Smart home automation has provided a level of luxury and convenience that few homeowners have yet to experience. While some people may have a few smart light bulbs or a smart TV in their homes, they aren’t really taking advantage of everything home automation has to offer. Even if you have a Control4 system that gives you one-touch command of your home’s technologies via a touchpad, wall touchscreen, or phone app, you can improve your smart home experience with Josh.ai.

Josh.ai is a voice-assistant that is specifically designed for smart homeowners. It integrates seamlessly to give you ultimate command of your lighting, audio and video systems, home security, garage doors, and door locks, and every other connected technology. 

Keep reading to learn the three ways Josh.ai can elevate your lifestyle at your home in Manhattan, NY.

Many people hang any old projector, connect a couple of speakers, and call the room a home theater. That may work for them, but much more goes into animmersive, high-end theater than that. The care and attention applied toluxury homecinemas create an experience that outshines a night at aRegal or AMC. 

As a home theater installer based in New York, NY,we’ve worked on spaces large and small, modern and retro. When it comes to the best theaters, they all have the same thing in common: attention to detail.So, if you’re interested in building an entertainment haven, don’t miss these essential features of a home theater design. 

Motorized shades: they’re tasteful, convenient, and can even help save energy in your New York, NY, home. They’re the perfect addition to any modern lifestyle, and with a home automation system, you won’t ever have to lift a fingeror remember to raise the blinds.

But if you’re new to motorized window treatments, you may have questions about the process, which brands are the best, and how to make the most of them. That’s why we’ve put together a handy guide to answer the most common smart-shading questions. 

In the past year, we’ve seen smart lighting attract more and more New Yorkers—perhaps due to abundant time spent at home. If you’ve dipped into smart lighting control at all, then you’ve seen how addicting it is. Once you are able to customize the color and brightness of one lightbulb, you’ll want your entire home’s lights to be tunable, too. 

With a smart lighting system, you can adjust your lightsinstantly from a smartphone app or create a schedule for LEDs to turn on and shift colors automatically. The high-definition color palette lets you drench your home in color, pinpointing the exact shade you want. Plus, motion sensors can help control when lights are on, illuminating rooms only when you need. 

But maybe you’re wondering, ‘Why would I use that? My regular lightbulbs are fine!’ That’s a common question we hear, and we understand the confusion. Read on to see when tunable smart lightingis not only funbut also can improve your health and safety in your New York, NY, home. 

Stalled Zoom meetings, never-ending loading screens, and files that won’t download—are you sick of troublesome Wi-Fi?

If you’re experiencing slow or fickle home Wi-Fi in Manhattan, NY, you’re not alone. Total Home Technologies helps homeowners across New York and New Jersey to improve their internet coverage. We’ve seen our fair share of problematic home networks. Read on to see what the issue could be and how we can save your internet connection.   

Voice control is one of the most convenient ways to use a smart home system like Control4. As you walk around the house or settle in to watch a movie, you can adjust the lights, lower the shades, and turn on speakers—all hands-free.

But if you’ve ever tried using Alexa or Siri voice assistants, you know they’re far from perfect. Many of us have listened, exasperated, when the voice replies, “I’m sorry, I didn’t get that.”

And with a smart system, you need your voice assistant to understand you. After all, if you’re heading out the door and trying to turn off the lights, you don’t have time to play guessing games. That’s why we suggest Josh.ai.

Josh.ai is the latest voice-controlled system that understands natural speech patterns better than any other. It’s built specifically for home control, unlike other programs. Read on to see how Josh.ai works and how it will assist your Morris County, NJ, household.  

Many Monmouth County residents love the idea of home automation but don’t want to bother with the potentially hassle-filled world of professional installers. In fact, many believe they can install a professional quality system by themselves. And we think you can, too.

“Well, a professional system could be better,” says Keith Harrison of Total Home Technologies. “But only if you have a good professional." He explains that designing and installing a home automation system by yourself can be fulfilling but that DIY-ers will want to watch out for some of the potential challenges they may face down the line. “These things are challenging on a do-it-yourselfer without professional tools. Not impossible, but challenging,” he says.

To help you on your DIY journey, we've put together this blog with some helpful tips on what you need to know before you start. And don't forget to check out the video below for even more useful information!

Ready to get started? Keep reading after the jump!

There’s a frost in the air in Bergen County, which means the holidays will be here before we know it. If you’re looking for a unique gift for someone, whether it’s a spouse, family member, friend, or even yourself—maybe this is the year to dip into smart technology.

Home automation isn’t just about flashy gadgets—with the following solutions, you can add comfort, convenience, and simpler living to any home. Read on for five gift ideas from a smart home company.

Game of Thrones may be long gone, but winter is still coming. And if it’s anything like last year, there will be plenty of packages hitting doorsteps this holiday season. In 2019, the USPS alone delivered around 750 million packages -- and that doesn’t even include carriers like FedEx and UPS!

But there’s a dark side to all of those deliveries. According to C + R Research, 36 percent of Americans are victims of "porch pirates," opportunistic package thieves that can strike at any time. Porch pirates are a big problem, but they're easy to defeat. You just need to follow a few simple steps. And sporting the right smart home security tech won’t hurt, either.

If you’re looking for a few easy ways to keep your packages safe this year, keep reading.

Did you know that Control4 is compatible with more than 13,000 third-party devices? These tools include anything from standard features like lighting, security, AV — to some lesser-known items — water temperature monitors, air quality devices, and smart mirrors. The basic rule we’ve found true is that if it uses electricity, Control4 and Total Home Technologies can automate it!

Control4 allows our professional integration team to engineer, customize, and scale nearly any smart home automation system you could imagine.  Let your Manhattan, NY homework for you to ensure maximum convenience by scheduling your whole residence to operate according to a schedule that you can change anytime. We’ll walk you through some opportunities, some that we’ve used for a while, and others were just seen at September’s CEDIA event.