Smart Lighting Just Got Brighter
By Crystal Watts
With Control4 smart lighting solutions, you’ll have the freedom, flexibility and convenience to change a mood or create a different ambiance in one touch—or even automatically.
What Can a Control4 Home Automation System Do For You? [INFOGRAPHIC]
By Crystal Watts
What Can a Control4 Home Automation System Do For You?
Motorhome Field Advantage
By Crystal Watts
This family has it all figured out. They made the decision to take their home automation system on the road, entirely outfitting their rig with smart equipment and decking it out in Auburn University gear. Wherever they go, they are the envy of the tailgate.
Automation Turned "Hauntomation"
By Crystal Watts
We’ve heard about some pretty cool things—besides the home—that people around the world are automating, such as spas and salons, car dealerships, fitness centers, driving ranges and bowling alleys, a super cool equestrian center, and the list goes on and on. But one of the more ironic ones we’ve seen was a project that popped up on our radar just this month in our own backyard. It’s called the “Scared Haunt,” and it’s a fully-automated haunted house that...
Ramping Up the Security in Your Smart Home
By Tyler Reed
A truly great home automation system is able to control all of the devices in your home, including your home theater, whole house audio, video, lighting, smart thermostat and, of course, your security system. Our dealers tell us that one of the biggest requests from customers is to integrate their security system into their home automation system. That makes sense. When a security system is integrated with home automation, additional security features can also be automated and controlled, such as door locks, smart lighting, IP cameras, motion sensors, contact sensors and other controllable devices to really give you peace of mind.
Now That’s Hot: The Wonders of a Smart Thermostat
By Lisa Harmer
We recently moved into a new house. Actually it’s an older house, built in 1998, but it was new to us. Having come from a fully automated Control4 home where the thermostat was placed discreetly in the basement and the sensor was hidden behind the textured paint, you can certainly imagine my shock when I saw the thermostat in our “new” home.
Using Your Home Automation System to Make this Halloween Scary-Smart
By Crystal Watts
Thanks to our newest issue of Home Smart Home, we have some pretty cool home automation tricks-and-treats to share with you this Halloween that will make your Control4 system scary-smart. Below are a few suggestions for October, but click on the image below to see ideas for November and December as well, just in time for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
Control Your Home With Voice Alone From Your Phone!
By
When Apple unveiled Siri for the iPhone 4S in 2011, the world changed. While decent voice recognition technology had been available for decades, Siri was the first service to integrate powerful speech-driven information retrieval and control functions into the core user experience of a mainstream mobile device.
CEDIA 2013 Award Recognition
By Crystal Watts
I’d have to say there were many highlights in my trip to Denver, but the recognition that Control4 received from industry professionals and publications certainly topped the list for me. From product managers to the warehouse team, marketing folk to engineers, each one of us at Control4 is passionate about the gear we create, and we all feel a great deal of gratitude when we receive acknowledgement for the products and solutions that we truly believe enhance the lives of our customers.
Coolest Things I Saw at CEDIA
By Daren Tarpenning
Being a self-declared tech-geek, my absolute favorite thing about attending the CEDIA Expo is being able to see what new, innovative products and emerging trends are being introduced to custom installers and other professionals in the home technology industry. The adventure truly begins when you set foot into the exhibit hall, where I never fail to find something exciting and intriguing. Here are some of the noteworthy products I found.
It's Showtime!
By Susan Cashen
Today, tens of thousands of professionals in the custom integration business converge in Denver for the 2013 CEDIA Expo, the leading tradeshow that showcases new home technology for home theater, home security and, of course, home automation. Hundreds of manufacturers, including Control4, will be showcasing innovative technologies and launching new products. For us home technology nerds, who could ask for more?
10 Years Strong!
By Martin Plaehn, President & CEO
This week, Control4 celebrates its 10-year anniversary. As many of you know, Control4 was started in 2003 by three founders and has since expanded to more than 340 employees who are working with a worldwide dealer and distributor network of thousands in more than 80 countries...
Time for a New Issue of Home Smart Home!
By Shanan Carney
In this issue of Home Smart Home, we'll take you back 10 years—and one hundred years—with a view through the lens of home automation conveniences. We interviewed the three founders of Control4 to learn more about their advancements of a smart home from a decade ago, and while we're there, we asked for a read on the future, too. In other features...
The Cutting Edge of Media Distribution
By
My father was a pioneer in multi-room audio, although he had no idea of it at the time. In fact, even today, if you mention the terms “multi-room audio” or “media distribution”, he’ll wonder just what the heck it is that you’re babbling about. Thankfully, that’s not due to any age-related forgetfulness. Instead, for him, having music and television in multiple places throughout the house is such a basic concept that it doesn’t require a special name...
Control4 and China
By Paul Williams
你好 (Nǐ hǎo), China is one of the top emerging global markets in the world today. With a year-over-year gross domestic product (GDP) growth between 2011 and 2012 of 7.9% compared to 2% for the United States during the same period, China has a vibrant and growing economy.
Once You Go Rack, You Never Go Back
By Daren Tarpenning
Prior to working at Control4, I designed and installed Control4 systems. A question that clients often asked was whether they should have their A/V equipment scattered in respective areas around the home or is there a better solution?
Don’t Become a Toppling Television Statistic.
By Crystal Watts
I tend to err on the side of caution. And by this, I mean I occasionally act like a human bumper-pad to my 2-year old, following him around everywhere to hopefully prevent any and every opportunity of him getting injured.I tend to err on the side of caution. And by this, I mean I occasionally act like a human bumper-pad to my 2-year old, following him around everywhere to hopefully prevent any and every opportunity of him getting injured.
The Benefits of Distributed Video
By Tyler Reed
When I was a kid and my dad would take me to the local electronics store, I would normally head straight to the TV section. I loved staring at a wall of TVs that were all playing the exact same thing—typically either a sporting event or a movie. I would ask my dad how they were able to accomplish such a magical task because I wanted to do the same thing with the TVs in my house (all two of them). Neither of us knew it back then but this is what the industry pros refer to as distributed video.
Control4 and Android Home Automation
By David Baker
My wife thinks Android home automation is a non-issue, but I beg to differ. There’s a reason that the “other brand” of home control for mobile devices isn’t really on her radar screen. She has Apple iPhone and iPad devices, and uses both to control everything in our home, from the temperature to the ceiling fans to the volume on the television. She’s extremely happy with the iOS version of Control4’s MyHome app, and she’s definitely not alone.
Multiroom Audio in a Multi-kid House
By David Baker
Up until a couple of years ago, multiroom audio wasn’t even a concern for our family. That was back in simpler times, when our kids just listened to whatever music we did, or whatever music we told them to listen to. But times have changed.
What Whole Home Audio Means Today
By David Baker
My teenagers keep reminding me how old I am, and my perspective on the topic of whole home audio is very obviously colored by my experience growing up as a teen of the 1980’s. So much has happened in the past 30 years or so to improve the home audio listening experience, it’s easy to forget how far we’ve come.
Taking My Smarthome for Granted
By David Baker
We had houseguests this week, and watching their reaction to my smarthome was really a fun experience. It served to remind me how much home automation has already changed my life, and how much it could change the lives of others.
Vacation Mode.
By
It’s vacation season, that time of year when you turn your thermostats up to an unlivable temperature, lock your doors and hire the neighbor kid to pick up your mail and newspaper—as you head out for some fun in the sun. Ever worry about what’s going on at the house back home?
How ZigBee Compares In Wireless Home Automation
By David Baker
ZigBee's use of mesh networking, low power, and low bandwidth make it an excellent option for wireless home automation, especially when used with Control4 lighting systems.
Bahama Mama
By Shanan Carney
With three kids, three dogs, and a successful property development company to manage, Nassau residents John and Ghandi Kane, had a one-word vision when it came to designing their 10,000 sq foot home – usability. “We tried to design every inch of it to reflect us as a family,” Ghandi, a seventh generation Bahamian, says. And that's where Control4 fits in...
