Let Relative Home Systems Bring the Power of Superior Lighting to Your Austin-Area Property

Imagine walking into your Texas smart home and having every space perfectly lit. Your walk from the garage to the kitchen is illuminated so you can safely make your way between these spaces and set down your things. The kitchen lighting is already on, so there’s no need to fumble along the wall for the light switch.

Outside, your property shines brightly to add dramatic curb appeal and deter potential thieves. Nope, you didn’t leave the lights on when you left for work that morning. This is all possible thanks to lighting automation.

Keep reading below to learn how automated lighting and total home control can completely change your Austin lifestyle.

Does your home have a digital hub that allows you to control the various subsystems throughout your home? Welcome to the Savant home where you decide how your home should react to you and your family. With a Savant system, you get the convenience of an automated home. Plus when you work with the professionals at Relative Home Systems you’ll transform your Austin, Texas home into a space that reacts the way you want it to.

A Tailored Home Just for You

The Savant home automation system is compatible with thousands of products and gadgets that help control climate and lighting and software for security and entertainment. Savant recently introduced its new software and affordable smart controllers, putting it within reach of a much wider audience at a much lower cost. Dim lights throughout your home, stream audio and video to any room in your home, and view security cameras at a glance all at the press of a button. Remotely access and monitor your home from nearly anywhere in the world and adjust room temperatures, turn off lights, and lock doors.

Alliance with Apple®

Savant’s strong relationship with Apple has helped to propel the brand and its technology forward, making it one of the fastest growing companies in the luxury smart home market. Savant uses the Apple Mac Mini to run the software and smart phone and tablets to control the various subsystems throughout the home. In addition, Savant is also compatible with Android devices, putting the power in the consumer’s hands regardless of that smart device they are holding. The Savant system is intuitive and syncs easily with a variety of control devices.

When it comes to home networking, you’re probably familiar with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. But with the advent of smart automation, Zigbee and Z-Waves are also becoming important protocols for wireless communication. These popular mesh network technologies can be incorporated into the automation system in your River Oaks, Texas home to increase the flow of traffic and boost reliability. Below we explain what a mesh network is and why it’s so popular when it comes to smart devices.

SEE MORE: Is Your Home Equipped to Handle a Connected Home?

What Is a Mesh Network?

A mesh network is one in which devices can speak directly with each other without having to go through a central router. Each device becomes its own standalone node in the network. All your nodes create echoes (imagine many small rocks falling into water and creating individual ripples) to give a broad reach to your signal as it finds the quickest way to its final destination.

This kind of technology is also used in cell phone networks on a bigger stage. When you call or text someone, your signal doesn’t have to go through AT&T or Verizon headquarters. Instead, the closest cell phone tower will relay the message.

As the home automation industry continues to evolve with product advancements and integration technologies, Relative Home Systems is ready to bring our expertise to you! Our new blog is here as a resource to spotlight products and services that will have the most impact on your projects.

Our first spotlight, however, is actually on RHS(or Relative Home Systems, being…us). More specifically, we wanted to take this opportunity to present the advantages of working with an experienced Crestron Integrator.

Why Crestron?

The new home automation systems are sometimes called “Smart Home” systems or “Systems Integration.” Whatever the title, they are all referring to intuitive control of your home's subsystems, including audio/video, lighting, security, CCTV, motorized shades & drapes, pool/spa and more. Besides a consistent system-to-system look and feel which makes controlling your home easier, combining these subsystems into a unified control also greatly eliminates wall clutter. Thermostats are hidden in closets or a mechanical room and backup security keypads and pool/spa controllers can likewise be hidden.

Crestron is a world-wide leader in this home automation control, and RHS is one of a few audio-visual firms that can boast nearly a century of combined Crestron experience. This means that our staff has earned its stripes! Through intensive training and real-world experience, we offer the highest level of expertise and quality in programming our client's integration systems.

Are you ready for an automated home? Maybe you’d like music to flow through every room of the house or a security system that protects every vulnerable corner. From one app on your phone, you can access your speakers, security, lights, thermostats, TVs, and more.

But that’s going to require lots of planning, wiring, and careful installation by a smart home installer. If you’re renovating your property or building a new home, you’d benefit from partnering with a technology advisor like Relative Home Systems, based in Austin, TX. But when should a smart home professional get involved in the process?

Ideally, you’ll bring in help from the very beginning. We’ll share every step of the timeline so you can see how an installer helps at each phase of your new smart home build.

SEE ALSO: Why Go With a Pro for Your Smart Home Installation?

Architectural Phase

In the first phase, we’ll meet with you to design a blueprint of where all your technology will go. We’ll review it with your architect or builder, and if you’re working with an interior designer, we’ll discuss the technology’s impact on design. We’ll provide a budget to you and contract low-voltage wiring services to power your technology.

Consumer electronics is one of the fastest evolving segments in all of the electronics industry. The demand for thinner, light, higher resolution televisions with lightning-fast processors has created a new breed of displays.

If you consider how radically video technology has changed in the last 20 years alone, it should be no surprise that televisions are now living up to the futuristic movie scenes we all watched on the big screen.

So while the race for the thinnest display on the market has some people choosing form over function in terms of video quality, we suggest taking a more logical approach…

Television Lifts

Choose what all the videophiles have for years…Plasma. Just picture your plasma screen set it in motion with a popup or drop down lift, concealed in a custom piece of furniture for the ultimate in home technology. Cabinet Tronix offers a vast selection of traditional and contemporary cabinets that are transformed to house your flat screen television.

As your local Savant Systems dealer, part of our job is keeping you updated whenever any new features or products are available for your Austin, Texas home. In this blog, we'll talk about the company's latest releases which include new music streaming and control options, an improved user interface and new video distribution products. Read on to explore all the latest Savant offerings. 

SEE MORE: 4 Best Features of the Savant Systems App

Improved User Interface

When it comes to the average consumer, the change to the Savant Systems user interface is the biggest news from the company’s Pro 8.0 software release. The new user interface is all about creating a comprehensive view of the system. On your main screen, icons represent all the technology included in the home. If you hold down a particular icon, you can get a drop down menu showing all the control options for that specific subsystem. This general user interface is the same for each room in the home. This way it's easier to get what you want within a few button presses.

New Streaming Options

In a recent study conducted by Microsoft, researchers found three barriers that must be addressed before wider adoption of smart home technology can occur. While the majority of households surveyed reported mostly positive experiences with home automation, participants highlighted three challenges including linking disparate systems, poor manageability, and high cost of ownership. The team of experts at Relative Home Systems has been working to address these challenges in each of the automation projects it convenes. If you’re considering smart home automation for your Memorial, Texas home, you’ll want to keep reading.

Challenge #1: Linking Disparate Systems 

With so many smart devices and electronics within a single home, it can become challenging for the homeowner to get the flawless integration they desire. Retrofitting a home with the proper technology requires expertise in smart technology, programming, and networking.

Each project we tackle has its own unique set of challenges and demands, but this is where we excel. Whether you choose to automate a single room in your home or outfit the entire house, our team will design a plan, select the right technology and configure it in a manner that meets you and your family’s needs. We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all solution. We’ll customize a home automation system that blends with your lifestyle.

Challenge #2: Poor Manageability

Do you have a difficult time getting motivated in the morning? Do your children incessantly hit snooze on the bedside alarm? Are you tired of tip-toeing across a cold bathroom tile floor each morning? Do you blindly search for the light switches in the bedroom and constantly wake your partner? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’ll want to read on because Relative Home Systems has a solution for your Memorial, Texas home.

Home Automation: The Total Package

With a Creston home automation system, you can easily control everything in your home using sleek touch screens, remotes, or your favorite mobile device. Start with one room or outfit your entire home. Crestron has been setting the standard in automation for over four decades, is customizable and will blend in with you lifestyle. One of our favorite Creston features is the ability to create scenes.

Awake Like Sleeping Beauty

No need to set the alarm on your smart phone; not when you have a Crestron system. As your day begins, the bedroom lights slowly turn on to the right level so that when you awake the room is illuminated and you can move about the room with ease. As you make your way to the bathroom, the lights are already on, the mirror TV is tuned to your favorite morning show, and you feel the warmth of the bathroom tiles on your feet.

Detailed attention is given to every aspect of your décor- so why not your lighting? Customized lighting is important for overall design, enhancing star pieces and flattering other furniture. With the variety of customized lighting and shading options available today, lighting that complements your décor is easier than ever.

Relative Home Systems knows that custom lighting can be used to enhance the natural beauty of your home rather than detract. Great lighting is the icing on the cake of a well-designed interior and can be created for any and every room, not just one location.  Want to know how automated lighting can not only reduce energy costs but spotlight your interior design skills? You’re in the right place.

Enhance Your Décor

A professional integrator such as RHS can construct your scenes of light in “layers” allowing you to assemble the perfect atmosphere with the touch of a button.  A room of featured artwork can be put on display when a guest arrives, simply by engaging a “showcase” setting.   Lighting control can help create a consistent design style throughout a home, replacing clusters of switches in various locations with simple control panels, set to pre-programmed settings, such as “high and low.”  With dimmers and motorized shades throughout your home, natural light can also be included as a complementary layer to an overall lighting control system for the best possible results.

Reduce Solar Gain

Someday your floor could be the only security sensor you need for the home, if IBM moves ahead with a patent granted on March 20, “Securing premises using surfaced-based computing technology.”

The patent describes a multitouch floor that can determine who is in the house, and what they’re doing. The floor senses the shapes, weight and number of feet on the ground so it can distinguish between parents, kids, infants, pets … and unauthorized visitors.

From the patent:
The system takes different actions based upon identifying which object is in a particular location. For example, if the system senses that a small child is in an “off-limits” location, such as a swimming pool or hot tub area, the child’s caregiver can immediately be notified to prevent the child from getting hurt. Similarly, if the system senses that the family dog has entered an area that is off-limits, such as a living room or bedroom, actions can be taken accordingly. If the owner is home, the owner can be notified with an alert in order to remove the dog from the off-limits location. If no one is home, a high-pitched dog alarm can be sounded in order to have the dog retreat from the off-limits location.

Smart Floors and Eldercare

The smart floors also could determine the position and movement of the home’s occupants, which has tremendous implications for home health technology, aging in place and telemedicine. If a resident falls and does not get up in a certain amount of time, the floor – like any other security sensor – could send a message to the home alarm, home automation or PERS (personal emergency response system) device to alert a family member or monitoring station.

One problem with traditional PERS pendants and wearable fall-detection devices is that users take them off at night or before showering, and fail to put them on again.

Relative Sound Systems, LP is excited to announce the rebranding of our company. We are now RELATIVE HOME SYSTEMS, LP. Along with a new company name, we have launched a fantastic, new website. Our new site will give you insight to our company, our history, our talents and our promise to be the best residential Audio/Video designer and installer in the greater Houston area. Check out the various tabs on our site for a glimpse of the homes in which we have had the privilege to work in.

In celebrating our 10 year anniversary, our customers have made us the company that we are today. We look forward to an exciting future with our new company name and new visions.

Check back often as we post new blogs to assist you in keeping up with the latest in home electronics technology.

The holidays look a bit different this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the festivities while staying at home in Austin, TX. Home automation brings a new layer of excitement to an already fun time of year by making life easier and more enjoyable.

We strive to bring trusted technology trends to our clients’ homes so they can enjoy themselves with multi-room audio, private home theaters, lighting control, and more. Read on below to learn two ways Relative Home Systems can incorporate smart home control and help you add a little more pizazz to your end-of-year celebrations.

SEE ALSO: How Do Biophilia and Smart Home Technology Mix?

Livens the Mood

There’s nothing quite like hearing your favorite holiday playlist for the first time each year. Why not stream your favorite songs from your personal music collection or favorite TIDAL playlists on your whole-home audio system? Colorful LED lighting can also help energize the mood while you’re playing your seasonal playlists, too. Bathe the room in holiday colors—red and green, blue and white, or any combination you choose!

Mariah Carey’s seasonal favorite, “All I Want for Christmas” will get stuck in your head in no time—just tap a button on your Control4 Neeo remote, and the song will stream from every speaker you pass as you walk from the festively lit kitchen to the family room to the outdoor patio.

Does your home have a digital hub that allows you to control the various subsystems throughout your home? Welcome to the Savant home where you decide how your home should react to you and your family. With a Savant system, you get the convenience of an automated home. Plus when you work with the professionals at Relative Home Systems you’ll transform your Austin, Texas home into a space that reacts the way you want it to.

A Tailored Home Just for You

The Savant home automation system is compatible with thousands of products and gadgets that help control climate and lighting and software for security and entertainment. Savant recently introduced its new software and affordable smart controllers, putting it within reach of a much wider audience at a much lower cost. Dim lights throughout your home, stream audio and video to any room in your home, and view security cameras at a glance all at the press of a button. Remotely access and monitor your home from nearly anywhere in the world and adjust room temperatures, turn off lights, and lock doors.

Alliance with Apple®

Savant’s strong relationship with Apple has helped to propel the brand and its technology forward, making it one of the fastest growing companies in the luxury smart home market. Savant uses the Apple Mac Mini to run the software and smart phone and tablets to control the various subsystems throughout the home. In addition, Savant is also compatible with Android devices, putting the power in the consumer’s hands regardless of that smart device they are holding. The Savant system is intuitive and syncs easily with a variety of control devices.