What You Want to Know to Integrate Home Theaters 

As a design or build professional in Chicago, you keep up on the current trends in home design and lifestyles to keep your projects fresh and in demand. With all the time spent at home during the pandemic, few things are in more demand in Illinois than a home theater. With the plethora of content available over streaming services like Netflix and a lack of reasons to head out to an actual theater, a home cinema is an excellent investment for home entertainment. 

While almost any space can be turned into a home cinema, planning for one from the start when remodeling or building makes it far more manageable and less expensive to integrate a home theater system. Home theater systems involve many details, from seating to screens, projectors, speakers, sources and amplifiers, cabling, acoustics and more! Understanding what’s involved and how to plan a home theater space makes it much easier for your clients to get the home cinema they envision for their new home. Keep reading for more details below.  

Reason 1: Do You Want Home Automation That Works? 

The title is only a bit facetious, but there are many, many home automation options in the market. You only need to look in Home Depot, Best Buy, and Amazon to find a wide range of smart home devices from a plethora of vendors, with most of them tying into the platform umbrellas of the world’s largest tech companies.  

So, what’s wrong with that? Nothing, many of those devices are brilliant products. But what happens when you try to put together a complete smart home using these devices and platforms? It can get surprisingly complicated. Think about your laptop or desktop computer. You probably know how to maintain it and keep it updated and running relatively smoothly. What if you had a whole department full of them to manage? That's what IT departments or outside services tend to do, so employees don't have to spend time worrying about the technology they use. 

The concept is the same for a smart home. If you want to be your own integrator, you may be happy with DIY solutions. If you need a Chicago, IL smart home that just works – so you don’t have to be the IT department – you might consider an experienced home automation company like Barrett’s Technology Solutions. Explore why below! 

Spring Is the Perfect Time to Bring the Entertainment Outside 

With spring around the corner, longer days are just ahead. There is something about the longer days with Daylight Savings Time that turns your thoughts to the outdoors. We know this is Illinois, and we can still get a spring snowfall, but anyway you look at it, warmer, sunnier days are just ahead.  

Spring traditionally is a time to start planning home projects. After the winter, many Naperville homeowners turn their attention to backyards and landscapes. It’s time to get the pool ready, the outdoor furniture uncovered and cleaned up, and spruce up the landscape with annuals. While you’re attacking all those projects, consider a way to add another dimension to your outdoor spring and summer fun with an outdoor audio and video system. Explore some ideas below to create your own outdoor oasis that will have you spending more much-needed time al fresco. 

Smart Home Technology Puts You in Control to Keep You Safer 

Does your home have an alarm system? Most do, and many houses are prewired with low voltage cable to install basic systems. The typical setup includes window and door sensors to detect opening when the alarm is set, a keypad for entering codes, a siren, and indoor motion sensors. You may have such a system or are familiar with them.  

The problem with these systems is that they are not very informative or easy to use. When an alarm is tripped, do you see a code? It might represent the window or door opened, but you might be confused as to which one it is. Likewise, changing codes or adding temporary ones for guests might involve a degree in programming. 

There’s a smarter approach to a home security system. Today’s smart technology solutions offer a far more intuitive experience and put you in the know about what's happening in your Chicago, IL home. Explore how below.  

Sleek, Unified Video Systems Deliver Seamless Entertainment Throughout the Home

As homes become smarter and more sophisticated, homeowners look for more ways to make it easier to manage their homes. One area that has typically been a source of frustration for many is the management of audio and video entertainment. In the AV and smart home industry, one of the fundamental reasons homeowners bring us in is to integrate audio and video equipment to make it easy and intuitive to use. No one likes multiple remotes, interfaces, and methods of doing the same thing in their home.

As just about all audio and video entertainment has converged on digital formats, you might think things have become more straightforward. To some extent, they have, but the plethora of content options, equipment, and video and audio formats still presents considerable complexity. One way to decrease the complexity is to plan for integrating whole-home video and audio systems from the start in your new Chicago, IL residential projects. Not only will it add a wow factor to your builds, but your clients will appreciate the benefits outlined below.

How Our Deployment Room Optimizes Our Home Automation Projects

Are you looking for the best when it comes to your smart home installation? Then don’t settle for cluttered AV racks, delayed timelines, lengthy firmware updates, and glitchy systems that will ruin your smart home experience. Our brand-new deployment room allows us to deliver stellar service and faster, more reliable installations compared to our competitors for our clients from Chicago to Lake Geneva, WI. 

In the past, smart home installs have required techs spending lengthy time in the home. Leveraging the power of RACKFRAME panels, pre-wiring is neatly terminated, labeled, and color-coded so when your rack is ready to go, it’s a simple installation process. By then we’re the last people in the home and we know how desperate homeowners are to get things done. With us, there’s no dealing with techs coming in and out of your home to finish your project. 

Our deployment room lets us design your rack offsite so we can handle important firmware updates, programming, and testing in our office. If issues arise, we have all the tools at hand to solve them before we even drive over to your home. No more having to wait thirty days for bugs to work themselves out, instead your smart technology works within days, not weeks.

Want to learn how our process delivers a glitch-free smart home automation system from the get-go? Check out more details below on our brand-new deployment room and how it transforms the installation process. 

Partner with Our Audio-Video Installation Experts for Best Results

Just as floorplans, appliances, and finishes are key decisions in the home design-build process, integrated technology is becoming an equal consideration for homebuyers as they search for their next property. Beyond smart lights, locks, and thermostats, your clients may want in-wall speakers in every room, an outdoor audio-video system, and the ability to control everything from one platform.

Incorporating these solutions into a build requires the skill of an integrated technology expert like Barrett’s Technology Solutions. We specialize in the design and installation of home automation and control, including audio and video solutions, and can work with you during pre-construction to lay the foundation for a high-quality and intuitive whole-home entertainment system.

Keep reading to learn why you should partner with the audio-video installation experts at Barrett’s on your next custom build in Lake Geneva, WI or the Chicagoland area.

Barrett’s Technology Solutions Is Proud to Serve Lake Geneva

In the home technology business, while most integrators are local, some will go well beyond their home geographies to serve their clients. Barrett’s Technology Solutions is no exception, as we have served clients outside of the greater Chicagoland area for many years as we have evolved to best meet their needs.

As one of the Midwest’s leading AV technology and home automation companies, we’re thrilled to announce that we have opened a local office to serve customers in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Lake Geneva has always been a great vacation destination for Chicagoans over the years, and we’re proud to have developed deep relationships with homeowners and trade partners there. Read below to learn more about our new Lake Geneva outpost!

Three Ways a Professional Network Installation Boosts Your Home’s Connectivity

If it hasn’t become all too clear in these times, we are all very dependent on our data links to the world at large. From online shopping to Zoom video conferences, our home networks have become vital links to staying connected with everything important in our lives. While the effects of the pandemic and Zoom calls will subside over time, there's no question that reliable connectivity is and will continue to be a necessity.

With all the strain current home networks are under, it might be a good time to review your system. Is it keeping up with all the high-resolution video streaming for video conferences and entertainment? Are your security cameras delivering you a quality feed when you want to see something? If not, you might be in need of some upgrades. Keep reading for three ways a professional home network installation can keep your Chicago, IL home connected in the fast lane.

Set the Tone for the Season with Music

Winter is fast approaching. The winter season likely means more time spent at home with family and friends. And while winter brings a lot of reason to celebrate, it can still be stressful, too, as the days get shorter and the temperatures dip.

Our advice is to keepcalm and ease the stress with music. Nothing can set a mood like music, whether it’s a playlist for your next cooking session or one that inspires an impromptu dance party in the middle of the day.

The best way to enjoy music all over the house is with an integrated multi-room audio system for your Chicago home. With whole-home audio, you can play the same music in perfect synchrony everywhere – or let the family create their own harmonies in different rooms. Keep reading to learn more about multi-room audio options sure to add a spark this winter season.

Everything Looks Better in the Right Light

Photography is all about capturing an image that is a reflection of light. No matter the technology, from chemical film to today's digital, the ideal shot is seizing the moment when the light frames the subject perfectly, whether it's a colorful sunset or a Rembrandt-lit face.

Your home tends to be a reflection of your personality and sense of aesthetics. Finishes, furnishings, color choices, and artwork all form a mosaic of your sense of style and what matters to you. The way your eyes see it every day can change with the way light reflects off of these objects. With tunable fixtures and lighting control, you can enhance the beauty of your carefully curated Chicago, IL home every day. Read on to see how!

An Expert Collaboration of Smart Home Technology and Smart Design

Barrett’s Technology Solutions has always believed in form and function. As a smart home company in the Chicago area since 1966, we’ve seen a lot of forms and an equal amount of function come and go. But one thing remains constant: We believe great technology and design go together, and we strive to achieve the balance of each with every project.

This year, we’re very proud to have been chosen by ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) Illinois chapter for a 2020 Design Excellence award. The home theater project was a collaboration between our company, CinemaTech (home theater design, seating, and acoustics), the client, the contractor, and some skilled local craftsmen.

Often in any successful endeavor, the devil is in the details. Keep reading to learn more about this award-winning project; we hope it inspires you to embark on yours!

Create a Superior Cinema Experience at Home

Recently, Regal Cinemas, one of the largest commercial movie theater companies in America, announced that they were temporarily closing over 500 theaters, including 9 in Illinois. This unprecedented move resulted from a decrease in business due to the ongoing concerns of the pandemic. Additionally, the health crisis also slowed down the production of new movies, resulting in fewer theatrical releases over the past several months.

It’s no surprise to anyone that we’ve had significant economic impacts from the pandemic, and much of that has meant spending much more time at home. While we hope commercial cinemas come back soon, you can still enjoy the cinematic experience at home – in many ways, better than at the cineplex.

If you haven’t yet taken the plunge into creating a private home theater system in your Naperville home, now is a perfect time. There is a plethora of options in equipment, seating, audio, and more to customize your cinema experience completely. What's more, there's a staggering array of content to enjoy in a home theater. Just recently, Disney announced a major reorganization to focus more on bringing its massive collection of content directly to consumers, meaning even more choices at home.

Keep reading below to see how to take an underutilized space and turn it into your personal movie and media entertainment zone!

Stay Connected with Family and Friends with Pro-level Videoconferencing at Home

The Coronavirus pandemic has yet to run its course, and right now, many of us are still doing the majority of our work and education from home. Chicago public schools reopened in September virtually, employing platforms like Google Classroom to facilitate remote learning. Major technology companies like Google, Facebook, and many others have announced plans to continue remote work for professionals well into 2021.

In this environment, connectivity, communication, and collaboration from home have become essential. But communication is not merely for work and school; it's important to keep up with family and friends and continue participating – however remotely – with your social groups.

Improving Your Overall Wellness Starts with a Smart, Healthy Home

Natural light makes you feel better. Why do you think people like going outside to enjoy the sun? It’s not just to get a tan. There’s something biological that’s happening. Natural light helps to regulate our wake and sleep cycles, as well as provide energy for the synthesis of vitamin D. When you get the right amount and hue of light throughout the day, you’ll discover that your mood, sleep, and overall wellness improve.

Technologically based wellness companies, such as Delos, integrate “healthy” lighting that promotes a healthy home indoors. Circadian lighting, as it’s called, is accomplished through tunable fixtures from Ketra that change in color temperature and intensity throughout the day to mimic the sun’s natural progression across the sky. The result? You’ll wake refreshed, enjoy more energy throughout the day, and go to bed peacefully. Read more to learn how installing circadian lighting in your Chicago, IL, home can help improve your overall wellbeing.

Let Automation Ease You into New Routines for Work, School, and Play

Needless to say, 2020 has been a challenging year. In so many ways, our lifestyles have been upended. But as always, Americans are resourceful and keep pressing forward.

Part of the challenge has been managing so much of our activities from home. Work, school, and entertainment are all happening at the same time from home, which tends to blur the lines between those activities. At this writing, Naperville and Chicago area schools are preparing to start the school year with remote learning – so more family time at home is a given.

However, that doesn't mean we can't adjust! We have some useful and fun ways to make the most of family time at home, using smart automation to get back into a routine, have fun, and stay safe. Check out the ideas below, and call your local home automation installer – Barrett's Technology Solutions – for more ways to make your home comfortable and safe not only for this fall but for years to come.

Save Time, Energy, and Money with Lighting that Manages Itself

You may think home automation is all about convenience and luxury. While that is undeniably true, automation also has real benefits in energy efficiency and security. Perhaps the one area of home automation that delivers on every one of these benefits is smart lighting control.

It may come as no surprise that smart lighting is the catalyst that gets homeowners to invest in other smart home features. Once people experience the added convenience and comfort, they want more! And more smart control brings increased benefits, as features like climate control, motorized shades, and automated AV management bring added convenience, luxury, and efficiency when it all works together.

Let’s explore some ways you can use lighting automation to simplify and enhance your Chicago, IL lifestyle.

These 6 Songs Can Give any System a Sonic Workout

Those of you with an audio obsession – often referred to as audiophiles – you are always on a quest for the perfect sound quality. Of course, you probably know it, but it's more of a journey than a destination. There's always some new amplifier, speaker, turntable, or piece of equipment that takes things up another notch, right?

There’s nothing wrong with your obsession. It’s what makes audiophilia a fun, if sometimes expensive, hobby. And isn’t it fun to hear your favorite music reproduced with the kind of impact and presence as if the artist or band is right there in the room playing just for you?

Most likely, when you audition new speakers you might want to buy, you have some go-to music that you know well that helps you evaluate how that new component will perform. That’s an excellent way to see if the new equipment will move the needle for you. Along that line, we’d like to suggest some songs that can help you evaluate your next high-end audio upgrade for your Chicago home. These were chosen for the way they push the envelope of a speaker and system’s capabilities. Ready to test these out? Let’s go!

New Lossless and High-Resolution Streaming Services Raise the Bar for Digital Music Sound Quality

To some audiophiles, streaming music has had a bad connotation. In large part, it has to do with services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music all using compressed audio formats for streaming to devices like mobile phones. Some audio purists only want to listen to lossless music or the warm analog sound of vinyl records.

You can't blame audiophiles for eschewing compressed music. They spend many thousands of dollars on their high-end audio systems, and good equipment exposes all the warts in heavily compressed music. If you’re a high-end audio enthusiast in Lincoln Park, IL, you want your system to sound as good as possible. But there's no denying the convenience of being able to call up most of the world's recorded music with a few taps on your smartphone or tablet.

Fortunately, after years of focusing on interfaces and easy access at the expense of audio quality, there is a return to the pursuit of better sound with digital music. Music services like Tidal, Amazon Music HD, and Qobuz are leading the way with lossless and high-resolution music, available for easy streaming. If you're still digging through racks of CDs, you may want to keep reading!

Gain More Flexibility and Security with Pro-Level Solutions

You don’t have to look hard these days for home security devices. A myriad of cameras, video doorbells, sensors, and other consumer electronic devices are available for do-it-yourself home security and surveillance.

So are these products effective home surveillance systems for your Chicago, IL home? The answer depends on your needs. The devil, as they say, is often in the details. We won't tell you these consumer solutions are not effective; they are. On the other hand, we'd like to point out some of the advantages you get with a professional-level solution. And, when consumer solutions start offering the level of features that professional solutions have, their pricing starts looking much more expensive as well.

Let's take a closer look and give you a better awareness of three critical features of home surveillance systems, which will help you make informed choices.