Technology is advancing at a dizzying pace. What used to be the ‘latest’ and ‘most advanced’ devices yesterday becomes redundant today. When people embrace any technology, they do so because it adds convenience, comfort and safety to their lives in one way or the other. When it comes to your home, all these three aspects matter a great deal. It’s why many people are now veering towards the smart home concept.

Sure, many homeowners already have Internet-based security systems and landscape irrigation systems that are connected to timers etc; but smart homes are designed and set up to do much more than that. Having a smart home is a lot about Wi-Fi connectivity and more. Take a look at some concepts; this will help you create a plan for your smart home.

It’s not uncommon for companies that launch smart home products to say that connecting their devices to the Internet is a breeze. Sure, they are bang on spot most of the times, but what actually matters a great deal is the Wi-Fi connectivity in your home. These are some of the things you will have to keep in view while planning your smart home:

This is vital, and it’s something you should keep in view while planning your first smart home. The longer the distance the radio waves have to travel, more the connectivity issues. The best way to overcome this kind of an issue is to install the Wi-Fi router at the center of your property and on the ground floor.

You will find a number of products which claim they are able to extend the Internet connection in your home. The simple fact is that multimedia over coaxial power-line adapters, network extenders etc tend to slow down the signal by around 50% and that reduces the consistency of the network. Of course, you won’t find any issues with driving a motion sensor or a smart bulb; however, you might just find it challenging to stream a movie to your tablet/laptop, only because it can’t figure out which Wi-Fi router it should connect to.

At times, installing a network of Ethernet cables turns out to be the best solution. You can use cable runs to install your smart home hub devices in spots that are more accessible. The devices that are connected to these hubs will function more smoothly if you do this. If your home is already wired for telephones, hardwiring for Ethernet won’t be too difficult. You will need to speak with your electrician and check whether he would be able to run an extra cable to the point you need it at, without too much of drilling and sawing.

When you are planning your smart home, ensure there are sufficient power points at different places in your house. While certain devices may be battery-powered, many aren’t. So whether it’s a Wi-Fi router/extender, web security camera etc, you will need a power point to plug them in. And of course you don’t want power cords dangling all over your smart home.

Very simply put, if you are building a new smart home or remodeling your existing one, sit down and plan not just for the current smart devices you plan to install, but for future ones as well. Map out a detailed plan and get some advice from the installer too. Coming back to the first point – focus on getting a very good Wi-Fi router and ensure its positioned at the right point on your property.

Very importantly, get a professional to do all the wiring work once you have your entire smart home plan in place. For more information about smart home device and hardwiring solutions, call Allround Electrical at 1300 169 263. You can also drop us a line via email or by filling out this contact form.

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Today, there are three things that are impacting outdoor lighting trends, taller elevations, the shift from brown-based to grey-based exterior materials and the continued desire for Outdoor Living elements and accessories. Together or separate, these changes are having an impact on outdoor lighting.

Taller

For almost ten years now, the height of interior ceilings has been shifting from a longstanding norm of eight-foot to a minimum of nine-foot tall. Many homes and many geographic areas are seeing minimums of ten and even twelve-foot. Homeowners love the expanse this provides. The unintended result of this growth is taller exterior elevations. Because of these increases in the exterior elevation and the commensurate growth of exterior door size and height, the standard, wall-mounted lighting fixtures that flank the doors and garage of a home had grown. Gone are the 8” porch lights of the past. Consumers must seek out taller exterior lighting to compliment the extended expanses outside.

Occurring almost concurrent with the interior ceiling height increases has been a growth in urban infill architecture. Central city lots are not the same as suburban plots. They often were extremely narrow, but also quite deep. The resultant architecture is significantly narrower and usually over two-stories tall. A three-story or four story façade again warrants a taller lighting fixture, but these must also be substantially narrower. For this type installation, seek out narrow and tall lighting.

From Brown to Gray

The dominant color of residential exterior has been beige/brown/tan for an extremely long period of time. Over the last five years, a larger and larger percentage of new homes have been using grey, slate, black and even white. Stones, siding, roofing, trim and windows are all experiencing this shift. Exterior lighting has primarily been some form of bronze. That is shifting now to colors and finishes that work better with the new material palette. Look for more black, variants of grey and even aluminum, stainless and nickel finishes. Each of these will more effectively compliment the new colors.

Keep in mind that there is a fair amount of regionalism in this particular trend. Housing colors in “dessert” areas (Phoenix, Southern California, Nevada, Florida and parts of Texas) where stucco homes are de rigueur will not see this shift. The stucco is naturally beige and roofing must be terra cotta to withstand the elevated temperatures. It is highly unlikely to see the demand for bronze-based finished altering here. Expect continued demand in these specific locations.

Outdoor Living Continues

The trend toward more and more outdoor use of a home shows no signs of stopping. Homeowners want to maximize their living space and extending to the home’s exterior is a natural reaction. There are typically thousands of square feet of living space outside. Why not use it? That space has been filled with kitchen equipment that rivals the inside and seating and tables that delivers the same type of comfort as interior furnishings. Look for lighting to follow this path. Exterior chandeliers continue to grow in popularity. Pendants and linear lighting have recently appeared. Landscape Lighting provided by LED remains a viable way to add interest to these outdoor spaces. Relatively recent additions are battery-operated LED Portable Lamps than can be positioned around the area to add light where people tend to congregate. All of these forms of light are designed to enhance the already inviting outdoor spaces.

It is interesting to note, this is not a regional trend. People in the north are as likely as southerners to equip their homes with these accessories. It is often said that northerners must pack 12 months of outdoor living into four or five months and they do that with gusto! Every outdoor is primed and ready for these products.

Outdoor Trends

A tertiary trend that is slowing gaining foothold is a more contemporary overall design. Initially this started with architect-driven homes and urban infill architecture, but more contemporary or contemporary-leaning residences are appearing. For that reason, an uptick in the demand for modern designs is becoming evident. While small today, it cannot be ignored. More will inevitably be employed in the future.

Outdoor trends in residential exteriors tend to be slow in coming and they typically hold for a longer period of time than interior trends. These shifts have been accelerating for a while now. When they peak, they will hold for a longer period of time. Our love for the outdoor seems inexhaustible.

Radiant heating is a popular heating choice with homeowners. There are a few types of radiant heating available, giving you some options as to how you heat your home using a radiant system. Both types offer benefits for your home, as we’ll discuss below, but you won’t gain any benefit from poor installation of your system. This is one of the reasons why it’s important to hire professionals to install your radiant system in Watertown. The experts at FB Electrical Services can handle every kind of heating installation, including radiant systems, so call us today!

Types of Radiant Heating

The types of radiant heating can be categorized by how they heat and their placement. Let’s start with flooring:

Hydronic Radiant Floor Heating

With a hydronic radiant floor system, flexible PEX tubing is placed underneath your flooring. Hot water or steam flows through the tubing, so you must have a boiler to install hydronic radiant floor heating.

Electric Radiant Floor Heating

There are 3 ways to install electric Contact us today!