When you sit down to relax and watch some TV, you want it to be simple, streamlined, and easy to access whatever you want to watch. Fumbling with remotes, realizing your TV doesn’t have the media source capabilities you want, or staring at a ton of cables and video sources like DVD players or streaming devices surrounding your TV does not make a relaxing and enjoyable viewing experience. So, what’s the solution to this modern problem? Video distribution! Distributed video at home enables you to watch whatever you want, whenever you want, on any TV in your home, easily!
Say Goodbye to Cluttered Entertainment Spaces with Distributed Video Technology
With endless video technology and options at our fingertips, there have never been more viewing options at home. But, accessing and viewing whatever you want easily is an entirely different story. Professionally-installed distributed video transforms your home media experience by centralizing all media sources like DVD players, cable boxes, streaming devices, and more in one location such as a media closet. In doing so, you can store and power all of your home’s media sources in one location so that it eliminates the clutter and cords around each television in your home and greatly improves your home’s aesthetic appeal, and provides a number of other functional benefits.
Watch What You Want, When You Want
The biggest advantage of distributed video at home is that it streamlines controls. You can easily access any video source you want from your remote or an app on your smartphone or tablet. This kind of automation takes the confusion out of which remote you need so you can spend less time fumbling with controls and more time enjoying your entertainment. It also makes it easy for everyone in the house to watch whatever they want. Multiple video sources can stream to different locations simultaneously so you can be watching the big game in one room, your spouse can be bingeing their favorite show, and your teen can be playing a video game, all at the same time in different rooms without having to store each of those video sources in those rooms.
Upgrade Your Home Media Experience with Distributed Video
The beauty of video distribution is that it is completely scalable – should your video source needs change you can simply add them to your media hub and integrate them into your home automation/video distribution controls. The best way to ensure that your video distribution operates smoothly is to have an experienced professional design and install your home video distribution system. Once complete, you will be amazed at the convenience and enjoyment that distributed video will add to your home life!
In recent months, many businesses have reported a sharp increase in crimes such as shoplifting, trespassing, and other more violent crimes like vandalism, arsen, smash and grabs, and more. With this noticeable increase in crime across the United States, many businesses are left wondering what they can do to mitigate risk and maximize safety and security. One extremely effective way to increase security is with a robust and scalable commercial surveillance system.
In the past, businesses have viewed commercial surveillance systems as an optional luxury that they only need if their business is at high risk due to location or industry. But now, business owners are realizing that crime can affect any business at any time and the best way to have peace of mind that you have done everything possible to deter crime and will have usable evidence in the event of a crime is with a high-quality commercial surveillance system like Panasonic IPro-Extreme.
Panasonic iPro-Extreme is a cutting-edge scalable surveillance system that blends video and sensor technology with a robust suite of features that will take your commercial security to the next level. Below, we take a look at 5 unique features of the Panasonic iPro-Extreme commercial surveillance system.
5 Features of IPro-Extreme Commercial Surveillance
- Extreme Visibility
- 144dB EXTREME Super Dynamic automatically enables clear identification of someone’s face, providing exceptional face detection capabilities in the most challenging conditions.
- Intelligent Auto Mode (IA)
- Intelligent Auto Mode uses advanced image stabilization to prevent things like blurry images and can automatically adapt to whatever brightness and object movement occurs in a scene.
- Color Night Vision
- No more grainy, useless nighttime surveillance videos – with color night vision the low-light capable camera captures a very high-quality color image, even in total darkness.
- Extreme Compression
- Combining H.265 Compression with Panasonic Smart Coding Technology reduces bandwidth and storage costs so that storing even large amounts of data is easy and accessible for businesses of all sizes.
- Extreme Data Security
- Security threats come in many forms, and in today’s modern world data security needs to be a top priority for all businesses. Panasonic has deployed Security Communication Technology across its new line of i-PRO Extreme H.265 cameras, recorders, and video management software for optimal data security.
Choosing the right home alarm system is no simple task. There are many different options, including DIY home alarm systems and professionally-installed alarm systems, with a variety of features and monitoring options. It would be impossible for any homeowner to stay current on the latest home alarm system technology which is why it is always best to work with an experienced professional that can assist you in finding the right technology to meet your needs and fit your lifestyle. Additionally, professionals will design and install all components, and help you set up monitoring services, ensuring your new alarm system functions optimally and provides you the peace of mind you want.
Choosing a Home Alarm System
When choosing a home alarm system, it is important to consider what level of home security you want, what areas of your home are most vulnerable, how often you are away from your home, and what your ultimate security and monitoring goals are. Often, homeowners do not know the answers to all of those questions but a professional can help you by evaluating your home and using experience and knowledge to customize a home alarm and monitoring plan that fits both your budget and preferences.
Find Peace of Mind with 24/7 Home Alarm Monitoring
An alarm system only works if someone notices the alarm. This is easier to do when you are home, but even still, some people sleep through alarm sounds and alerts on devices. The problem is, the sooner you or a first responder can respond to an alarm, the more likely it is that theft, damage, or other harm can be mitigated or eliminated. With a professionally installed and monitored home alarm system, there are different monitoring options from which to choose. You can be contacted on your cellphone, landline, via email, and more. And, you also retain your ability to remotely monitor your home’s security via an app from anywhere in the world, any time you want. Find the peace of mind that you want, and ensure your home is optimally protected with a professionally installed and monitored home alarm system.
Your home’s audio/video system, as well as any integrated home automation, is only as easy to control as the type of remote you use. What makes a remote control ideal and easy to use is different for everyone which is why there are so many options from which to choose. When it comes to the highest quality remotes for homeowners, there are two options that offer superior design and intuitive controls: Control4 Halo and Control4 Halo Touch.
Control4 has been an industry leader and innovator of home technology products, particularly, remote controls. Though Control4 has produced many excellent remote controls, the introduction of the Halo and Halo Touch remotes offers homeowners a level of customizability and intuitive controls that transforms the home control experience.
These remotes feature dynamic access to dual voice assistants at the touch of a single button. The interface is modernized with more intuitive controls which makes controlling various aspects of integrated home automation far simpler. Although both remotes are both excellent, there are differences between the Halo and Halo Touch remotes, which we explore below.
Both the Halo and Halo Touch have a combination of backlit buttons and a full-color LCD screen. However, the user experience between the two is somewhat different. First, the Halo remote features a 2.8’’ non-touch LCD screen – the LCD screen is navigable using the backlit buttons. The Halo Touch features a larger 3.2’’ LCD screen and offers a touch interface which some users may find easier or more intuitive to use as it is more similar to navigating modern touch-screen technologies like smartphones and tablets. To compare both models and determine which is best for your home and needs, speak to an experienced home technology installer that can answer your questions and assist you in finding an optimal remote control solution for your needs.
In today’s modern and technologically-advanced world, businesses are more concerned with facility security than ever before – and for good reason. Access control is a front-line defense against security breaches. Although different business types will have unique security needs, all businesses need some form of access control to optimize security and safety.
There are various levels of badge reader technology that help business control and track facility access. Depending on the type of business and security needs, one particular type may be more ideally suited to your business than another. Understanding the different types of badge reader technology available can help you select the right type of access control for your business.
3 Types of State-of-the-Art Badge Reader Technology
- Proximity Card Readers
- Proximity card readers are the most common type of badge reader, using radio frequency identification technology (RFID) to read your business access card or key fob when held up to the proximity reader. It has one job – read the card’s ID# and/or site facility code number. The system then rapidly confirms verification with a remote computer and either grants or denies access.
- Smart Card Readers
- Smart card readers work somewhat similarly to proximity card readers but use a different type of technology – integrated circuit card (ICC) technology. They are more secure than proximity cards because any data stored on the card is encrypted so that only authorized devices can access than information. Beyond storing authentication information, smart card readers can store personal information and can work like a cash card to store financial information due to the encryption and superior level of security.
- Portrait Badges
- Portrait badges use a newer facial recognition technology to identify and authenticate individuals. Portrait badge readers use the photo to compare it to a database of authorized individuals’ pictures and determine if access is granted or denied. Being able to verify that the right individual is using a badge to access secure areas can be advantageous for facilities where a higher level of security is needed.
When a fire starts at home, every second counts. The longer it takes to suppress the fire, the more damage it may cause to your home and belongings – and everyone inside. The thought of a fire at home is scary, but homeowners can find peace in knowing they have optimized their safety with fire alarm monitoring.
We’ve all heard what it sounds like when a smoke detector is triggered in a home. It is loud! But, that noise alone will not stop the fire from spreading. Rapid response is key. For various reasons, a non-monitored smoke alarm may not facilitate the rapid response necessary to minimize damage and save lives which is why it is essential that homeowners have 24/7 fire alarm monitoring.
3 Ways Fire Alarm Monitoring Saves Lives & Money
- Fire Alarms Don’t Always Work!
- People often forget to check if their fire alarms are working properly until it is too late. But, professional fire alarm monitoring will alert you if your alarms are not working so that they can be fixed immediately, ensuring you have the constant protection you want.
- You Aren’t Always Home When a Fire Starts
- Although non-monitored smoke alarms are great for notifying you that there is smoke when you are at home, you can’t always be home! With fire alarm monitoring, it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, if monitoring gets an alert, you will be notified immediately so that, if help is needed, it can be dispatched as quickly as possible.
- Some People Can Sleep Through a Fire Alarm’s Alert
- For various reasons, you may not be alert enough to react or call for help in the event that your fire alarm is triggered. Heavy sleepers may actually even sleep through the loud siren that the smoke detectors make! For this reason, 24/7 fire alarm monitoring is a critical protection for homeowners.