How to Choose the Best Home Lighting Control System

Taking control of your home’s lighting systems is a great way to provide both security and convenience for your home. Automation can set the mood, enhance safety, make things accessible for those with disabilities, and more!

Automating your lights also gives you effortless control of when they’re on and off for example, during peak energy hours, you could have them turn on at dusk or dim during the brightest parts of the day. In my home, we automate the step lights installed for our stairs. In practice, they fade on at sunset and turn off thirty minutes before sunrise. It offers great peace of mind with young children walking around in the middle of the night.

These are a few reasons why you might want to automate your lighting, but what’s the best way to make that happen for your home? There are several types of automated lighting systems available on the market today. Which one is right for you?

When you are planning and pre-wiring your new smart home, you have the most choices available to you. Automation can be included in lighting fixtures, light switches, smart bulbs, and even panelized lighting systems.

This article will serve as an essential guide to help you start the conversation with your home technology integrator about which lighting control system might be right for you.

THE THREE TYPES OF LIGHTING SYSTEMS:

1. SMART BULBS

Back in 2013, Philips introduced a product line that changed the game in intelligent lighting forever. They called it “Hue,” and with its release, your lights weren’t stuck being a shade of white; if you could dream up a color, Hue was happy to set the mood.

Philips’s Hue system is a good starter for those who want to dip their toes into the world of automated home lighting.

The lights are controlled via an app on your phone or tablet, and can be programmed with different flash patterns and color schemes to make it feel like Christmas all year long; they also work great when synced to your TV.

Hue is still the dominant force in the consumer and DIY lighting space, but plenty of more affordable alternatives are now available.

There are a few negatives to opting for individual smart bulbs, one being their significant price premium. Also, if you choose bulbs using wi-fi technology, they’re notorious for slowing down wi-fi traffic and crowding your network.

Our take: If you’re going to DIY, stick to Hue or LIFX branded fixtures. Between the consumer systems available, they perform the best, have the most significant app support, and seem to be more reliable than other brands.

2. DIMMERS & SWITCHES

Z-Wave or Zigbee dimmers can be an economic middle ground. They offer all the core functionality necessary for automation but can suffer from lag as the system grows. So as your device count starts to climb higher than 25 dimmers or switches, It’s usually best to start looking at more robust offerings from Lutron, Vantage, or Ketra.

One of the significant advantages of these types of dimmers is they work using standard light bulbs. So you’re only paying for technology in one dimmer and not in every bulb. But, of course, you also miss out on color options and some of the more novel features of smart bulbs.

3. PANELIZED LIGHTING

The last type of lighting control is the most intensive but also has a few very distinct benefits.

Panelized lighting is the gold standard in custom lighting control.

In a typical home, light switches are installed directly in each room, and the individual fixtures or loads connect directly to them. This traditional approach is simple and does offer savings on wiring costs.

When a panelized lighting system is employed, all switches and dimmers are located in a central panel (usually in your home’s mechanical room) and then remotely controlled.

This configuration does require a little more wire and planning, but the payoff is huge.

Panelized lighting offers the unique opportunity to automate your entire home and significantly reduce the number of switches on the wall. While this may sound like a trivial upgrade, in a large estate with complex lighting layouts, moving from a bank of twelve light switches on a wall to only one or two has a substantial impact on design and aesthetics.

*Elan KP-7 Remote Switch can replace six switches with one.*

If you want to take it a step further, you can forgo the physical switches altogether and control the lights along with the rest of your home’s systems from a single touch panel in each room. In addition, lights can be grouped for easy control, offering the pinnacle of clean design and convenience.

COLOR RENDERING INDEX

When you’re trying to gauge the quality of a light source while shopping, the easiest way is to look for a metric called the “Color Rendering Index,” or CRI for short, this number refers to a light’s ability to display a full range of colors accurately. Look for bulbs or fixtures with a CRI of at least 90. A high CRI is not only better for the brain but also goes a long way towards making people look their best in photos or videos.

Human-Centric Lighting can improve your health & wellness.

How to Choose the Best Home Lighting Control System 11

Human-centric lighting or HCL is a splashy term used to describe lighting that complements the human body’s natural circadian rhythms. In 2021, a modern human now spends over 80% of their time indoors and under artificial light.

Before the invention of the light bulb, routines were largely dictated by the availability of natural light. The rise of the sun signaled to the brain it was time for work. This bright white light naturally had an energizing effect on the human body. Conversely, the warm orange light of the sunset signaled an end to activities for the day.

HCL seeks to replicate that naturally occurring change using tunable LED lights. It accomplishes this goal by matching color temperature indoors to be similar to the light from the sun outdoors.

WHAT IS COLOR TEMPERATURE?

At its simplest form, color temperature refers to the frequency at which light is emitted. It’s expressed as a value in “Kelvin” or “K” for short. You’ve probably noticed some light bulbs cast a bright blue light, while others, like candlelight, have a soft orange hue. Generally speaking, 5600K is considered to be “daylight” balanced lighting while 2700K is Warm White or Tungsten.

HUMAN-CENTRIC LIGHTING IS NOT JUST ABOUT IMPROVING OUR CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS, HOWEVER; IT ALSO BENEFITS YOUR PRODUCTIVITY.

The NIH conducted a study in 2012 which verified the positive effects of higher color temperature on both alertness and individual performance. HCL assists our bodies by naturally aligning with sunlight during the day, thus helping us get more sleep at night.

If you’re looking for lighting control or home automation in the Nashville, TN area, please don’t hesitate to REACH OUT. We’d love to help!

*Before You Build – Home Technology Guide*

Want to find out more about Home Technology for your new home?

Read our “Before You Build – Technology Guide“

PROUDLY SERVING: BRENTWOOD, FRANKLIN , NOLENSVILLE, BELLE MEADE , NASHVILLE , TN & MORE

July 7, 2021November 17, 2023

Home Theater Seating Guide

It can be tempting to put an arduous amount of effort into a cutting-edge projection system and surround sound only to neglect the one equally important piece of gear, the seats! But, just as you probably don’t want to hike fifty miles of the Natchez Trace in flip-flops, you’re not going to get maximum enjoyment out of your theater or media room with a traditional sofa and chairs

Dedicated theater seating is the secret sauce to making your new space somewhere you’ll love to spend time.

Types of theater seating:

Recliners

Individual Recliners are connected and arranged in a straight line or arc to help maximize the viewing experience. Since these recliners are purpose-built for theater use, expect to find extras like cup holders, snack trays, LED lighting, and more.

Some manufacturers even offer seats in staggered heights to improve sightlines with the screen while avoiding the need for a riser on the back row.

Loveseats & Sofas

Think of a loveseat as a recliner for two. A loveseat offers all the same features and extras of dedicated recliners without the pesky center armrest to keep you apart.

Cinema Chaises

Cinema Chaise by Elite Home Theater Seating

A chaise can be an opulent and attractive way to take in a movie with loved ones without dealing with reclining. With so much room to spread out, you might be tempted to take a nap after the movie!

Bean Bags

Bean bags are the often overlooked but unsung hero for adding extra seating to your theater space. While I wouldn’t suggest them as a primary choice for the whole family, They’re a perfect way to add additional seating for kids.

As a bonus, they sit low enough to the ground that others can easily see the screen overhead.

Look for high-quality options from Lovesac or MoonPod. They’ll fit right in with the rest of your room’s interior won’t turn into a lumpy pile of mush after a few years.

so how much is this going to cost me?

Home Theater seats are usually priced “per seat,” and there can be an extensive range in prices depending on your chosen materials.

While there are some cheaper options out there, I would suggest budgeting a minimum of $1000 per seat as a rule of thumb. Of course, you’ll be missing some of the higher-end materials and extra features like power recline, bass shakers, and LED lighting, but you can expect quality construction at that price point.

If you’ve chosen to decorate the rest of your home with quality furniture pieces from Restoration Hardware, West Elm, or the like, expect to pay anywhere from $2500-$5000 per seat for theater seating of similar quality. Just remember that you’re looking at fully custom furniture at the higher end of the spectrum, and you can have almost anything you can dream up! Top grain leather, vintage velvet, personalized embroidery, and lighting are all on the table!

At Audilux, we’ve proudly partnered with Elite Home Theater Seating.

If you’re looking for home theater seating in Nashville or Middle TN, don’t hesitate to reach out.

We’d love to help make your dream home theater a reality!

PROUDLY SERVING: BRENTWOOD, FRANKLIN , NOLENSVILLE, BELLE MEADE , NASHVILLE & MORE

July 5, 2021November 17, 2023

Best Guide to Surround Sound Basics

I’m sure you probably remember the first time you experienced surround sound at the movie theater. In my case, I walked into a local screening of Jurassic Park, unaware of my local cinemas’ latest upgrade. I watched in awe as the t-rex skulked onto the screen, brontosaurus thundered, and velociraptors screeched and whirred around me.

I left with a massive smile on my face and immediately started trying to replicate the audio experience at home.

Early on, most people were stuck using kits from Bose, JBL, or a few other companies, but we’ve come a long way since then! Now it’s not only possible to match the experience of your local movie house; in many cases, you can even do better! (All while skipping the crazy popcorn prices in the process!)

If you’re starting to consider a custom home theater or surround sound system for your home, here are a few fundamentals to help you with your research:

What exactly is surround sound?

The goal of a surround sound system is to take the action unfolding on your screen and place you sonically right in the middle of it. So, for example, when a plane flies overhead in a film, the sound would come diving from over your head.

Surround sound systems consist of an audio receiver and two functional types of speakers: satellite (full-range) and Subwoofers. The full-range speakers reproduce the majority of the audio signal and are carefully positioned all around the room to help simulate a sound’s location.

The Subwoofers are tasked with one hundred percent of the bass and low-frequency information and providing the roar when explosions take the stage.

Do your best to be “matchy-matchy”:

All of your satellite speakers should be identical in an ideal world, but that’s not always practical.

At the very least, make sure to use speakers from the same manufacturer and product line to ensure they have similar timbre and voicing; this will prevent a noticeable change in tone as elements move from one speaker to the next.

Surround formats are specified using a number system.

Five-Point What?

The way system configurations are written can often be confusing. Here’s the secret formula:

The first number listed is the number of satellite speakers; the second number after the decimal is the number of subwoofers. So a “5.1 System” would have five satellite speakers and one subwoofer, and a “7.1 System” would consist of seven satellite speakers and one subwoofer.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen the addition of a third number. The final number represents the number of height speakers for Dolby Atmos. If you’re lucky enough to build a “9.2.4 System”, not only will you have a mind-blowing theater, but it would include nine satellites, two subwoofers, and four height speakers (oh my!)

What is Dolby Atmos?

Dolby Atmos is the latest and greatest surround sound tech from Dolby Engineering. It incorporates height speakers (usually installed in the ceiling) to make sound come from above and additionally employs object-based audio processing.

Without getting too nerdy, Atmos takes a movie’s soundtrack and customizes it precisely to the number of speakers you have available. You let the receiver or processor know what it has to work with; the rest is Dolby magic!

Are you looking for a custom home theater in Franklin, Nashville, or Middle TN?

Please don’t hesitate to reach out! We’d love to put our expertise to work for you!

Do you want to learn more about what’s possible with technology in your new home? Then, check out our “Before You Build” Guide to Home Technology!

April 7, 2021November 17, 2023

Why Elan Home Automation Is better than DIY

THE DREAM OF HOME AUTOMATION

Over a number of years, lured by the magic of “DIY” technology, I tried nearly every DIY system: SmartThings, Wink, Hubitat, OpenHAB, Home Assistant, Home Kit and probably a few I’m forgetting. I would spend days configuring lights, TVs, and speakers, and just when it came time to show things off for my family, something would break.

I would fix it, and then it would break again. We’d “upgrade” to another system, rinse and repeat.

This led me to one very simple realization: Home automation that’s not reliable is just not worth having.

The Importance of Local Control.

Another thing that’s not quite right is the delay you experience with most DIY systems. You flip a switch, wait five or six seconds, and THEN your light finally turns on.

In an effort to keep costs down, commands are sent out to the internet for processing, which creates a delay and unbeknownst to you keeps most of your system from functioning if you ever lose your internet connection.

No Bueno.

DIY Means a Seperate App for Everything

Finally, that brings me to the greatest DIY rub of all, nothing is centralized. Yes, you CAN control everything with apps, glorious apps, but the problem is you end up with fifteen of them, none of which bother to talk to each other.

If you lose your cell phone, good luck controlling anything.

If you’re looking for a better way

At Audilux, we proudly design home automation systems with Elan. Here’s how things are radically different than DIY.

You’re not alone. Since Elan is only available through certified dealers, you’ll sit down with a pro and explain what you want to accomplish. We’ll build a solution that does everything you want and nothing that you don’t. Would you prefer not to give the kids access to security cameras? We can do that.

Do you want the lights to come on when you pull in the driveway way? Not a problem.

Everything you want is tied into one interface and ONE app, and almost everything is processed locally without ever leaving your home.

This is inherently more secure, and dramatically faster.

But there have to be cons….

Of course, there are always cons, but there are only two real negatives to a well-configured system from an integrator.

1. Cost – This may seem obvious, but if you place any value at all on your own time, this objection quickly starts to disappear.

2. You’ll need to call your dealer to make some changes, but after all, do you really want to have to mess with it anyway?

So how much does a custom system like Elan cost?

An entry-level Elan system to control something like a home theater starts at about $1500. Whole-home systems range in price depending on complexity and exactly what you want to control.

What Parts of my home can I control with Elan?

Lighting, Audio, Video, Security, Irrigation, Shades, Door Locks, Gates, and your Climate Control to name a few. With some careful planning to select the right products, almost anything can become a part of the system. One app to rule them all.

If you’re interested in taking the first step to finding out what a real smart home is like or looking for a certified Elan Dealer in Nashville, let’s talk. We’d love to hear about your project!