4Sight
If you are familiar with Control4 then you probably have heard of 4Sight. All Control4 smart home automation systems come with a little extra on the side that adds a lot of extra features. The extra is called 4Sight – it is a service that allows your system to be securely cloud-connected which enables remote access, voice integration, intercom anywhere, and much more.
If you aren’t familiar with Control4 you are probably wondering what 4Sight is. Control4 is a home automation system that puts your home electronics in your hand. With Control4 OS3 (smart home operating system) you and your family can control nearly every device and system in the house in simple ways. You can control your lighting, television, locks, thermostat, and cameras all from your phone, iPad, touchscreen, or remote.
REMOTE ACCESS
Using Control4 normally you can use your phone to check the locks and cameras, control your lights, and media while you are at home. However, adding 4Sight into the mix you can do all of that from anywhere in the world.
Remote access allows you to receive alerts, view cameras, lock doors, adjust thermostats, and manage lights with just a few taps whether or not you’re at home, across town, or across the globe.
VOICE CONTROL
Voice assistants like Amazon Alexa can be more helpful when integrated into your Control4 Smart Home system. When Alexa is integrated into your system you have the power to turn on lights, turn up the temperature, close the garage door.
INTERCOM ANYWHERE
Intercom anywhere not only allows you to communicate with and see who is at the door it allows you to unlock the door or gate, or turn on the entryway lights all from the same app. So when your guests arrive early and you aren’t home yet, you can simply tap on your phone a few times to allow them inside.
When you are ready to upgrade your home to a smart home give us a call and we can set you up with a new Control4 system with the 4Sight upgrade.
About the Author
Experience Audio Video has been serving Orange County and Area since 1999 for residential and commercial audio, video and security camera installation services. 5 Star Yelp Ratings, Thousands of Referrals, there is not a better choice than Brian Chappell and the Experience Audio Video Team (License #804783). One phone call and you will know right away the difference in working with Experience Audio Video vs. others in the area. Contact us now at 714-744-4455 or info@eav-inc.com for a Free Consultation.
Video Conferencing for the Home
We have been remotely socializing, learning and working for months now. You are probably tired of sitting in an uncomfortable chair in the corner of the room looking at a laptop screen. Or you are tired of looking at your small phone screen talking to your family and friends on zoom.
Technology is changing and adapting to the new normal way of life. Crestron has created HomeTime that is a professional video conferencing for your home. Crestron has leveraged their experience in enterprise UC to bring professional quality Zoom conferencing into your home. You can also have it integrated within your Crestron ecosystem.
CONTROL FROM ANY TELEVISION IN YOUR HOUSE
With the Crestron HomeTime video conference system it will allow you to join and host Zoom meetings using any television in your house. That is right, no laptop required. The benefits of the new Crestron conference system are:
- Full-duplex, advanced beamforming microphone enables natural conversation
- See friends and family in a much larger video window
- Logitech MeetUp conference camera captures everyone comfortably in-frame – no more crowding around a laptop
- Its built-in speaker delivers high-quality audio throughout the room
INTEGRATED REMOTE CONTROL
The TSR-310 has a 3-inch color touchscreen, backlit buttons, voice control capability, and enhanced Wi-Fi. You can use a TSR-310 handheld touchscreen remote, the same one you use to control lights, shades and thermostats, to conveniently control your Zoom meetings.
The uses of a TSR-310 on HomeTime are:
- Start/join scheduled meetings
- “Meet Now” (enter your meeting ID and password from remote)
- Volume/mute control
- Select view (speaker, gallery, full screen)
- Camera control (pan and zoom)
ADD ROOMS
Crestron’s DM NVX AV-over-IP technology supports both video and USB. Because of that the Crestron HomeTime video conferencing engine can be located remotely. With the optional “add-a-room” kit, you can easily route meetings to televisions in other rooms.
About the Author
Experience Audio Video has been serving Orange County and Area since 1999 for residential and commercial audio, video and security camera installation services. 5 Star Yelp Ratings, Thousands of Referrals, there is not a better choice than Brian Chappell and the Experience Audio Video Team (License #804783). One phone call and you will know right away the difference in working with Experience Audio Video vs. others in the area. Contact us now at 714-744-4455 or info@eav-inc.com for a Free Consultation.
Staycation or Celebration
Spring has come and passed, and we are almost through with Summer. But I am sure you haven’t had any celebrations in your home because of the current world situation. You are probably wanting to go on vacation for the summer and you can’t, so what do you do? You have a staycation! But is your backyard ready for a staycation?
You have the food and the music, but do you have a great outdoor entertainment area with amazing speakers included? Quality speakers can make all the difference when it comes to outdoor spaces without acoustic barriers the sound may just disappear. Triad and Sonance have all-weather landscape solutions that will help make your outdoor space have a beautiful rich audio.
MARINERS
Sonance have a wall mounted speaker called Mariners. The Mariner speakers feature a front mounted terminal connection that makes wiring easier and it protects the speaker terminals against moisture and the elements. When the speaker is mounted it could be easily pivoted to direct the sound where you want it. They will also stay where you position them.
The Mariners come in three sizes, with three performance levels. There is a speaker to suit nearly any outdoor application. Mariners speakers have an all-weather construction that will deliver years of reliable service.
EXTREMES
Another speaker that Sonance has is the Visual Performance Extreme speakers. They are constructed for high-humidity areas and can survive extreme temperatures from -30ºF to 175ºF while maintaining superior sound quality. These speakers go in the ceiling, meaning they need to be installed in the ceiling of your patio.
GARDEN ARRAY SPEAKERS
Sonance and Triad have garden array speakers. Garden array speakers are satellite speakers that use a spike to go in the ground. The garden array satellite speakers offer a 150-degree listening area. This allows for a wider speaker placement so you can enjoy surround sound quality outdoors with less speakers.
Both Sonance and Triad have a garden array subwoofer that is designed for both above ground and in ground. That way the bass can be located exactly where you want it, patio/deck, or in ground by the pool or gazebo.
Are you still confused by the different types of outdoor speakers or if you are interested in developing your outdoor entertainment space, we can help you dreams come true. No matter the speaker you chose we will be here to walk you through your yard renovation for your staycation or celebration.
About the Author
Experience Audio Video has been serving Orange County and Area since 1999 for residential and commercial audio, video and security camera installation services. 5 Star Yelp Ratings, Thousands of Referrals, there is not a better choice than Brian Chappell and the Experience Audio Video Team (License #804783). One phone call and you will know right away the difference in working with Experience Audio Video vs. others in the area. Contact us now at 714-744-4455 or info@eav-inc.com for a Free Consultation.
Home Audio Choices
Have you been thinking about having music throughout your home? There are a few ways that you could accomplish that. You could put Bluetooth speakers in different areas or rooms of your house, making sure they are 33 feet away from each other. Or you could get a professionally designed and installed audio system that is made to maximize the performance for each listening area.
If you decide to go with the professionally designed and installed audio system, you can chose a few options; dedicated home theater, media room, TV sound, outside audio, or distributed audio.
There are different high-performance speakers for example:
- Freestanding towers
- Bookshelf speakers
- Invisible in-wall speakers
- In-ceiling speakers
DEDICATED HOME THEATER
Do you have an extra room that you don’t know what to do with? Do you watch a lot of movies? Well then, a dedicated home theater is probably what you should consider. There main benefit of having a dedicated theater is it will optimally recreate the commercial theater experience.
There are different speakers that you could have installed to give you a different sound. The current reference surround sound standard is Dolby Atmos. This system uses multiple speakers positioned around the listeners with additional speakers placed overhead to create a true surround experience.
MEDIA ROOM
You have thought about it and you don’t have a room in your house to convert into a dedicated home theater but you still want to have a wonderful movie and music experience. What do you do? Well you create a media room. A media room is a multipurpose space to watch movies, sporting events, play games, or have a drink and listen to some music.
Media rooms are generally located in your family room or living room. Because of that you will want your speakers to match your décor. Some speaker companies will match your speakers to your décor, there are also in ceiling or in wall speakers that you can use so they won’t take up floor space.
TV SOUND
As you know the sound that comes out of the tv isn’t that great. It really doesn’t matter how much you spend on or how big your television is the audio that comes out of it will never sound as great as exterior speakers. Because of that we suggest getting a soundbar to go with your television.
A premium soundbar will not only improve your ability to understand dialog, but it can turn a room into a mini theater. Soundbars can sit on a shelf, cabinet, mount on the wall or be attached underneath the television.
OUTSIDE AUDIO
Music can play an important part in creating the perfect atmosphere outside. There are some difficulties with distributing audio outside. One difficulty is creating balance and even sound levels so people sitting near the speakers won’t get deafened. The other difficulty is making the music area, so it doesn’t disturb the neighbors.
A well-designed outdoor audio system can be disguised into your landscape. There are outdoor subwoofers that can be buried in the ground that could provide a concert like audio.
DISTRIBUTED AUDIO
As I have mentioned above about the different types of speakers. The ones most used for a distributed audio system are the in-wall or in-ceiling speakers. Those speakers are typically round speakers, but they do have square adapters and some also come in rectangle.
By creating listening zones and letting each person in the family personalize their own listening are key to getting the most out of your distributed audio system. How it works with zone audio is one person can be in the study listening to soft jazz, another person could be in their room listening to grunge, and another person could be in the kitchen listening to country.
Connecting your audio system to your automation system can make it a lot easier to switch from all day entertaining to relaxing. You can even have Alexa programmed for simple tasks as well, like changing the lighting, turning down the music, adjust your shades, and set your thermostat.
About the Author
Experience Audio Video has been serving Orange County and Area since 1999 for residential and commercial audio, video and security camera installation services. 5 Star Yelp Ratings, Thousands of Referrals, there is not a better choice than Brian Chappell and the Experience Audio Video Team (License #804783). One phone call and you will know right away the difference in working with Experience Audio Video vs. others in the area. Contact us now at 714-744-4455 or info@eav-inc.com for a Free Consultation.