Great question, it is the process of automating task or functions with human interaction. Of course when we speak of home automation often a user interacts with the home automation system by pressing buttons or using a remote. However, with sensors, voice activation and programming, the need for manual input is almost not required. Many tasks can be configured to perform based on other tasks occurring, such as when a door opens a light turns on. When the alarm is set, the lights and appliances all turn off. These tasks can also be scheduled for time based events. Call us to discuss how we can make this happen in your home.

Another great question. These are protocols for the RF signals they use for communications. In simpler terms, it is the language the smart devices use to talk to each other. Very much like WiFi in your home these devices use a similar mesh network to talk to each other so they can report their status, announce state changes and perform event functions. Z-Wave was the earlier leader, mostly in the consumer world, while Zigbee is leading the Commercial Building front.

Oh Alexa, how you are discussed in the world. Yes Alexa and Google Home both provide the ability to connect with most home automation systems and devices. This of course can be easy or more difficult depending on the number of devices involved and the complexity of the functionality required. I would highly recommend hiring a professional to connect all your devices and make sure they function in the scenes that you want. Just remove the stress of having to figure it all out.

Alexa and the Amazon app have a group of products that they work with. You will first have to see if the product you purchased is on that list. Then you would have to use the app on your phone to connect to the light in question. Once connected, you would then add it to a room, and set the theme you want. The name of the switch or light is important as that is what Alexa will associate to the light when you ask it to turn the light on and off. Hope that answers your question. Contact us if you want our help making that work for you.

Yes you can, as long as you have a internet connection with sufficient bandwidth and a decent WiFi signal. The one thing I would suggest gets overlooked is a robust Wireless system within a house. Depending on the amount of devices connecting to a Wireless Access Point (the device providing the WiFi) can be slowed down be poort WiFi design. Netflix requires the following speeds: > 0.5 Megabits per second - Required broadband connection speed > 1.5 Megabits per second - Recommended broadband connection speed > 3.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for SD quality > 5.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for HD quality > 25 Megabits per second - Recommended for Ultra HD quality

My first response is always "YES", because I think you can never be too careful and it is always good to know who has been in your protected spaces. I am security conscious and it has also been a part of my job for 30 years. I may be a bit biased. Security cameras are great for watching back things that have already happened, to tell you the details of things in the past. They can also tell you what is going on now if you are watching a live feed of perhaps your front door, your gate or entrance. They are also a good deterrent for thieves who should not want to be caught on camera. Remember, they are a tool like any security device and the trick is to find the balance between security and privacy. Because these two are polar opposites, they often conflict. The job of a good security consultant is to make a good balance in the design to protect the perimeter and entrances, but not cover the private or living spaces. Nobody wants to be watched 24/7 unless you are on reality TV. There is a multitude of ways to protect you things and cameras play a role, but are not the only method of detection and surveillance. Contact us to find out how we can help secure your home.

Cameras are like many other devices out there, some are cheap and others are expensive, some are feature rich and others are very basic. The Cost is usually dependent on the feature, the brand and the useage requirements. Your environment is also a factor, which typically means generic indoor coverage to extreme outdoor or industrial environments. These will all factor into the cost because it will always depend on the purpose of the camera. There are two types of cameras, Analog and Digital, the first runs on coaxial cable and the 2nd runs on computer cables, (there is also Wi-Fi, but these are typically not very good). Then there are specific features that make the prices go up. Such as higher resolution, night vision, analytics. Of course these are mainly in the IP camera (digital) and grow exponentially based on functionality. One last factor to be aware of is the environment you are wanting the camera for. If this is for your remote house in the woods or jungle, the weather, humidity, temperature of the cameras operating parameters needs to be considered and will likely affect the price. Of course the country you are in may have high import duties if you need to import the right product for your application. We can help walk you through the differences and the costs and come up with a design that fits your needs and budget.

Thanks for the question. Yes you can, as long as the system that was designed for you has that capability. What you would need to understand is if each room has independent volume control of the source. IF there is a separate bluetooth or other mode of audio amplification to speakers in that room, or is it a multi-channel amplifier that distributes sound to each room. The answer to these question will determine your answer. We would be happy to help with more information.

It depends on many factors. The most obvious ones are if the cameras are connected to a network and that network has provided internet access to your cameras or camera system. This is easily done, but be aware of the downside to this, have things exposed to the internet means they can be hacked. Not a big concern in my opinion, but that depends on your level of paranoia.

Solar panels come in different sizes and power ratings. In order to determine the right type and amount of panels you would require have many factors to consider. It is not as easy as just simply saying 1 panel is enough. The amount of power required is dependent on what devices and equipment are required to be powered by it and how long you require that power. Remember, the solar panels only collect power during the sunlight hours, charged batteries would then provide that power during the non-sunlight hours. The more electricity required to power your devices the more panels and batteries you will require. That is a simplistic explanation and we can do a detailed analysis if you are seriously interested in pursuing this as a power supplement to your utility or for an off-grid system. Contact us today to find out more.