The leading smart home automation systems are frankly more similar than different. Unlike what you might find with other products, there aren't 27 different systems from which to choose; there are a handful. Many integrators are Control4, Crestron, or Savant dealers, representing three of the most popular and ubiquitous platforms in high-end home automation. While these systems have important differences, we'd still argue that the integrator will make more of a difference to your smart home experience.

Last month, we kicked off this series by highlighting a couple of subtle but important feature differences between Savant and Control4. As an integrator authorized for both, we like to point out these differences and recommend which one might best fit your specific needs. However, you ultimately decide what’s best for your home in Morris County, NJ. In this blog, we’ll delve into a couple of other aspects of Savant versus Control4 smart home automation to better educate and guide you on your choice. The idea is to get you to think about what’s really important to you to make the right decisions. Ready? Please stay with us below.

What goes into making a great restaurant? It’s many things, of course, but the key to differentiated experience usually starts with the chef. Many restaurants have access to the same things – a good location, farm-to-table food sources, a designer that can create a welcoming atmosphere, good wait staff, and more. But the chef, his vision, and how he designs the overall dining experience often make the difference between merely good and must-go-there great. 

We like to think it’s the same with smart home automation. If you’re reading this, perhaps it is because you have heard of Savant home automation solutions and are looking for a local dealer close to your Essex County, NJ, home. Savant is a great solution, but the Savant dealer might be the “chef” that makes the difference in turning your home into a great smart home. 

Any good smart home integrator, however, will not just be pushing the product they have. Instead, they’ll recommend the right system that truly fits your needs. This is part one of a series where we discuss Savant automation and how it stacks up with some alternatives. Please keep reading and stay tuned to this space for more!!

Your smart home relies on a consistent and robust internet connection throughout every moment of the day. From streaming your favorite film on your home theater TV to submitting an important file for work, you need a network system that provides a solid and safe connection for everyone in your household.

Want to learn how our team at Total Home Technologies can provide a professional network installation for your entire Manhattan, NY, property? Find out more about our top-notch services and what Wi-Fi 6 and leased networking equipment can bring to your system by reading below.

How do Manhattan museums, upscale restaurants, and storefronts get their beautiful lighting? Many are designed to work with smart lighting control. With a smart system, users can fine-tune the brightness and color of each bulb, creating a completely unique atmosphere. 

And it’s not just businesses that utilize luxury lighting systems like Lutron. You can bring a stunning lighting design to your New York home, too! 

If you’re looking to renovate or upgrade your home’s lighting, we can’t stress enough the importance of starting with a smart system from the beginning of your design. By adding smart control later on, you’ll run into problems and design flaws that could have been avoided. Here’s why. 

Imagine a world where you can stream music, play vinyl records, listen to TV audio, and more over the same speakers. When you own a sophisticated smart home system like Control4, you’ll bring audio and entertainment to every corner of your house.

Rather than juggle between disjointed audio speakers, a smart home lets you connect to and control all your media from a single interface. Tap your smartphone app, tablet, or wall keypad, and you’re instantly connected to any media or speaker in the house.

Ready to see how it works? Read on to learn why multi-room audio is superior with a smart system in your Essex County, NJ home.

Who doesn’t love a night on the patio or playing games on the lawn? It’s a fact that spending time outdoors boosts our moods, relationships, and overall health. 

But sometimes, we need to get out of the pool or put the badminton racket down and relax. Luckily, you can kick back with music, movies, and conversations in the fresh air when you have an outdoor entertainment space. 

Get inspired for your Red Bank, NJ, home and see how you can build an outdoor living area that includes AV, lighting, and comfort controls. 

Are you frustrated with voice assistants that can’t understand what you’re saying? “Sorry, I didn’t get that,” is a frequent response from Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. Once hailed as the future of smart homes, voice controllers have struggled to perform and are often more of a nuisance than a help for homeowners. That is, until Josh.ai. 

Josh.ai is a voice control system that understands natural language better than any other AI assistant—while protecting your privacy better, too. Josh is a relative newcomer in the voice control world, but it outperforms the biggest names in every aspect. 

What makes Josh superior to other voice assistants? Read on to learn why Josh.ai stands out and where you can find Josh in Morris County, NJ. 

With warm weather finally returning to New York and New Jersey, we’re already thinking about all the activities to do in the longer, brighter days. This is a popular time of year for home renovations, and if you’re thinking about updating or building an outdoor living space, make this your year! 

An outdoor living area doesn’t have to be limited to Adirondack chairs around a campfire. You can construct a luxurious villa or bungalow to enjoy warm days and nights with many activities. 

At Total Home Technologies, we design and install outdoor entertainment systems on porches, patios, verandas, and outdoor living rooms. Read on to get inspired for your Bergen County, NJ, home and see what you can include in your outdoor space. 

Have you heard? New York City has become the first major city to open a center to protect against cybersecurity threats. The center is set in lower Manhattan with nearly 282 partners. As New York is the hub for American business and finances, it’s a particularly high-risk city for cyberattacks. 

But cyber threats aren’t only an issue for large businesses. It’s a common misconception that small home networks aren’t vulnerable to cyberattacks. The reality is if your home’s devices are connected to the internet, you’re at risk. 

But ‘at risk’ doesn’t mean all hope is lost! In this article, we’ll share all you need to know about home networking security and how you can keep your Manhattan, NY home safe. 

When you research “how to build a smart home” online, you’ll find many articles advertising gadgets like smart bulbs and video doorbells. These devices may be “smart,” but they rely on their own smartphone app for control. Is it really luxury living if you need to pull up a different app every time you want to dim the lights or lower the thermostat? 

In addition, there are DIY smart home hubs that promise to consolidate all your tech under one system. But these hubs often aren’t compatible with all your devices, only those designed to work with them.

There must be an easier, better way—and there is! A smart home provider like Control4 integrates with thousands of third-party devices, controlling them from a single system. Control4 seamlessly automates your home in a way that DIY solutions simply can’t. 

But Control4 can’t be ordered online, taken out of a box, and set up in a few hours. Its intelligent system requires sophisticated programming and installation. For the ultimate smart home experience, you’ll need to work with a certified Control4 dealer. 

What does a Control4 dealer do, and why are they necessary? As a C4 dealer based in Essex County, NJ, we’ll share what you can expect from a professional Control4 installation below.