Beyond the Walls: Elevating Your Outdoor Living Space with Purpose-Built Technology

When you create an outdoor space, you aren't just putting a few chairs on a patio. You’re the type of person who wants to create future fun with the family and neighbors. It’s where you host evening dinners, where the family gathers on a Sunday afternoon, and where you unwind after a demanding week. But bringing the comfort and entertainment of your indoor living room to the outdoors requires more than just moving equipment outside.

It requires technology specifically engineered to thrive in the elements.

Here is why true outdoor home technology is a fundamentally different class of equipment, and why purpose-built design is the secret to an outdoor space that works flawlessly when the weather calls for it.

The Infrastructure: Enterprise-Grade Networking

You can’t build a smart backyard without a solid foundation, and that starts with your network. While one of our standards at Barrett’s Technology Solutions is to use an enterprise grade network system in our custom residences, the wi-fi created won't reliably reach the far gazebo, the boathouse, or your perimeter security cameras.

Property-wide networking relies on hard-wiring. By collaborating closely with the landscape architect before the landscaping work is started, wiring can be buried safely underground. This allows for strategically placed access points that blanket your entire property in seamless, high-speed Wi-Fi. Whether you are streaming a movie by the pool or checking an email from the edge of the property, the connection remains uncompromised.

Peace of mind is also paramount when protecting your family and your property. Security cameras are a huge part of your home technology infrastructure, and we always recommend hard-wiring over a mesh network for your closed-circuit system. 

Standard motion detectors are often triggered by the wind, leading to constant, annoying false alarms. Today's perimeter security cameras are equipped with incredible, highly discerning features. They use advanced analytics to tell the difference between leaves blowing in the wind, a car passing by on the street, or an actual physical threat approaching the property. This means when you receive a notification, you know it’s something that actually requires your attention.

Luxury Entertainment: Purpose-Built

We often see attempts to bring indoor TVs and speakers outside under a covered patio, but this is a recipe for a shortened lifespan and a frustrating experience.

• Outdoor TVs: Unlike the displays in your living room, true outdoor televisions feature completely sealed enclosures. This meticulous design prevents humidity, rain, insects, and even rodents from getting inside and compromising the internal electronics. They also feature ultra-bright screens specifically calibrated to cut through the glare of the afternoon sun.
• Weatherproof Audio: Your outdoor audio system shouldn't just survive the elements. It should deliver concert-quality sound despite them. Premium outdoor speakers are rigorously tested against the harshest environments imaginable. By being tested in some of the harshest outdoor environments, these components are proven to withstand Chicago's extreme temperature swings, heavy rain, snow, ice, humidity, and prolonged UV exposure, ensuring your investment performs reliably for years to come. 

Outdoor Automation: Evening Lighting

If there is one single element that transforms a backyard into a true outdoor living room, it is the lighting. But it’s not just about illuminating a pathway. Lighting, elevated as a custom solution, is about creating an atmosphere.

Outdoor lighting should integrate seamlessly with your home automation system, allowing your property to automatically transition as the sun sets. Creating a truly human-centric environment relies heavily on the strategic use of layered lighting. Rather than flooding the yard with harsh, flat floodlights, a thoughtful design utilizes multiple layers to beautifully highlight your home's unique architectural features, intricate hardscaping, and lush landscaping. For example, to properly showcase a single magnificent tree, a design might incorporate three separate fixtures. An uplight to accentuate the texture of the trunk, a downlight to cast moonlight-like shadows through the leaves, and canopy lighting to softly illuminate the branches from within.

When you invest in professional home technology that respects the environment it lives in, your outdoor space ceases to be just a yard. It becomes the ultimate destination for your family and friends. It becomes another room in your home.