What does it take to start a movie in your home theater and pick it up in your bedroom in full 4K resolution?

And how can you make sure the automation in your backyard operates just as quickly and effectively as in your living room?

The answer isn’t in the devices you install, but the network you’re using to connect them.

In this blog, we’ll show you how our smart home networking upgrades can enhance your entire system, allowing you to add more devices, stream lossless audio and 4K video and enjoy fast, reliable automation.

See Also: The Most Important Part of Your Smart Home Automation System

What Is Your Network? 

First, lets’ talk about what we mean by “network.”

The network is what allows for connections between devices. If you’re new to home automation, think about the way your computer and smartphone connect to the internet. They’re likely connected to a wireless, Wi-Fi network.

Other smart devices can similarly connect to the internet, so they can talk to each other as part of your automation system. The network they connect to can be wired or wireless.

While wireless connections are effective -- and getting more so every day -- most professional integrators prefer hardwired solutions because they’re more reliable and require less maintenance.

In other words, the network is what makes your smart home possible!

The Problem with Streaming 4K

When the big switch from standard definition to HD happened a few years back, you probably noticed that you couldn’t connect your TV to your DVD player in quite the same way.

Instead of the classic red, white and yellow coaxial cables, you had to use an HDMI cable. HDMI is a standard created by the consumer electronics industry to enable the transition from analog to digital for audio and video signals.  A major reason why it was established was to carry signals for high definition audio,  audio, video, and other data on a single cable.

The amount of space the cabling or wireless connections offer for the signal is called “bandwidth.” The higher the bandwidth, the bigger the signal can be.

Currently, we’re seeing a shift from now-standard HD to an even more pixel-dense resolution, 4K. And that means you have to increase the bandwidth once again.

But if you’re living in a smart home, or are considering an upgrade, you’re not just going to watch your content on a single display. You’ll likely have multiple televisions throughout your home, in the media room, bedroom and even the backyard. And they’ll all be connected to a centralized source via your network.

That means your network will have to have the bandwidth to support the multiple devices and stream 4K signal.

How to Achieve a Stronger Network

If you’re interested in a home networking upgrade, you have choices.  If you are building new or remodeling, new high bandwidth wiring - like Cat-6 and fiber - can help future-proof your home for the next technology wave and would be the optimal way to go.

But if rewiring is not feasible in your current home, wireless network performance continues to improve. The latest routers and mesh network systems can provide the bandwidth you need to stream those 4K movies throughout your home.

Want to learn more about our custom home networking upgrades?

Just click the button at the bottom of your screen to chat with a live representative right now.