With the way technology has so rapidly advanced, I am wondering how this affects homeowners and their homes and what are some of the latest developments in incorporating different control systems into residences. What's currently available and how have these home systems changed recently?
This includes everything from home theaters and media rooms to outdoor living spaces and doors to the home, thermostat controls, lighting and more.
Unlike in the past when a different remote control was needed to operate each system, now all the systems can be blended and operated from one device.
"All of the systems can be connected through a central processing system and homeowners can connect to it from their iPhones or iPads," Carnes says.
With the push of one button, all of the doors in a house can be locked or all of the lights in the house turned on.
"That is definitely a comfort feature to know you can control the entire home from your bed," Carnes says.
Blended electronics are growing in popularity, he says, and with the advent of smartphones and other devices, the costs for such systems are dropping.
"This has become technology for everyone, not just for rich," Carnes says, adding that the prices for systems he offers range from $1,500 to $20,000 for a home theater. Speaking of home theaters, the latest advancement is ultra-high definition.
"Whenever we do a home automation system, it's a lifestyle system," he says. "And the homeowner can create different combinations for different scenarios such as children arriving home from school, the maid coming to clean the house, dinner parties, or Christmas celebrations.
"Everything is programmed with the customer in mind," Carnes says, adding that a program for someone arriving home from work could include opening the garage door, turning on certain lights, adjusting
the air or heat in the house, and turning on the television to the homeowner's favorite TV station.
Motorized TV lifts which conceal flat-screen TVs when not in use and monitors which flip down from cabinets in the kitchen have been around for awhile; so have home audio systems with speakers placed in the ceiling throughout the house.
The difference is that now they can be controlled within one system.
-- Linda S. Haymes
Do you have a decorating or remodeling question? We'll get you an answer from an authority. Send your question to Linda S. Haymes, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or email:
lhaymes@arkansasonline.com
HomeStyle on 03/07/2015