No one wants to live in a poorly lit space. That’s why lighting is so important. Spending time in a dark, gloomy room can affect your mood, productivity, and the overall ambiance of the space. But a well-designed lighting plan lifts your spirits and improves the level of comfort your home offers.

What makes a smart lighting system better than traditional lighting? First, if it’s part of a smart home control system, it’s much easier to control. In addition, smart lighting design can completely transform how you experience your home. Every single part of the system works to elevate and enhance your Red Bank, NJ home’s design and your daily life. Discover how each component works together to create beautiful home lighting.

Lutron is the leading brand in both lighting control and motorized shades. Their products, ranging from tunable lights to automated window treatments, add a touch of luxury to smart homes throughout Manhattan, NY. At Total Home Technologies, we partner with Lutron to bring our clients in New York the latest products and technologies available. 

Depending on your needs and budget, Lutron shades can be wired or wireless and fully integrated and automated for optimal performance. But which type of shades are right for your home? To get a better idea about your options, here is a brief review of Lutron’s top-selling smart shades.

If you want a state-of-the-art movie night experience at home, it starts with planning the best home theater installation possible. This installation includes some of the industry’s most advanced audio-video equipment and technology controls, which you can explore with our Total Home Technologies team. We are your local experts for all-things home theater and are ready to support your New York, NY, home technology projects.

Keep reading for excellent home theater installation tips and ways to make the most magical home cinema experiences.

Residential lighting design is something homeowners can take for granted until they are left in the dark. Unfortunately, this happens more often than we'd like to see. The typical correction? A strategically placed lamp. 

These pockets of darkness can happen because your home is unique to you and your lifestyle; no builder can guess how you may ultimately use a space, so their lighting solutions are often generic and leave darkened areas throughout a residence. This setup will work fine for most homeowners, but why settle when you could have perfection?

As you consider an update to your home's lighting design, or if you are building a new home in the Manhattan, NY, area, ask yourself these questions to discover the lighting enhancements that could add value to your daily living.

Hosting a gathering for your family and friends is no easy task. No matter how much you love sharing your home and spending quality time with your loved ones, it is undeniable that getting your home ready and entertaining everyone can be challenging. Well, no worries! An updated home audio system is the answer you’re looking for. 

A multi-room audio system brings more fun and entertainment to every corner of your Essex County, NJ, home. It’s great for big parties, small get-togethers, and even for times when you have the whole house to yourself. Keep reading this blog to learn three cool ways our distributed audio solutions enhance your next party.

A well-designed home theater is a lot like a good movie; there is plenty of action behind the scenes and beyond the starring roles!  

At Total Home Technologies, we have been innovating home theater design for over 30 years and offering best-in-class technologies to our clients in New York, NY. 

From the largest screens to the tiniest in-ceiling light fixtures, we understand every element in a home theater plays a critical role in creating the ultimate cinematic experience.

Here are some of the brands and design secrets that turn any room in your home into serious competition for even the best commercial theaters. 

As the weather turns colder, the days get shorter. That means the amount of time people can get outside and soak in the natural light decreases this time of year. Some professionals may be going into the office right as the sun rises only to get off when the sun has already begun to set.

This lack of sunlight can cause people to feel low on energy. Sunlight signals to the brain that it’s time to be awake and productive and supports people’s energy throughout the day. In the winter, people can lose energy and motivation with less sunlight.

But did you know that your home’s lighting can help combat this? By installing a smart lighting control system in your New York, NY, home, you can mimic natural light in your interior living spaces. Keep reading to find out more!

You may have heard that a home lighting control can help save energy, which is good for the environment and your wallet. Control options like dimmers, sensors and timers help conserve energy throughout the year.

Continue reading for more information about how home lighting control in your Manhattan, NY, home can help you be more energy-conscious and save money.

One tap of a button, and you’ve illuminated your entire Bergen County, NJ home with natural light! This is the power of motorized shades, a smart solution that far surpasses its standard counterpart. However, while this technology's benefits are endless, it’s essential that you find the right kind for your home.

As an investment, automated window treatments can serve your family and property for years and years, providing the top-notch benefits that reshape your everyday lifestyle. Want to learn more? Keep reading on below.

In the past two installments of this blog, we've explored popular smart home features and their differences as implemented on the best professionally installed smart home platforms available today. As both a credentialed Control4 and Savant dealer, Total Home Technologies is qualified to compare and contrast these two excellent smart home platforms for you. While the platform and technology are important, we believe that the integrator ultimately makes more of a difference in your overall smart home experience.

In this third installment, we will compare the user control interface and remote access and control capabilities to critical aspects of interacting with a smart home system. We hope that at the end of this series, we've provided a little more insight into comparing systems that, from afar, might look more similar than different. Our goal is to better educate and guide you on your choice of smart home automation for your Bergen Country, NJ home. Please keep reading below!