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Lighting is one of the biggest opportunities for homeowners to subtly but effectively influence the ambiance of your home, whether for your own comfort and convenience or to set the mood for your guests. When skillfully applied, lighting can elicit a wide range of emotional responses, helping to make a party more cheerful or a romantic dinner more intimate.
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Just like a new coat of paint or updated countertops, electronic systems should be part of a remodeling plan. Back in the early days of home automation, most systems were designed to be installed while a home was under construction. It was a wise strategy. The new housing market at that time was strong and healthy, so there were plenty of new homes to wire up for automation, security, lighting and whole-house A/V systems...
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It’s great to get out of the house to shoot a round, but you really can’t beat having a virtual course in your own home, accessible at any moment you choose.
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It’s that time of year. Shopping for new clothes, buying new backpacks and school supplies, registering for classes, getting the first-day jitters. And for a lot of parents (like me), it’s time to figure out how to manage kids before and after school. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use my Control4 home automation system to “school” my family.
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Being able to press one button to control multiple devices is one of the most appealing features of home automation. Creating these one-button “scenes” requires programming of the keypad’s companion home automation system, which is a fairly simple task for a trained custom electronics (CE) professional. Surprisingly, what’s often the most challenging part of a keypad design is deciding what to name each button.
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Amazon Fire, that is. Today, Amazon started shipping their new Fire smartphone and the Control4 app will be one of the first apps available for customers. The Amazon Fire phone comes with a year membership of free Amazon Prime shipping, along with an entirely new sensor system called Dynamic Perspective which responds to the way you hold, view and move the phone, 3D and face-recognition technology (the screen actually moves with your eyes!) and Firefly, which lets you point the phone at items and click to identify them.
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So what is home automation, anyway? And how might one explain Control4’s approach to the concept of “whole home control” in two minutes—or even less. With the possibilities as endless as the sea, we thought we'd tackle the complexities of what “one remote” (or smartphone, tablet, etc.) can do with the most basic animation of all…
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In a previous article, I wrote about a number of ways to use technology to make things easier on moms. I’m now excited to share with you the nuts & bolts of how I use lighting in our smart home to make my job easier as a mom. Now don't worry, I'm not going to get technical, but rather will give you an overview with real life scenarios that show you just how easy, convenient and practical lighting automation can be. Since I can't give you a personal tour of my house, I will show you how I control the house...while I'm home and away!
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You’ve hit the road with the family for the annual summer vacation. You can’t help but feel apprehensive about the well-being of your house and property while you’re away. Thanks to innovative home technology, your worries can be over.
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There’s no doubt that the iPad is a great device from which to manage a home, but for many families, using a combination of different types of controllers is often a better solution than sticking strictly with a mobile device. Be sure to also consider integrating wall-mounted keypads, portable touchpanels and handheld remotes. Here’s why:
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In the world of Control4 and home automation, some terms may not be entirely clear to those who are just being introduced to the smart life. For example, we talk a lot about creating “scenes” to fit your lifestyle and “zones” in which you can listen to music. But what do those words actually mean?
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One of the biggest mistakes we as tech consumers make is trying to force ourselves to adapt to the electronic systems in our homes. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t technology adapt to the way we live? Yes and yes.
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The thought of placing your entire house under the command of a single home automation system can seem like a daunting task. And in some cases, it can be. Whether your home is in the process of being built or is already completely finished, its layout and your budget can all influence the difficulty of the design and installation of the processors, wiring and other components that make up a control system. Fortunately, manufacturers like Control4 offer solutions that allow you to add home automation gradually, one component at a time, as you deem necessary and financially wise.
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The only thing better than having a glass of wine after work is having a glass of wine from your own personal wine cellar collection. One Control4 owner took it a step further and combined his love of Star Trek with his love of wine in his personal wine cellar. This custom cellar is equipped with opaque walls that go from frosted to translucent with a touch of a button from a smart phone or iPad. The door opens and it’s like you’ve transported yourself onto the U.S.S. Enterprise complete with sound effects from the ship. The owner hopes to one day install a retina scanner at the entrance of the cellar to keep out the Klingons, of course.
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When an electrical engineer envisions his “dream home” you can be certain that some pretty sweet technology will be high on the list of requirements. That was definitely the case for this Florida homeowner whose house is surrounded by water, infused with light and leverages Control4 to provide seamless, elegant control of virtually everything.
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The application revolution has taken mobile technology by storm. Nowadays, there is even an app to help you avoid getting involved in accidential incest. Wait, there's an app for that? No really, for THAT?! Yep, you read it correctly. Just by touching your phone with another, this app will tell you if you are barking up the wrong tree, as in, your own family tree. Click on the image below for more snippets of technology-related random facts.
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Forget to turn on the bathroom ventilation whenever you take a shower? If so, the Axxess Industries Wireless Motion Sensor with humidity control is a perfect addition to your Control4 home automation system. Recently HD Living reviewed the device and had great things to say about it. “The Wireless Motion Sensor is incredibly well made and attractive at that,” says Dennis Burger Editor in Chief of HD Living. He has currently set it up to turn on the bathroom vent fan whenever it senses humidity.
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Recently, Control4 asked a few future homeowners their thoughts on home automation and what living in a smart home means. We received a lot of great ideas (and a very strong silent treatment) on what features the next generation are looking for in their smart home. Check it out!
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Control4 announced our support of Nest’s Developer Program and API initiative at CEDIA Expo in September 2013 and we remain intent on releasing a driver to integrate the Nest Learning Thermostat with our home automation platform.
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When I hear the term “Multi–Dwelling Units,” I think of the not-so-awesome apartment I shared with three of my closest friends in my early years of college. Well, times have changed. Unlike my shabby college apartment building, today’s MDUs are high-end, luxurious and high-tech. As a matter of fact, Forbes recently noted that “super towers” are “the next big thing in luxury housing.” As land becomes less available in many popular and densely populated cities, like New York and Miami, luxury residences are headed skyward. Many property owners, developers and builders are looking to create exclusive condominium and private residence developments that can house many owners with a smaller footprint. These aren’t just condos. In order to appeal to luxury-minded buyers, developers are appealing to potential residents with private elevators, the best furnishings, elite concierge services, stunning views, and technological amenities.
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In the heart of Houston, Texas, there’s a parade of showcase homes where home aficionados can peruse the latest and greatest in home design, décor and technology. It’s called MainStreet America, a collection of 12 fully finished, decorated and designed homes that will never be lived in but serve solely to let people shop for the features and functionality they envision for their next home. As developer Mike Feigin states, “There is no place like this in the world.”
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For high-tech entrepeneurs, having a high-tech space where they can share their passions, percolate their business ideas, and rub shoulders with potential investors who also happen to know a little something about starting a business is key to success. The Winklevoss twins (yes, those Winklevoss twins) recently founded a private investment firm to support budding start-ups and their 5,000-square-foot office in New York City features innovative technology designed to promote digital collaboration and high-speed innovation.
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Father’s Day can be such a great day. It provides us with an excuse to spend some extra time with the family and celebrate all the wonderful fathers out there. But it also provides dads with an excuse to spend a little bit of extra time relaxing and hanging out in the man cave. Man cave is a phrase that is thrown around quite a bit to represent a space that a man (or men) can go to enjoy whatever activities they like to enjoy during their down time. This obviously means different things to different people. One father might be a sports nut while another father loves to play video games. This Father’s Day let’s celebrate the three most popular types of man caves.
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