One of the joys of building your own home is taking full advantage of exciting technologies that are widely available today but that were unimaginable just a few years ago.
Homes today can be built with everyone in the family in mind. Smarter design techniques and tech allow for lots of possibilities. And why not take advantage of that, since your building it, build it the way you want.
Your new home can be a very entertaining space, so it’s not surprising that, according to a 2018 New Home Insights study shows, about 91 percent of active home shoppers are interested in including smart home technology in their new homes, and that 30 million households are projected to add smart home tech into there new homes through 2025.
Wiring for and adding smart tech now will help with not only resale value down the road, but also your ability upgrade systems easier and cheaper in the future.
It's not unusual for homeowners wanting to upgrade systems just a few years after they built a custom home, or fully renovated one. And its not uncommon for them to run into a situation where they don't have the appropriate infrastructure in place to do so.
“My electrician said this was sufficient wiring for what i needed!”
The most common reason we hear as to why a newer home isn't wired properly for technology, is simply 'We didn't know' or 'They said it was fine'. This means that the architect, builder and or contractors on the project failed them! This happens not because they don't care, but because those professionals simply do not specialize in these type of systems and do not stay current on what is required.
So what can you do to avoid these mistakes? Find a builder that works with a technology firm as a trusted partner, or bring your own!
A dedicated technology specialist is going to be able to work with you directly to understand you technology needs, walk you through what your options are, and most importantly act as a translator to your builder and contractors conveying only what parts are important for them to know and how they need to be involved in the process to get it built properly.
PRE-WIRING
Prewiring is the phase where we install all the conduits and wiring before drywall is put up on your walls and ceilings. This is also the phase where we can install brackets as placeholders for items like speakers, tv's, smart home sensors, cameras, and more. These things will greatly improve the finished product and make the installation go much smoother. And don't be afraid to ask for more wiring, or upgraded wiring, this is really the only time to do so.
“I’ve never heard anyone say - ‘Man, I just had too many wires installed in this house”
WIRELESS
Wireless is NOT the magic answer! Your home needs more wiring than ever before.. while wireless is super convenient especially with so many mobile device, it should be reserved for just those devices. The airwaves are crowded, and wireless is slow when its crowded, period.
'The abundance of wireless components on the market may make it seem like pre-wiring a house is a waste of time and money. It is very much the exact opposite!'
Wireless works great for some applications and devices, such as printers, but it just really doesn’t work very well with ultra-high definition video and hi-resolution audio for mission critical uses, such home theater. Audio Video is using so much bandwidth its even outgrown copper wires! That's right, we are now wiring homes with fiber optics for some systems. Sounds futuristic, but it's a reality!
Imagine a highway with no lane dividers. Thats wireless, it’s just chaos. Hard-wiring helps relieve this.
MAKING ROOM FOR TECH
Beyond the need to pre-wire a house for current and future technology needs, even architects and home designers are recognizing the need to ask their clients about their entertainment choices. But, a good Custom Electronics Integrator specializes in best knowing how to integrate tech into your lifestyle, and can really help guide your decision making.
A technology consulting firm can help you with customizing all of this and figuring our where you tech is going to live. Where are all those wires going to go to?
If you plan on using an interior designer, be sure to let your tech specialists know up front, as we need to work together to help insure a seamless experience and beautiful end result. And make sure to advise your designer and other specailists that you have a tech firm involved in the project too!
SMART HOME & AUTOMATION
While entertainment applications might be the most exciting area of home technology innovation, home automation (smart home) is another area that’s expanding rapidly. Now that iPhone or Android smartphone in your pocket lets you handle everything from securing a dinner reservation to making a bank deposit.... and now controlling almost every aspect of your home!
A common requested smart control feature is automated lighting control inside and outside of the home. Of course, so is home audio and security. And costs have come down significantly, making it more accessible to everyone to implement these solutions.
Home automations can also help aging or disabled homeowners via motion sensors that turn on lights as they go down a hallway, reminders to take medication, or alerts to a family member if certain conditions are triggered.
And just recently we now have voice control which can overlay these systems to give a more seamless and automated form of control, without fumbling with your mobile device or keypad.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
There’s some really cool stuff coming, real practical stuff too!
It’s hard to imagine what might be the next innovation. Whatever it is, it’s going to need wires.
Your local tech consultant is the only one who will be able to steer you in the right direction for all this wiring and technology that's available now and coming soon. But also keep in mind, sometimes it's still an educated guess even for the pros.
The best thing you can do is to be very clear about your current wants and needs, and any specific things you have planned for the near future... as an example - you have pretty strong plans to add a pool soon after the home is built. This is definitely something you want to discuss now! And covey that clearly to your technology expert and other contractors, as this is something that could be planned for upfront and may save you time and money... even if its a year out.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Typically most specialist firms, including ours, are a bit different than the other trades on your home build site. While you tend to not interact with them directly, you instead deal with your GC. It's quite the opposite with tech, in order to insure that the systems are tailored to your specific needs, your specialist will instead work with YOU directly.
A common misconception is you will pay more for products from a specialty firm, versus a local store. But any authorized dealers (whether specialty or retail store) will sell products for the same price, its actually part of our agreements with manufacturers to protect you and their brand. Keep in mind though you are also getting professional delivery and installation, and these may be bundled into the products price in some instances. So you need to make sure your comparing apples to apples when looking at those prices. You often even get a better deal through a specialist when combining multiple parts with installation, especially if buying lots of the same item such as speakers.
So talk with your builder or GC, tell them you want to bring in a specialist like Iron Hill AV consultants from the beginning. Or even better, send your builder to our website so they can lean more about how we can work with them directly also. The sooner you can get a specialist on-site though the better the outcome will be. And not just during the building process... it's important to note that hiring a home technology specialist insures you also have a relationship with them after you move in, for continued support of your technology systems moving forward.
Iron Hill AV offers Audio Visual, Home Theater, Smart Home, Home Audio integrations and much more... in the Delaware and surrounding areas. Let's discuss your technology project and see how our professional sales and service team can help you achieve your ideal system integration.
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