Innholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2019 i Residential Tech Today

Mitchell Klein is learning the mandolin. It’s what you’d expect from Mitch – even though he’s in the midst of a vacation when we sat down to talk, he’s always expanding the base of his knowledge, whether that’s in the realm of music or microchips. He’s been a custom integrator, an exec at URC, a CEDIA president – and a working musician. And the sum total of all of those experiences and accomplishments have resulted in Klein being honored with the 2019 CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award. From Hi-Fi to This Old House Klein – who’s now director of the Z-Wave Alliance – got his start like a lot of other men and women in the CEDIA channel, in the realm of live sound. But Klein wasn’t mixing the music, he…

Sound waves bounce throughout a space and collide with one another to create crossover areas with uneven bass distribution. Even the most high-end hardware possesses certain performance deficiencies that can only be resolved through an understanding of the room itself. One of the roles of professional technology integrators and systems designers is to offer a room acoustics solution that optimizes a system’s subwoofers and speakers to deliver consistent, accurate bass throughout an entire room. To make that process a little easier, Dirac Live Bass Management from Swedish sound pioneer Dirac, measures and phase corrects a home theater’s speakers and subwoofers across all frequencies, even in multiple subwoofer systems, to produce enhanced bass clarity and improved bass tone evenness throughout the room. The software tool is a spin-off, of sorts, of…

It’s time to put ego on the shelf; there is a specific reason why you are on a particular project with a specific project team. “Wellness” (aka biophilia) is a growing movement, centering smart tech design around people and the overall state of wellness that they have in a space. This design philosophy affects how spaces are composed in a more holistic way, which requires more collaboration between more trade partners. As technology integrators, we are accustomed to working with many people on a project. The wellness movement, however, amplifies our connection to other professionals. While creative opportunities remain abundant, managing priorities and client expectations is a delicate balance. This can be achieved with a little help from hip-hop: stop, collaborate, and listen. Stop When priorities collide, progress halts. If…

Voice control and simplifying the user experience were top priorities for home control companies exhibiting at CEDIA Expo 2019, the annual trade show for home technology professionals held this past fall in Denver. As more devices in the home are connected, it falls on control systems to make communications between those devices reliable and seamless, and voice is emerging as a top enabler. Voice control is “increasingly important to users,” said Bill Hensley, senior director, marketing at Nortek Security & Control. The company has integrated microphones into its ELAN Intelligent Touch Panels that integrate with Alexa and will soon integrate with Google Assistant. ELAN views voice control “as a way to have a more intuitive, fluent, and personalized control experience,” he said. While it’s growing in popularity, voice control doesn’t…

Crestron, long the leader in custom-programmed home control systems, has introduced a complete update to their residential operating system and app that were designed from scratch with new features, an interface that’s easier to navigate on mobile devices and Crestron TSW touch screens, and faster deployment for integrators, with no programming needed. To make Crestron Home OS 3 a reality, Crestron hired more engineers and went to work changing APIs and writing native applications for iOS and their touchscreens/Android devices. Aesthetic design and “user friendliness” of the OS3 app were equally important to performance goals, according to Doug Jacobson, Crestron’s director of residential technology. “It’s one thing to have the app or touchscreen interface be really responsive, it’s another thing to have a gorgeous user experience,” he said. “But it’s…

Smart homes can still make some people feel dumb. Integrating technology from different providers on various platforms and enabling them to work with Bluetooth and voice control, setting them for automated routines, and personalizing user profiles for every individual in the home can be frustrating. Few people have the time or patience to integrate new technology properly, particularly with each addition of a new device. Dish Network is familiar with this frustration. For the past decade, they’ve been providing custom installation and programming for all variety of smart home devices. However, it’s only this year that Dish opened the service to non-Dish customers. Their new OnTech program, now available in 31 major markets, provides installation, set up, and education for numerous smart home products. After a decade of listening to…

In late August of this year, Presidio Investors provided a $75 million private equity investment that merged 15 independent smart home design-build firms across the United States, creating Bravas LLC. The investment launched a national network of luxury technology integrators, operating as one brand, working across North America with architects, builders, remodelers, interior designers, and affluent homeowners. They will use lighting, shading, climate, entertainment, smart home, voice, wellness, security, surveillance, networking, energy, power, and other technologies to transform how custom homes and offices are designed, organized, and operated. Bravas is based in Overland Park, KS, with locations in 13 states, annual revenues around $75 million, and a team of more than 285 professionals, including designers, engineers, installers, technicians, and programmers. In 2018, Bravas locations collectively completed more than 3,500 residential…

We’ve seen an abundance of interest this year around biophilia in the home technology space. What is it and how can we best leverage it in homes simply, reliably, and cost effectively? I’ve spent the last six months researching the latest trends and wanted to share my findings. Biophilia refers to our innate love of being in nature. In other words, the closer we are to the natural world, the better we feel and perform. Biophilia’s definition certainly rings true for me. I’m an avid outdoorsman, cherishing mornings waking up with the sun on a campout or energizing in the solitude offered by hiking miles of rugged backcountry trails. If we’re all better closer to nature, then how can a home better mimic a natural environment without turning it into…

As a builder, deciding what technology to include in your new homes can be a difficult task. With the Internet of Things proving to be more than just a trend, and so many connected devices on the market, should builders include a smart thermostat, something with Google built in, or perhaps a video doorbell? The choices are endless and all of these have one thing in common: the foundation for these devices is a home’s wired or wireless network. Without an appropriate network, devices are unable to communicate to each other, and they cease to bring value. Drees Homes understands what it means to deliver on the needs of their customers. They have been building quality homes for more than 90 years. Recently, the builder has recognized the increased demand…

Audinate’s Dante – the AV-over-IP solution that dominates the world of professional audio – is seeing rapid adoption by manufacturers of residential audio equipment. The technology provides an easy solution to route audio over long distances without any signal degradation, making it perfect for higher-end residential homes with multi-zone audio setups. Dante launched in the live sound market in 2008 followed soon after by integrators in the commercial installed AV market to deliver systems with hundreds of uncompressed audio channels over a standard Ethernet network. Dante’s introduction to the residential market brings cost reductions and installation time savings thanks to the efficiency of leveraging Ethernet cables in lieu of proprietary, single-purpose analog audio cables. “Our founders had a vision for making a solution that was usable in the real world,”…

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the technology behind smart products for the home. After all, it’s the level of engineering and customization of the hardware and software that determines how well TVs, music systems, architectural lighting, home control systems, and other devices perform. But technology should look good, too. It should blend with the home environment, complement the surrounding cosmetics, and maybe even stand out as a conversation piece. Home systems manufacturers are embracing this notion, as products from all sectors of the residential tech industry have incorporated a distinct design slant. Home systems integrators are on board, too, recognizing the value that designers bring to the overall home systems project. “In our business, interior design has always had an influence on home technology solutions we pose to…

David Thomas felt that there was a better way for a manufacturer’s sales rep firm like his to help systems integrators sell more residential and commercial technology products to their clients and trade partners. The president of Denver-based Momentum Group felt that instead of commoditizing the expensive products sold by the smart technology industry by “writing a price on a piece of paper and shoving it across the table” to an architect, designer, homeowner, contractor, or builder… that training, education, and demonstration were essential. In addition to creating one-minute how-to videos for professional installers and a web portal for researching and ordering products, Momentum made a major investment to transform a 6,000-square-foot, 120-year-old former lumber company headquarters into a high-tech design center/training facility that shows just how seamlessly tech can…

Throughout recorded history, human beings have been enchanted and enthralled (or, in some cases, had the bejesus scared out of them) by cleverly designed autonomous mechanisms – non-living objects capable of moving seemingly of their own accord. During the 5th century BCE in China, courtiers marveled at artificial birds made of wood that could fly. Two hundred years later, geeky Greeks were equally astonished by what’s considered to be the world’s first cuckoo clock, complete with bells, puppets, and mechanical singing doves. Today, even though I’ve had various cleaning robots for years, I still can’t resist being mesmerized by a Roomba sweeping the kitchen floor. (Not that the to-and-fro of a dirt-sucking robot has quite the bewitching gracefulness of a flying wooden bird or a mechanical singing dove, mind you,…

Imagine designing a home theater or media room through a virtual reality headset and hand controllers and being able to walk through that room and experience it almost like the real thing. Now, consider the convenience of trying out various seating configurations and sizes, table placements, and even see how a movie would actually look on different sized home theater projection screens in a basement home theater. Modus VR design software makes that all possible, enabling professional technology integrators to deliver a stunning virtual reality experience to clients that expedites the design process. The newly updated software provides more flexibility and options than the company’s initial offering, including an updated CAD export workflow, options for new virtual finishes and materials, support for new Windows Mixed Reality headsets, and improved organization…