5 Smart Home Features Everybody Wants

A smart home might make your home the coolest on the block, but being cool isn’t what most people are looking for in a smart home. There are a lot of smart home features that people want right now, but the main features they’re looking for are home security, efficiency, and ease of use. There are many trends happening in the smart home industry right now, but these are the main features that everybody wants!
Smart home security

Consumers want a smart home security system that is responsive. They want the best automation in their homes and a system that does more than just sound an alarm when an emergency happens. Advanced smart home security systems are the most sought-after smart home feature that everyone wants. Traditional home security systems are just too simplistic.

People want to know their home is safe, but they also want to be able to monitor it remotely. Security systems can send real-time notifications to a homeowner’s phone, and allow them to take action from afar. They can see who’s at the door before they open it, or even see if there’s a fire in the kitchen when they’re at work. An “integrated” smart home alarm system can also take things a step further and provide additional security by turing on flood lights or opening an access gate in the event of an emergency.

Built-in Wifi

Newly constructed homes are being wired for smart home integrations. These homes are called Wi-Fi-certified homes. These homes are built to accommodate a fully integrated smart home system. This means you can connect to the internet from every room in your home. While mesh networks help you get a wireless signal in every room, a Wi-Fi-certified home takes things further by hard wiring the internet connection into the house.

Homebuilders anticipate the direction the smart home industry is going in, where every home is a smart home. Wi-Fi is becoming just as important to a home as its electrical and plumbing systems. New homes will have the infrastructure needed to run numerous smart appliances and smart devices at once because the wiring is built-in. By hard wiring every area of the home, people can use any wireless device such as smart TVs or gaming systems without affecting the rest of the family’s internet connection.

Remote access

One key feature everybody wants in a smart home is remote access. This, and the ability to use voice commands within the home are two of the most desired smart home features. Everyone wants to be able to control all of their home’s smart devices by using a simple touch screen or voice command. But they want to be able to control their home both when they are in it and when they are away from home.

For example, they want to be able to check their homes while they are on vacation or to change the temperature on their way home from work. They are looking for seamless remote access from anywhere. They are looking for a way to always be connected, whether it’s to change the temperature in their house or see what is happening at home.

Smart Thermostat

Pretty soon everyone will be using a smart thermostat. There are numerous advantages to using a smart thermostat including the fact that they can be controlled by voice commands and operated remotely. But, they do more than that. A smart thermostat truly is smart. It learns from the surroundings and automatically adjusts the temperature in the house accordingly.

People love their smart home thermostats because they can be voice-controlled. But the main reason people choose them is that they are energy efficient. In time, traditional thermostats will likely become obsolete, since smart home thermostats allow you to heat or cool your home in the most efficient way.

Smart Lighting

Imagine turning off your lights from the comfort of your couch. It’s pretty cool. A smart home feature everybody wants is the ability to control your home lighting system from one app. Whether it’s dimming the lights before a dinner party or turning the porch light off automatically at night, people love smart lighting systems.

Smart lighting can help homeowners save energy and be more comfortable in their homes. You can schedule lights to turn on and off automatically and adjust exterior lights to suit the mood you want to create. You can also adjust your window blinds and exterior lights to control the ambiance and energy use in your home.

While smart homes of today have so many incredible features, these are the smart home features everybody wants! Of course, as smart home technology improves, people may discover other interesting features they want in a smart home.

Small Home Theater Room Ideas

If you have a small room in your house that you’re thinking about using as a home theater, you may be unsure if it’s possible to make it look nice. The good news is, that you don’t need a big home theater room to have a great home theater experience. It’s very possible to turn a smaller room into an amazing home theater. If you’re ready to turn your small room into a home theater room, here are some small home theater room ideas to get you started.

Although having a large room to work with is ideal, not everyone has one. If you have an extra room you are not using, you can still create a home theater with immersive sound, cool seating, and create your own cinematic experience.

Raised or tiered seating

The next step to making your spare room into a theater room is adding the right lighting. There are some simple affordable ways to create the best lighting in a small room, or if you have the budget you can install recessed lighting or add smart lights to your room.

Smart lights are really great because they can be automated to create a unique movie-watching experience. You can dim the lights with a voice command or set up smart home scenes for entertaining guests. It’s an awesome feature that will improve your small room’s overall entertainment value.

Wall sconces can create a warm and inviting ambiance, as well as make the room look bigger. They can be adjusted to shine light in different directions, and they can also project light onto the floor or wall. Sconces are a great way to add some romantic lighting for a date night or for a movie night with friends.

Hidden surround sound

The sound in your theater room is even more important than the lighting, and the look of the room. If you want to add surround sound to your small home theater room, ceiling or in-wall architectural speakers are an excellent choice. This makes the sound much more immersive but with a cleaner aesthetic that most clients are looking for. Your guests may not realize why the room sounds so amazing because ceiling speakers can be recessed or hidden.

Acoustical panels are another great addition to any small theater room. It’s the final step in providing great sound quality and “Immersion” and is an often overlooked detail. Not only can the right panels make the room sound better but also add to the visual appeal.

Flat Panel Install

No home theater is complete without a flat-screen television. An amazing picture will make your home theater stand out.

A flat-screen television is an essential component of any small home theater. A stunning picture will make your place stand out. When shopping for a TV, there are many options and features to consider. Should you go with 1080p, 4K, or 240 Hz? You also need to decide whether to go with a smart TV, Plasma, LED or OLED. It can be confusing, so it’s helpful to get professional advice before you decide

If you are planning on installing a home theater, there are many things to consider. You shouldn’t try to do everything yourself. Mounting a TV on the wall is difficult and if you’ve ever tried to mount a television, you know that getting it in the right location securely is not as easy as it seems.

If you would like features like hidden wiring, such as concealing your TV’s power cord behind a wall, this is best left to a professional. It is not only dangerous but also illegal because it violates electrical code.

If you need help with turning your small space into a gorgeous home theater room, get in touch with our professional staff at Intuitive AV.

4 Smart Home Trends to Look for in 2022

The smart home industry is rapidly growing. In the last decade, all of the things we used to see in sci-fi movies are becoming a reality. There are many trends in smart home technology, but one thing is certain – every U.S. home is becoming smarter.

Will more homes be fully automated in 2022? What trends can we expect this year? With new technology and consumer interest, we expect the smart home industry to continue growing at an accelerated pace. These are a few exciting smart home trends to look for in 2022.

1. More Options in Smart Security

The Covid pandemic was responsible for much of the growth in smart home security. There’s been an increase in working from home, leading to what is called the “Zoom boom”. It has not only changed how we live and where we live, but it has also made people more interested in making their homes secure. Americans are investing in smart locks, smart doorbells with cameras, and smart home security systems now more than ever.

Consumers are looking for smart home security systems that are easy to use, accessible remotely, and use voice control. At the same time, they have concerns about privacy and data breaches. They want to know what information is being collected by their smart home system and if it can be hacked. This is why it’s so important to work with trusted brands. At Intuitive we are extremely selective about which brands we work with or integrate with to preserve our clients’ privacy.

Smart home security systems will continue to add more features like CCTV cameras, management of lighting, and the ability to make our homes look occupied when we are not home. As more people make the move to smart home security, the systems will be easier for anyone to use.

More companies are jumping into this space, offering smart home installation and smart motoring as consumer interest drives growth in this segment of the smart home industry. Although it can be tempting to jump at every new product on the market, working with a trusted industry partner can ensure your system is designed with a product that has been tested and proven in the market. This way you will have peace of mind that you have a system that will stand the test of time.

2. Smarter Offices

Energy efficiency is one factor that attracts people to smart home technology. People want to live sustainably, and they are willing to make investments for the long term. Smart technology is more efficient than standard devices because of its ability to connect with all the devices in your home.. For example, rather than having to adjust the temperature manually, a smart thermostat can do it all for you.

Smart thermostats and smart lighting have been around for a while, but the technology is getting better. A smart HVAC or lighting system can save energy and money. These smart devices monitor your energy use, and automatically adjust your lighting or temperature so that you are using only the energy you need.

This is one reason more people are making changes to their home technology. How much money could you save if your home only consumed the energy it needed. What if you never had to worry about whether your porch light got turned off at night? Or if your home automatically lowered the temperature when nobody was home?

Although the smart home market has seen significant growth in recent years, it’s honestly still in its infancy. Smart home technology is rapidly improving. We expect 2022 to be a big year for the smart home market and these are a few of the big smart home trends to look for!