Transform the Room

The best part of a multi-purpose media room is how it can fully change into a room of relaxation and tranquility when your TV and speakers are not in use.  Here are some of the great smart technologies that could entirely alter your room.

You might love your media and entertainment, but also hate the clutter it creates.  With the excess equipment and audio video components, it can all be quite distracting from the film or show in front of you.  Plus, when you’re not watching a movie, these products might still be out and going unused during the day or when you have guests.  But with hidden audio video, your media room or home theater can serve an abundance of purposes in your Dallas, TX home.  Read on to learn more about veiling these smart technology features within your interior design.

Hide your Screens

There’s no doubt about it – 4K Ultra HD TVs are ideal in every way for your movie nights and viewing experiences.  But often times, they are extremely wide and take up a large amount of space.  We’ve listed out below several ways to hide your TV screen in your entertainment center.

• Moving Panels: You can feel like you’re in the future with wall panels.  Place your favorite piece of artwork or a picture frame on the panel, so when the TV is not in use, you have a nice addition to the room’s décor.  Then, when it’s time to binge-watch a series or film franchise – press a button, have the panel slide up, and enjoy.
• Furniture Lifts: Incorporate your TV into an actual piece of furniture in the room. The screen can slide up and down out of a TV cabinet or a table countertop, and will effortlessly appear when you are ready to view it.
• Ceiling Lifts: A ceiling lift allows a TV to hang up horizontally above its normal display area. Simply press a button on your smart device, and watch as the screen zooms down from the ceiling and vertically into place.

SEE ALSO: ENJOY FOOTBALL SEASON WITH THE LATEST AUDIO VIDEO TECH

Now for the Audio

You want your speakers to give you the best sound quality available.  This means no obstructions or hindrances to muffle them.  But speakers can be bulky and mess with your room’s style.  Now you don’t have to compromise your taste for quality!  Hidden wall speakers mean the product can be carefully placed within your wall, taking up hardly any space.  You can conceal the speakers’ looks and still hear their top-notch sounds.

If you don’t mind how standard speakers look, but still want them not to take up too much space, then bookshelf speakers are a viable option as well.  You get amazing, high-end sound quality, similar to larger and more predominant floor-standing speakers, but are instead able to place these on top of bookshelves or cabinets – eliminating the amount of room they would normally take up.

Smart home automation is a term that’s thrown around a lot, but isn’t well understood. What’s the difference between smart home automation and smart home control? What are the best technologies to make your Colleyville, TX home into a smart home? If you’d like to know the answers to any of these questions, keep reading!

Defining Smart Home Automation

Smart home automation refers to the process of upgrading different aspects of your home – lights, window shades, entertainment systems, etc. – to be part of the Internet of Things. Essentially, these home components are now able to be controlled via any internet-connected device. The next step is to then connect all of these devices into one complete ecosystem that works automatically to keep your home in the perfect environment for safety, comfort, energy efficiency, and beauty.

SEE ALSO: Frequently Asked Questions about Smart Home Automation

The Difference Between Smart Home Automation and Smart Home Control

These terms are often used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing. However, most smart home systems use a combination of automation and control. It all boils down to how you want the devices to act throughout the day. 

If you have window shades that detect that too much solar heat gain is causing your home’s air conditioner to work harder than it should have to, those window shades could automatically close to block out the sun. That’s smart home automation because you didn’t have to do anything to achieve that effect. The system intelligently chose the right action to keep your home energy efficient.