If you’re moving into a new home with a built-in smart system, congrats! You’re setting off on a new life filled with comfort, convenience, and luxury.

Today, four in ten Americans say they’re interested in smart home living. And for a good reason! Automation systems like Control4 sync lighting, shading, entertainment, HVAC, and security into one easy-to-use platform.  

But smart homes also require a little extra knowledge and preparation. You’ll want to get the most out of your smart system and be aware of what may need maintenance or upgrading. So, ask yourself the following questions before moving into your new Bergen County, NJ, home.

Do you enjoy spending time outside – chatting with friends on your patio, throwing the football with your kids in the yard, or wading in the pool when the weather is warm? When you have a luxury home, there are so many good reasons to make the most use of your exterior spaces. But to have a true outdoor experience at your Red Bank, NJ home, you need the best audio-video system to take the fun to the highest of heights.

Premier outdoor TVs and landscape speakers turn your patio, pool deck, and entire backyard into a desirable space for outdoor entertainment and enjoyment. Read our blog to learn how to revitalize your outdoor areas with the sights and sounds you love.

For a better life, you need better home lighting!

That may sound like an exaggeration—but think about it. What do people supposedly see when they’re about to enter the heavenly gates? Light. What’s at the end of the tunnel? Light. And when life has got us down, what do we tell ourselves? The sun will come out tomorrow.

Humans need light to feel energized, happy, and productive. Yet, most of us spend a majority of our time indoors. If your New York home doesn’t have ample sunlight, you could be inadvertently hindering your wellbeing. Even if you have large windows, at night, you need atmospheric lighting to create a comfortable mood before bed.

When most houses are built, only the lighting layout is considered, as in, where lights will be installed. But a layout doesn’t address how it will look and feel to live under those lights. A lighting design with smart lighting control can help your home in New York, NY, achieve the perfect mood all day long.

Your smart home runs on advanced technologies. Each one is seamlessly integrated into your home automation system – from your computers and smartphone to the smart lighting, home security system, and the main interface that controls them all. But who watches the watchmen!? Behind every smart home system is the home network. If your home network isn’t completely secure, then your entire system could suffer.

Total Home Technologies employs a user-level management system from Cisco that safeguards your home’s network from hacks, data theft, and any other network security threat. Keep reading to see why user-level management is the right solution for your network installation in Manhattan, NY.

In any interior, lighting is arguably one of the most important elements. If you’ve been in a basement apartment, you know how moody and stuffy it can feel in a dark space. But in an open, well-lit room, suddenly you feel ready to seize the day.

New York homes are not known for their abundant space, even if you live in a sizable penthouse or brownstone. You need to make the most of your Manhattan home with a lighting design that enhances both natural and artificial light.

How? With smart lighting control by Control4 and motorized shades that are synched to one smart system. If you’re curious about lighting control in Manhattan, learn how it works and discover your options below.

What does smart-home living look like? It means having complete one-touch command of your lighting, motorized shades, audio-video systems, home security, and much more. Forget about manual control! Instead, all your smart home technologies are seamlessly integrated with a robust home automation system like Control4 – giving you convenient remote access to everything in your home.

Still, it gets even better! Smart home automation has improved dramatically over the years with the expansion of Wi-Fi. Now, you aren’t limited only to a wall touchpad. Today’s systems can be controlled via a wireless smart home tablet, a smartphone app, or voice command. Keep reading to discover the benefits of using all three at your home in Red Bank, NJ.

The reason some folks let dust collect in their home theaters isn’t that they don’t love the room. It’s that their home theater wasn’t designed as an easy-to-use system. When you’re in the mood for a movie, it can be a hassle to turn on the projector, figure out how to connect to cable or streaming, then adjust the volume, lights, and room temperature.

That can take a lot of preparation. And when you’re feeling lazy, you might rather turn on the living room TV or pull up Netflix on the laptop (the horror!).

But with a system-based home theater, you’ll activate the entire room with one tap of a button or voice command. Below, we explain why it’s important to focus on the system rather than the individual parts of your home theater design. Read on to learn more for your New York, NY home.

When most people hear “smart home automation,” they think of indoor lighting control, whole-home sound, home theater audio-visual systems, and other indoor technologies. However, smart home control doesn’t need to be confined inside. Your outdoor entertainment space can come alive with smart technologies that make backyard fun a real blast!

Touch an icon on your smart home tablet to control your outdoor speaker system, TVs, landscape lighting, and pool and spa systems. Nearly everything electronic comes under your complete command. Keep reading to see how smart home automation takes outdoor entertainment to a new level at your Red Bank, NJ, home.

What makes a successful home security system? In our opinion, it should prevent crime and keep you alerted while minimizing false alarms. If you’re bothered by irrelevant security notifications every day, you might start to tune them out. A great camera system should avoid ‘boy who cried wolf’ scenarios so that you never miss a serious situation.

That’s why we choose Visualint for smart home security installations with our Monmouth County, NJ, clients. Visualint’s intelligent cameras and virtual sensors keep you protected while eliminating false alarms. Read on to see how Visualint security devices integrate with the modern smart home.

Updating your home with smart technologies is like buying a car. You don’t want to do it on a whim – otherwise, you’d drive away with a lemon. Making your home smarter involves more than installing some motorized shades and smart surveillance cameras. If you really want a connected home where you enjoy seamless control of all the technologies, it’s essential to use the right smart home company for the job.

Total Home Technologies in New York, NY, is a premier smart home integrator that offers professional installation services and much more. We are true experts in the field and have years of experience designing robust, reliable, and state-of-the-art smart home systems and products for luxury homeowners throughout the area.

Keep reading for the four questions you should askwhen you choose asmart home integrator.