by Kylie Molegraaf | Jun 27, 2018 | Blog
Technology is completely taking over our future. It’s progressing every day…there’s no denying it.
We’re loving it. It’s exciting, it’s new and the possibilities are endless. However, we know that not everyone shares our enthusiasm. Some might say it’s unnecessary, too much, and even scary. The reality is, you can control how the progression of technology affects you personally. Once you get over the hump of accepting its potential role in your life…that’s when the fun starts.
If you’re avoiding updating your gadgets and home technology because you don’t want it to interfere with your lifestyle, you’re thinking about it all wrong. Sure, there are the people that wait around for new toys so they can spend even more hours a day glued to a screen. But you’re not one of those people…are you? (If so…you might want to read our recent post on 2018 tech trends) At Symbio, our hope for the future of technology is for it to exist quietly in the background, taking care of things you shouldn’t have to. You should be able to utilize technology to the point that time spent actually monitoring it is minimal.
We want to give you a few tips and tricks that might be worth implementing in your home. Not for the sake of impressing your friends, (although you will) but for the sake of spending more time doing what you love with you who love. Take a look at the following features you might be missing out on…
Master Your Morning Routine: Waking up isn’t that hard. It’s the getting out of bed part that’s tricky. The problem is, once you get out of bed, there is a list of things to do and the first few are adjusting your home to the way you like it when you’re awake. Turn on the lights to adjust to the daytime. Open the blinds to get you moving. Adjust the thermostat because let’s face it, you can’t walk around with a blanket all day. Well, you guessed it…all of these are functions available to you in a smart home. If you have these set to adjust when your alarm goes off, not only is it added accountability to put your feet on the floor and get moving, but you have that much more time and brain space to start getting yourself ready for the day.
These features are beneficial on both ends of your day. When you come home from work or errands, let your home know what will make you comfortable before you even walk in the door. You can schedule exactly when you want the air to kick on, lights to come on, shades to be drawn…and if your schedule changes? No worries. It’s all controlled easily from one place – the palm of your hand.
Color-Coded Email Alerts: Do you feel like you’re in the future yet? This simple yet wildly impressive feature is a favorite across the board. When you’re spending time with loved ones, anywhere in your home, you don’t always have or even want to have access to your phone and computer. However, unplugging from work is a luxury that is not always available to us. Have an important project you’re waiting to hear back on? No problem. Depending on the system you’re using, you can actually link your smart light to your email in such a way that the sender(s) you select will affect either the color, intensity or pattern of your smart lights.
Time saved using these features might be minimal, but that’s not the only benefit. When you grow accustomed to your house working for you instead of it being the other way around, you put your mind at ease as you remove these seemingly minuscule tasks from your daily routine. You’re able to be more present, stress-free, and overall utilize your brain space for things that matter.
by Kylie Molegraaf | Jun 6, 2018 | Blog
We are in the business of introducing the latest technology into your everyday life in such a way that you don’t even notice it’s there…everything just suddenly seems to flow more smoothly. While you’re enjoying your home and everyone in it, we’re in the background making sure all of your boxes are checked. As technology continues to expand and the internet of things controls more and more “things”, our job changes. How can we incorporate the latest gadget into your home?
While we work on creating top-notch automation, we wanted to share with our readers some of the up and coming trends on the rise this year. We’ll handle the details of making sure you get the most out of these…you just focus on the fun part which is, reading about them!
As we get further and further into the future, it’s easy to take on the mindset of, “What more could there be?” And while it is impossible to predict what is to come, it’s usually appropriate to assume that if nothing else, existing digital trends will significantly increase in speed, accessibility, and more.
1. Artificial Intelligence. We know this isn’t new, but suddenly, it seems that every new device and application is utilizing this feature. With it being so widely used across the world of technology, consumers almost expect it at this point. This aids home automation in the sense that, yes, we’re controlling multiple devices in one but when our habits begin being memorized by these devices, it presents an opportunity for them to perform the actions we need them to, when we need them to.
2. Advancement of Digital Centralization. Obviously, we’re a little partial to this particular trend. More and more appliances and systems are being centralized every day. At the height of this trend, we imagine a future where your to-do list consists of the things you WANT to do…all the have to’s are taken care of. With the exception of finding the right button on your phone or, better yet, utilizing voice commands, your free time will be with your loved ones and doing things you genuinely enjoy.
3. 5G. You read that right…5G networks. What could possibly be better than 4G, you might ask? Well, a lot, actually…with a 5G network, video conferences are suddenly crystal clear, web searches spew information with no lag time at all, even self-driving cars are on the table! You don’t even realize how much speed plays into our current state of technology until you consider what *no* lag time could really mean. This is revolutionary for the automation industry as well, considering phones have turned into universal remotes for all of our devices. As the number of devices included under the internet of things continues to grow, network reliability and speed become more and more vital.
4. Voice Recognition. Voice commands sound great and all, but not if you have to say it much more than once. Even with human interaction, having to repeat yourself is extremely frustrating. At some point, you’ve probably said the phrase, “Nevermind, I’ll just do it myself.” This carries over into the world of technology, too. Voice command has yet to reach it’s full potential purely because your device can’t always interpret what you’re saying. Well, just wait, because the more this becomes prevalent among various systems, the better your technology will understand you.
Which of these upcoming technology trends are you excited about? Or maybe you have one outside of our list…leave a comment below!
by Kylie Molegraaf | May 16, 2018 | Blog
Have you heard the hype? The Boulevard Show House has received plenty…and rightfully so. This Tudor style home built almost a century ago has made its way into the spotlight thanks to renowned designer, Laura Umansky. Laura purchased the home last year with a vision and team in mind to help her accomplish it. Only having been renovated twice in its life, 1970 and 2000, the home, which came to be known as the “Boulevard Show House” was due for a makeover. Laura saw past the burgundy carpet, jungle wallpaper and outdated features (master bath toilets facing each other…when was that a thing?). She knew it would be the perfect space to not only display her impeccable interior design skills but for her sweet family of 4 to call home.
Laura handpicked different vendors and businesses across industries all over Houston to partner with her team on this project. We’re honored to say that she put all of her home technology needs in the hands of Symbio. We have worked with Laura’s design team for almost 10 years, so being chosen for such a personal project meant a lot. When we heard about the Boulevard house, we immediately began planning out lighting control, motorized shades, security, surveillance, networking, automation, audio, and video. Between shading control from Lutron, invisible speakers from Stealth Acoustics, and full integration with Alexa makes this project a perfect example of the services we offer. Our team is particularly excited about the Stealth Acoustics LRX83. This new speaker allows for widespread sound from behind your walls. Laura told us during installation, “Michael (husband) is excited because we’re getting sound throughout the entire house…I’m excited because I don’t have to see speakers everywhere.”
Home tours were given over the weekends leading up to the Umansky’s move-in date. Once the public had the chance to marvel at not only Laura’s skill in the industry but her impeccable taste, she and her family moved into their very own Boulevard Show House. At Symbio, we are focused on the sophisticated, luxury homeowner and that is exactly why working with Laura was an ideal fit.
Laura said, “The team at Symbio truly listened to my goals for my new home. I asked to have music playing throughout my home without the aesthetics of each room being overtaken by equipment. They made great suggestions for the newest tech available including invisible speakers and a beautiful framed projector screen. Symbio’s knowledge of the best in AV accommodated my design style without sacrificing performance!”
We are honored to have been a part of this project. Here at Symbio, we know that loving where you live is a big part of life and designing your dream home is the ultimate way to make that happen. The fact that Laura has allowed us to give her home the automation it needed lets us know that we are accomplishing our goal of helping our client fall in love with every aspect of their home. We know that lighting, audio, and control are only a few pieces of the puzzle…take a look at the other partners on this project and see how we all made it come together!
Luxe Interiors + Design Magazine
Newberry Architecture
Blue River Custom Builders
Moss Landscaping
Monogram Appliances
Marvin Windows and Doors
Schenck and Company
Kohler
We are anxiously awaiting the release of photos from the renovated home…so keep an eye out to see what everyone’s raving about!
by scmedia | Apr 25, 2018 | Blog
If you’ve read about home automation at all, you’ve probably heard the term, “Internet of Things”. In fact, this phrase is becoming more and more widely used when discussing anything internet-related.
It’s truly mind-boggling to consider where the internet began. The progression of computers and communication was a slow one, beginning in the late 50’s. However, the development that prompts this conversation today occurred in 1991. A computer scientist named Tim Berners-Lee changed the face of computers, the internet, and all things involved when he introduced the World Wide Web. Before this, the internet was just a way to send a file from one computer to the next. The World Wide Web turned it into a widely accessible platform full of information from whoever added to it. Almost thirty years later, this remains as the basis of the internet. Additionally, various tools have been put in place to increase ease of use such as scrollbars, clickable links, search engines, etc. Now, today, it seems there isn’t anything the internet can’t do. Again, when you consider where this all started, the progress we’ve made is truly incredible.
The goal of the world wide web up until this point, to put it simply, has been to connect people in as many ways possible. Social networking sites, location services, and many other tools continue to revolutionize the level of communication we are constantly in with the rest of the world. The internet of things is the idea that now, instead of connecting people, we’re connecting…you guessed it, things. We are exploring and implementing ways to connect everything you can imagine to the internet. Most of it is being done through phone apps, as that is the way we are used to connecting at this point. So when you hear, “the internet of things” it is essentially the connection between you, your phone, and your possessions.
Can you think of anything that you would like to be able to control from your phone and/or computer? What is your most prized possession? Chances are it’s something of high dollar value, and it probably lives for the most part, in your home. One of the biggest benefits of home automation is the added security. Alarm systems, cameras, and the ability to control locks, doors, and lights from your phone are just a few examples of how home automation makes your home safer. So in the conversation surrounding the internet of things, home automation is not only an extension of that but also a way to protect everything within it.
The internet of things is expanding every day, from things as simple as kitchen appliances all the way up to your car, any device connected to the internet can be controlled from a remote location. The idea is to streamline as many of these items with one remote controlling them all, therefore simplifying multiple processes. These developments are affecting almost every industry, with predictions to get up to twenty-four billion devices within the internet of things by 2020.
Now, the question is, what items can you bring into the internet of things?
by scmedia | Apr 6, 2018 | Blog
Technology’s role in the average individual’s life is increasing every day. When you stop and think how much of our daily routine depends on our computers, phones, or the internet, it can be overwhelming. From a convenience standpoint, however, this streamlining is incredible. Ease of use, access, and storage makes for quicker processes on almost every front.
Home automation is a front that is on the rise. Some homeowners start small with automated shades or thermostats, others hand over all manual processes in their home to a company like ours. It is a luxury that one quickly grows accustomed to and it is becoming the norm. With all this power shifting into the hands of our technology systems, the question arises: What can we do to protect it?
Perhaps you haven’t considered the possible threats to your in-home technology. Chances are you’ve already experienced multiple surges in your home – and not just during a lightning storm. In fact, the majority of surges are caused by the homeowner themselves, and might even go unnoticed over the years. Slowly, these surges chip away at the electronic’s lifespan and performance.
To put it into simple terms, a whole-house surge protection device will serve as a kind of security system for your electricity use. It ensures that any electricity your home doesn’t need won’t be allowed in. In addition to this, it will protect the devices in your home from any surges happening internally.
Before upgrading the technology in your home, consider how you plan to protect it. Think of a whole-house SPD as insurance for your home automation needs. At Symbio, we realize that this is a valuable investment and we want to make sure you get the most out of it. Let our team help you decide how to best upgrade your home’s technology and automation…call us at 713-780-4601.
by scmedia | Mar 20, 2018 | Blog
By now, you know that home automation is all the rage. More and more homes are realizing the potential and implementing it wherever they can. Pretty soon, it will be rarer to walk into a non-automatic home than a smart home. In the meantime, let’s explore what home automation can simplify for you.
One of the first functions built into home-automation was lighting. It’s no surprise that this feature is appealing to the public. In fact, this idea of “automatic lighting” originated over 20 years ago with the “Clapper”. You might remember the ads…the clapper plugged into your existing outlet and in turn could power up to two devices that were then controlled by sound, ie. a clap.
In today’s society, we crave convenience. We’re doing away with mindless tasks to make room for the big ideas. The idea of home automation is simply that…why would I spend my time flipping the same switch at the same time every day if technology could do it for me?
Now that our lights are automatic, we’re realizing even more potential benefits built into the existing system. If my lights are controlled by a computer, what else can it serve as a signal for? Some homeowners are utilizing multi-colored and even blinking lights for different alerts like email, weather updates, etc. What could automatic lighting simplify in your lifestyle?
