Some people refer to Austin as the tech mecca of the south and with Dell and many other tech giants in our backyard it’s easy to understand why. Austin has always been known for being weird but also for being wired. As one of the first cities in Texas to deploy public Wi-Fi it has always been on the forefront of the trends emerging from Silicon Valley. But this is Texas Y’all and we can’t just go and do things how they do in Cali, we have to give it that Texas flair right? The same can be said for home décor in Austin. Nowhere else will you see homes with interiors that combine modern twists and vintage Hill Country western or vivid Mexican colors in a hacienda setting. You just never know what you’re going to get when walking into Austin homes as the styles are so eclectic. At Total Home Technologies, we put that same distinct vibe into our home theater and total home automation designs. We can custom build your system to integrate seamlessly into your decorative scheme. What really is the benefit of home automation though? Do you actually know what it all entails? We are here to catch you up on the hottest home design trend in the last five years, smart home design. Your home can now run more efficiently, constantly be wired and you can control your home from the couch, or from across the country. Why would you want to do this? The real question is why wouldn’t you? Take a look at all the benefits of integrating smart features into your Austin home.
Six Benefits Of Total Home Automation
Create A Custom Environment With Ease:
How many times have you left for work on a chilly Texas morning with your house cold as winter. Ok, not often right? But when it is, you turn the heat on and go to work. The problem is as with the typical weather in Texas, if you don’t like it wait 10 minutes and it will change. So now you’re headed home and the temperature has climbed to 80 degrees, and you are walking into a muggy, hot house. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just text your house and tell it to cool down to 74 degrees? With the new smart thermostats available from many home automation companies, you can and it can save you quite a bit on utilities. In fact you can program lights, your Amazon Echo, and other devices to suit your liking. If you want to walk in to a home at 74 degrees with some Robert Earl Keen piping through the house and the shades down, you can! Imagine sitting there watching the Cowboys or Spurs game and once it’s over you want to watch a movie in the dark and relax. With one of our total home automation systems you could simply press a button on your smartphone and automatically dim the lights and bring your blinds down and power up the theater system to the right settings. Go a step further and integrate a media server, and hundreds of your digital movies are available with a Netflix style interface. For homeowners with pools you can even control your lights, the hot tub pumps and any water features you might have from the comfort of your couch. The possibilities are endless, you can automate everything but a cold beer being served to you by a drone, but then again who knows what the future holds.
Create A Safe Space:
How many times have you woke up in the middle of the night and stumbled in the hallway trying to see what the dog is going nuts about by the backdoor at 3am? Many accidents in the home happen because of poor lighting in dark areas or in the middle of the night. Having smart lighting in your home can automatically turn on lights when you enter an area like the basement or the garage and turn them back off when you leave. This makes fumbling for the light switch a thing of the past and also helps with utilities as well. No more lights left on by accident all night.
Secure Your Home:
Despite home security being a concern for everyone, many traditional security systems have a high price tag. Once you factor in the installation costs, the monthly monitoring and all the add-ons you need to make that “free” system work right; it’s very cost prohibitive for many families. Home automation makes home security not only more affordable, but smarter. We have systems that can lock and unlock your doors from your smartphone, provide custom codes for guests such as lawn care service or UPS deliveries. You can literally watch your home 24/7 with inexpensive wireless cameras that monitor and alert you anytime someone approaches an entry or your gate. The simplicity of these products is also a huge advantage; you don’t need to be very tech savvy to make it all work. Your home is secured, simple to arm, and easy to monitor, 24 hours a day.
Environmentally Responsible:
Have you ever driven by someone’s home during a Texas thunderstorm and their sprinkler system is running on full blast? Don’t let that be your home, your sprinkler system when choosing a smart sprinkler system can be controlled by your phone even if you are on vacation 2,000 miles away. Not only that, some system even sense when it’s raining and can automatically shut off as not to waste water. Smart home systems are able to better manage your utility usage and maintain the climate in your home which helps conserve energy and responsibly utilize resources. Most of our systems even sense when lights and appliances aren’t being used and can shut them off automatically after a preset time of inactivity. Many home fires are caused by toaster ovens being unattended or electrical appliances being left on and catching fire. Having a system that monitors that for you means no more heading out for a road trip and wondering if you left the stove on or something else that can pose a risk.
Keep An Eye On The Home Front:
When you are off at work or away at vacation it is not uncommon to have that concern that your pets are ok and not getting into trouble, or that your home is safe. These days with the rise in crime that is a common concern. Whether you just want to see how your dog is getting into the fridge, or you want to check in on the kids when they get home from school you can do that and more. Let’s say the kids walk home from school, they put in their code to unlock the door and you get a notification. You can come up on the monitor or the Amazon Echo Show and talk to them face to face. You can get a homework status update, dole out chores to be done by the time you get home or anything else. This even comes in handy with pets as there are connected devices where you can webcam with your pet and instruct a machine to dispense a dog biscuit or other treat. This was highlighted on the Dog Whisperer as a tool for pets with separation anxiety and works wonders. These features alone can give you complete peace of mind of being there when you’re not actually there.
It’s Educational:
Technology isn’t going anywhere and it is constantly evolving into bigger and better innovations. Having your children learn how to operate in an automated home will help prepare them for the future and also keep them safe. Many of our systems go into homes where kids are home alone for some part of the day. There are features that if a child feels unsafe they can just speak “call 911” or “call mom” and the home system will call and they can communicate from any room in the house with in wall far-field microphones that pick up from long distances. You can turn your home automation project into a fun learning experience for children and spur their interest in education that is fun and relevant. Imagine they are at home and trying to learn to bake or cook and need to convert a measurement. They could simply say “Alexa, how many teaspoons in a tablespoon?” and your integrated device can give the answer. Technology is multi-dimensional and can be both convenient and educational as well.
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