Top 5 Features Homebuyers Are Looking For: new home, real estate, smart home, study, technology,

Top 5 Features Homebuyers Are Looking For

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As the housing market continues to heat up, it's interesting see what trends are changing. Are people still looking for big walk-in closets, stainless steel appliances and spacious kitchens? Sure. But there are signs that times are changing. Earlier this year, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate published a survey of the next generation of homebuyers, 18-35 year olds who are challenging the traditional norms surrounding home purchases. It turns out high-tech features are top on the list of features homebuyers are seeking.

Bits & Pieces: For Big Laughs & Little Did-You-Knows

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Check out these fun facts in this infographic featured in our most recent issue of Home Smart Home magazine. Be sure to download this issue (and past issues) for more fun, inspirational and entertaining articles and stories about automation and technology.

How Does a Control4 HDMI Matrix Switch Work? [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Control4 recently launched a new HDMI Matrix Switch to distribute video throughout your home or business. We wrote about how video distribution can really benefit you but always wanted to provide an image to explain how it works. Take a look!

Start Small, Dream Big. Is it Really That Easy?

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We often use the phrase "Start small, dream big" to explain that one of the best things about a Control4 home automation system is that you really can start off with just a small piece of the entire puzzle and then build on it from there. For example, you can start off with just a universal remote solution and then in time add lighting and a smart thermostat so that you can control all of that with your initial remote. Or you can start with a security system integration and then down the road add in whole home audio so you can enjoy music in any room of your home.

Is Control4 Smarter Than My 3-Year-Old?

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My daughter is a bit of a midnight mischief maker. We tuck the little angel into bed every night around 8:30, kiss her sweet little head, make sure the nightlight is on and the Dora Pillow Pet snuggled by her side. Then my husband and I close the door and head downstairs to tidy up the house and watch some TV or go sit on the patio to enjoy a little catch-up chat after our busy day.

Seeing The Light

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If I believed everything I'm told, I would have thought that most interior designers had an aversion to all things home automation... especially when it came to lighting control. Ever heard the expression "wall acne"? Luckily...

Smart Lighting Just Got Brighter

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With Control4 smart lighting solutions, you’ll have the freedom, flexibility and convenience to change a mood or create a different ambiance in one touch—or even automatically.

What Can a Control4 Home Automation System Do For You? [INFOGRAPHIC]

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What Can a Control4 Home Automation System Do For You?

Motorhome Field Advantage

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This family has it all figured out. They made the decision to take their home automation system on the road, entirely outfitting their rig with smart equipment and decking it out in Auburn University gear. Wherever they go, they are the envy of the tailgate.

Automation Turned "Hauntomation"

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We’ve heard about some pretty cool things—besides the home—that people around the world are automating, such as spas and salons, car dealerships, fitness centers, driving ranges and bowling alleys, a super cool equestrian center, and the list goes on and on. But one of the more ironic ones we’ve seen was a project that popped up on our radar just this month in our own backyard. It’s called the “Scared Haunt,” and it’s a fully-automated haunted house that...

Ramping Up the Security in Your Smart Home

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A truly great home automation system is able to control all of the devices in your home, including your home theater, whole house audio, video, lighting, smart thermostat and, of course, your security system. Our dealers tell us that one of the biggest requests from customers is to integrate their security system into their home automation system. That makes sense. When a security system is integrated with home automation, additional security features can also be automated and controlled, such as door locks, smart lighting, IP cameras, motion sensors, contact sensors and other controllable devices to really give you peace of mind.

Now That’s Hot: The Wonders of a Smart Thermostat

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We recently moved into a new house. Actually it’s an older house, built in 1998, but it was new to us. Having come from a fully automated Control4 home where the thermostat was placed discreetly in the basement and the sensor was hidden behind the textured paint, you can certainly imagine my shock when I saw the thermostat in our “new” home.

Using Your Home Automation System to Make this Halloween Scary-Smart

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Thanks to our newest issue of Home Smart Home, we have some pretty cool home automation tricks-and-treats to share with you this Halloween that will make your Control4 system scary-smart. Below are a few suggestions for October, but click on the image below to see ideas for November and December as well, just in time for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Control Your Home With Voice Alone From Your Phone!

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When Apple unveiled Siri for the iPhone 4S in 2011, the world changed. While decent voice recognition technology had been available for decades, Siri was the first service to integrate powerful speech-driven information retrieval and control functions into the core user experience of a mainstream mobile device.

CEDIA 2013 Award Recognition

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I’d have to say there were many highlights in my trip to Denver, but the recognition that Control4 received from industry professionals and publications certainly topped the list for me. From product managers to the warehouse team, marketing folk to engineers, each one of us at Control4 is passionate about the gear we create, and we all feel a great deal of gratitude when we receive acknowledgement for the products and solutions that we truly believe enhance the lives of our customers.

Coolest Things I Saw at CEDIA

By Daren Tarpenning

Being a self-declared tech-geek, my absolute favorite thing about attending the CEDIA Expo is being able to see what new, innovative products and emerging trends are being introduced to custom installers and other professionals in the home technology industry. The adventure truly begins when you set foot into the exhibit hall, where I never fail to find something exciting and intriguing. Here are some of the noteworthy products I found.

It's Showtime!

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Today, tens of thousands of professionals in the custom integration business converge in Denver for the 2013 CEDIA Expo, the leading tradeshow that showcases new home technology for home theater, home security and, of course, home automation. Hundreds of manufacturers, including Control4, will be showcasing innovative technologies and launching new products. For us home technology nerds, who could ask for more?

10 Years Strong!

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This week, Control4 celebrates its 10-year anniversary. As many of you know, Control4 was started in 2003 by three founders and has since expanded to more than 340 employees who are working with a worldwide dealer and distributor network of thousands in more than 80 countries...

Time for a New Issue of Home Smart Home!

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In this issue of Home Smart Home, we'll take you back 10 years—and one hundred years—with a view through the lens of home automation conveniences. We interviewed the three founders of Control4 to learn more about their advancements of a smart home from a decade ago, and while we're there, we asked for a read on the future, too. In other features...

The Cutting Edge of Media Distribution

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My father was a pioneer in multi-room audio, although he had no idea of it at the time. In fact, even today, if you mention the terms “multi-room audio” or “media distribution”, he’ll wonder just what the heck it is that you’re babbling about. Thankfully, that’s not due to any age-related forgetfulness. Instead, for him, having music and television in multiple places throughout the house is such a basic concept that it doesn’t require a special name...

Control4 and China

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你好 (Nǐ hǎo), China is one of the top emerging global markets in the world today. With a year-over-year gross domestic product (GDP) growth between 2011 and 2012 of 7.9% compared to 2% for the United States during the same period, China has a vibrant and growing economy.

Once You Go Rack, You Never Go Back

By Daren Tarpenning

Prior to working at Control4, I designed and installed Control4 systems. A question that clients often asked was whether they should have their A/V equipment scattered in respective areas around the home or is there a better solution?

Don’t Become a Toppling Television Statistic.

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I tend to err on the side of caution. And by this, I mean I occasionally act like a human bumper-pad to my 2-year old, following him around everywhere to hopefully prevent any and every opportunity of him getting injured.I tend to err on the side of caution. And by this, I mean I occasionally act like a human bumper-pad to my 2-year old, following him around everywhere to hopefully prevent any and every opportunity of him getting injured.

The Benefits of Distributed Video

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When I was a kid and my dad would take me to the local electronics store, I would normally head straight to the TV section. I loved staring at a wall of TVs that were all playing the exact same thing—typically either a sporting event or a movie. I would ask my dad how they were able to accomplish such a magical task because I wanted to do the same thing with the TVs in my house (all two of them). Neither of us knew it back then but this is what the industry pros refer to as distributed video.

Control4 and Android Home Automation

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My wife thinks Android home automation is a non-issue, but I beg to differ. There’s a reason that the “other brand” of home control for mobile devices isn’t really on her radar screen. She has Apple iPhone and iPad devices, and uses both to control everything in our home, from the temperature to the ceiling fans to the volume on the television. She’s extremely happy with the iOS version of Control4’s MyHome app, and she’s definitely not alone.

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