BUILDING A NEW DREAM HOME? DON’T NEGLECT THESE MODERN NECESSITIES!

In this age of high technology, many people build a new home simply because it makes better economic sense than having an existing home remodeled to accommodate the latest in technological advancements.

In this age of high technology, many people build a new home simply because it makes better economic sense than having an existing home remodeled to accommodate the latest in technological advancements. This is especially true if you want state-of-the-art smart home technology. It is imperative that you are aware of the necessity to plan for architectural accommodations for every component of smart home technology in conjunction with all other aspects of the design and homebuilding process. There are crucial design elements necessary for this technology to blend seamlessly into your new home, and they must be thoroughly discussed with the architect, interior designer, and builder in the earliest design phases of the project. You must insist that these architectural accommodations be made as a part of the overall building process from the ground up, rather than as an expensive and disruptive afterthought to be dealt with later. Otherwise, your AV Integration team will have no choice but to work around the design of the home, rather than be able to work within it.

For example, a well-ventilated communications closet is necessary to house the devices required to run your smart home network, and ideally that special-purpose closet will be one that blends in with the design and décor of the home and essentially disappears into the background, rather than being a re-purposed coat closet in the hallway. It should be easily accessible for your AV Integration Team and be uniquely designed to allow for the proper housing of communications devices such as your internet provider’s interface box, a central controller/processor, and possibly amplifiers, pre-amps, or DVD players.

In addition, a well-planned cable management system within the closet will prevent a tangled web of cables from causing nightmares for any technicians who in the future must troubleshoot the cause of an outage. Those technicians will definitely appreciate it, and it will allow for an expedited resolution to the issue at hand.

Of course, that thoughtfully-designed comm closet must house a professional-level network/wi-fi system that can handle the “workload” of operating a fully-integrated smart home. It is crucialto have a thorough discussion about this with your AV Integration Consultant during the design phase of your home. Procuring pro-level components for your smart home operations from the get-go will prevent “hiccups” down the road, such as slow response times from your smart devices.

Your network system must carry a heavy load in order for the numerous smart devices in your home to work as expected. In order for that to happen, all components involved in network operations must be compatible with each other, in addition to having the capability to handle the high-speed data through-put necessary to reliably communicate with every smart device in your home. A top-performing network means a happy smart home, so be sure to include extensive planning and adequate budgeting for this all-important facet of your dream home!

>NOTE: The professional AV Integration Team at AV Enthusiast can easily guide you through the selection process of these important network control components. They will work to ensure that you select devices from reputable, reliable leaders in the industry, such as Araknis Networks®.

OTHER PURPOSE-BUILT ROOMS

Home theaters and listening rooms are popular additions to the modern smart home, and should also be included in the initial architectural designs in order to fulfill their purpose while matching the aesthetics of your home. This is significantly less costly and easier to accomplish than re-fitting an existing space for this purpose later on.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

The optimum location for ceiling lights, wall and ceiling speakers, control panels and switches, and WAPS (Wireless Access Points) must also be carefully planned for in order to blend in with your home décor. In addition, cables that must be run throughout the home to service each of those components should ideally be run prior to the installation of the sheetrock wall panels in order to lessen the possible need to cut into those walls later. Obviously, this will require communication and coordination between the builder and your AV Integration Team, and that necessary teamwork will be enhanced if they have been working together from the beginning stages of the project.

That same kind of cooperation will be essential for the installation of outdoor smart devices that are so important for a relaxing environment in which to unwind at the end of a long day or enjoy pool parties on the weekend. Spending the time to plan and coordinate the installation of underground cabling for landscape speakers, accent lighting, a poolside weatherproof TV, and security cameras before the landscaping is done will protect your investment of thousands of dollars in plants, concrete surfaces, and stonework.

And if one of your goals is to have underwater speakers installed in your new pool, it is of utmost importance to consult with your AV Integration Team in advance, in order to prevent disappointment later on when you are informed that underwater speakers cannot be installed in your pool because it was not built to accommodate them!

To schedule a consultation with a professional AV Integrator during your home construction process, please call AV Enthusiast at 256.882.5081. Alternatively, simply drop by our showroom at 514 Madison Street in Huntsville Monday – Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM or Saturday from 10 AM to 3 PM. We look forward to meeting you!