Six Neat Things Your House Can Do with Custom Audio Video and Home Automation

So you’ve been hearing about custom audio, video and home automation programs and protocols. They throw around words like “total integration” and “building or environment automation” or “environmental control.” In fact, “home automation” has been used to include so many different elements that it’s hard to know exactly what someone means when they talk about automated homes. If you’re confused by – and a little bit in awe of – the whole concept of custom audio/video and home automation, here’s something that will comfort you a little bit: chances are that your home already includes some aspects of home automation. For instance, does your home have:

-          A programmable thermostat?

-          Lights that operate on motion sensors?

-          Sprinklers that operate on a timer?

-          A programmable coffee maker?

-          A remote garage door opener?

Any or all of those things can be part of a home automation system – but there can also be far more to custom audio/video and home integration than just those things. Check out these six neat things you can do with a custom home automation and audio/video system.

-          Ready to watch a movie? Hit one button on your remote control to reset your video screen to the best aspect ratio, start the movie and dim the lights.

-          Want the house warm when you wake up in the morning? Program your thermostat to turn up the heat half an hour before your alarm clock goes off. While you’re at it, you can also set up appliances to respond to a central system – turn on towel warmers, start the coffee maker and turn on the hallway lights to light your way to the bathroom.

-          A custom audio/video system can allow you to create customized playlists from a central music server and pipe them into any or all rooms in your house. Got a party going on? You can play dance music in the game room and an easy listening playlist in the living room where people are chatting – all from the same system.

-          Integrate systems so your house automatically turns on the garage light and opens the garage door, unlocks the door from the garage to your house and turns on your kitchen light – all before you turn into the driveway.

-          Use your iPad, iPhone or other smartphone to control your home appliances from a distance. Turn on the oven to pre-heat it so you can pop dinner into the oven as soon as you get home, or turn on the air conditioner before you leave work so the house will be cool and comfortable when you arrive.

-          Control all the televisions and screen in the house from one central location – without separate cable boxes or satellite boxes for each screen.

That’s just a small sampling of the things you can do with the help of a custom audio/video and home automation specialist. In addition to those things, you can control the lighting, home networking, security system, shades, blinds and windows and just about anything else that can be controlled electronically. For more information about home automation, contact a wiring/pre-wire specialist in home automation and custom audio/video wiring.