This shouldn’t be news to anyone, but your average home contains more “smart” devices than ever before. Nest thermostats may have brought the trend to the mainstream, but Alexa, HomeKit, Sonos, and others have taken that momentum and run with it. You might think that adding a few of these devices would take you to the pinnacle of the “Smart Home,” but is there anything that is missing from these consumer or DIY devices that is available in the professional systems like Control4, ELAN and Savant? Let’s take a look.

Who ever said bigger isn’t better has never walked the TV area at CES, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Reporters and news programs can give a misleading view of what CES has to offer, as they tend to focus on the ‘concept cars’ rather than the ‘production cars’ of technology. Last year, the stories about LG’s rollup TV and this year’s Samsung's swing-into-portrait-mode Sero TV fell into that bucket. Yet underneath all the hype, we find some real changes coming to TVs, and many of them are available today.

I often wonder “Why do we welcome technology more in our cars than in our homes?” After all, let’s go back to the last time you approached your car:  You probably pressed the button on a remote that unlocked the door and disarmed the alarm.  As you pull back on the door in your car, the light conveniently comes on for you inside and the seat moves back.  When you sit down, and either put your key in or press start, the seat moves forward as the steering wheel moves down and towards you.   As you take a drive down the road, your favorite music is just a single button press away on the six presets.  Why doesn’t your house do all this? 

In our homes, thousands of products are available to give you the same experience as in your car; people just don’t know about them.  For example, there are ways to install a remote on your keychain that unlocks your door and disarms the alarm.  It’s also rather easy to install a simple keypad beside your entry door.  These six buttons act as “presets” for you and your home.   Much like the 6 buttons on your car stereo, press the #1 or “Welcome” button, and your house takes on the setting that you prefer, like having the lights illuminate the path to your bedroom closet, your thermostat change to “comfort mode,” and your favorite music to start playing throughout the house. 

Does calling for help on your smart home problems give you Technical Support Derangement Syndrome?  It’s frustrating for anyone, especially when dealing with a luxury custom integration company, that all you hear is:

• “I’m sorry. The person you need to speak with isn’t in the office at the moment. Can I have him give you a call back?”
• “Let me make a few calls and get back to you as soon as I can.”
• Or the dreaded “Hold please,” only to be left hanging for an inordinate amount of time.

There are a lot of practical reasons to add motorized window shades to your Houston, TX home. There’s the obvious convenience of not having to get up from the couch or your warm bed to make adjustments. Smart shading solutions can also enhance your safety and reduce your monthly energy bills. With so many applications, Lutron lighting and motorized shades are a must-have upgrade this spring. Below we highlight some fun facts about these versatile shading solutions to help you figure out if they’re the right fit for your space. 

Want to get right to the solution? Learn about lighting basics, design ideas and products to create a comfortable, convenient and safe home. 

Free Design Guide

For years, audiophiles have looked down on music streaming services since they offered lower-quality sound than CDs or turntables. That has changed in recent years with the emergence of services like Tidal and Deezer that provide uncompressed files so users can enjoy every detail of their favorite recordings. In 2017, Tidal took it a step further by introducing MQA master streaming. In this blog, we explain this new technology and show you how a whole home audio system helps you get the most out of it in your Sugar Land or Houston, TX home.

Smart home technology seems to be progressing faster than ever in recent years. Every day products are creating new ways to smarten up your home in The Woodlands and Houston, TX area. Devices have popped up that make it easier to control lights, entertainment, climate, security and more. Even more pronounced has been the rise in popularity of home automation systems, which bring all of these devices together under one roof for easier management and greater reliability.

Create the ideal place to host friends and family during the great spring weather with a professional outdoor AV installation. As the weather begins heating up, everyone will be looking for great excuses to spend time outside. Lounge by the pool with your favorite music or watch the Astros' game while you grill some steaks. Enjoy an outdoor AV system that brings high-quality music and video to your pool so you can enjoy the vibrant weather and your favorite entertainment all at the same time.

Motorized shades can serve a variety of purposes. They can cool down your home, protect your family's privacy or enhance your favorite entertainment. When choosing your style and control options, you need to take into account your shades' primary purpose. As you read this blog, you'll learn about some of the most popular motorized shades in the industry and their typical control solutions so you can figure out what would work best in your Sugar Land or Houston home.

Creating the perfect atmosphere in your The Woodlands, TX home's outdoor spaces comes down to having the proper lighting. Not only do you need to make sure that you buy the correct types of outdoor light fixtures from Coastal Source, but you also need to know where to place them. You can then enhance your design with intuitive control of all your fixtures to manage exactly when you want them to be turned on. In this blog, we show you how your lighting control system and landscape design work together to make your home more beautiful.