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At all times, but especially these days, a robust smart home network connection is critical for working from home or entertaining your family while you find yourselves stuck inside. But what if your network starts acting up?

You deserve professional support and assistance for your home networking system, always. DeVance Electronic Lifestyle is here to guarantee a fast-working, reliable connection that delivers quality performance now and in the long run.

Want to learn how we can keep your system and whole Dallas, TX smart home up and running as it should, even during this period of uncertainty? Keep reading on below.

As you and your employees potentially find yourselves working from home these days, you’ll need the best remote solutions in the game to keep business operations running as usual. This means it’s crucial to have video conferencing platforms that connect every employee to one another seamlessly.

We’ve found that Zoom and Microsoft Teams are top-notch video conferencing solutions that can make it feel like every employee is in the same room together – even when they’re all across the city or country.

In this blog, we’ll show what features and benefits each platform entails, so you can choose which is the right addition to your Irving, TX company. Keep reading below for more!

SEE ALSO: Have You Noticed Sound Issues During Video Conferencing?

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams offers a four-in-one solution, giving you the ability to chat, meet, call, and collaborate from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. You’ll never feel the weight of working from home – it’ll feel like your employees and coworkers are easier to reach than ever before.

Everyone has been spending more time at home in light of recent events, and that potentially includes your offices. This, of course, means typically in-office employees are joining their work-from-home coworkers in this new remote workspace environment that everyone is getting used to.

But did you know that commercial boardroom AV solutions are still beneficial for your Dallas, TX company – perhaps now more than ever? Smart technologies can help bridge the physical distance between your employees today as well as down the road, once your offices are operating as usual.

In this blog, we’ll dive into the top features of commercial Crestron products and how they can elevate your company completely. Find out more by reading on below!

SEE ALSO: 3 Essential Features for Your Conference Room Design

How Crestron Gives Your Office a Boost

When your company finds itself running normally again, you’ll find that added Crestron products blow your typical way of business out of the water. With Crestron Flex solutions, you can make booking boardrooms, setting up presentations, and calling various remote employees a breeze.

Right now, working from home is more common than ever before. Keeping up with your employees at home or across the globe is a key component to your company’s commercial automation now and for years down the road, providing your offices with incomparable flexibility and efficiency.

So how can you bring your whole Dallas, TX company together with video conferencing solutions that tie a bridge between all your employees? Zoom is the answer, and it’s growing more popular every day.

In this blog, we’ll dive into what Zoom setups in your conference rooms entail and how your entire business can benefit from one. Keep reading below to learn more!

SEE ALSO: A Closer Look at Microsoft Teams and Zoom

What Can Zoom Do?

What to close the gap between where all your employees are? Zoom makes it easy to host a multitude of video conferences a week, or even a day, with as many employees as you’d like – no matter where they are in the world.

As businesses close throughout the country to aid in social distancing and halting the spread of COVID-19, we have been designated by the government as an essential business that may remain open to support our community during this time. That being said, we’re not conducting business as usual. Your safety is greatly important to us, which is why we’ve implemented special steps to protect clients and staff during the COVID-19 outbreak in the US. You can explore the steps we’ve taken here.

Technology integrators have been labeled an essential business by the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) in large part since we’re vital to homeowners setting up home offices and learning environments. Integrators are also recognized for their role in keeping a strong networking infrastructure throughout the country as other essential organizations also need support during this challenging time.

During this critical period, we are committed to helping our clients stay connected, support remote learning for the nation’s children, and protect our clients’ properties and families.

Though networking and communications infrastructure are the primary reasons for our essential business designation, we will also be available for any service, support, and installation of vital home technology systems including security, surveillance, lighting control, entertainment, and more. A strong network is essential for much of the country right now, and we are here to support your needs.

While the DHS has provided these general recommendations, it is still up to the states to set their own regulations and restrictions. While Governor Abbot has left it up to local municipalities to set their own status in Texas, most major metropolitan areas are putting “Shelter in Place” restrictions in effect, meaning all non-essential businesses will be forced to close. As an essential business DeVance Electronic Lifestyle will remain open with some restrictions (like office personnel working from home).

Keeping your Dallas, TX business safe and secure can feel like a daunting task at first. If you have a large commercial building and a lot of employees, you might think you need to be everywhere at once in order to ensure they’re all safe.

But surveillance systems take away this stress. With cameras installed throughout your building’s exteriors and interiors, you can rest assured that every employee is well-protected on a daily basis. So, how exactly do surveillance cameras benefit your smart commercial security system – and how can Idis cameras take your coverage up to the next level?

Keep reading below to learn more about this security solution and why it’s a must for your company building.

SEE ALSO: What is a Surveillance System?

Surveillance Features

Keeping your eyes on everything at once during your company’s daily operations is next to impossible. Sometimes, you might wish there could be more than one of you to take care of things! But with your commercial security and surveillance, you can’t afford to compromise or stretch yourself thin in order to guarantee your company’s safety.

The team at DeVance Electronic Lifestyle is keeping an eye on all the latest news about the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States and around the world, and we are taking all necessary precautions to keep our employees, clients and community safe during this time. Health precautions and protocols in line with WHO and CDC directives are taking place throughout our organization to reduce the spread of disease. Every day our team reviews up-to-date recommendations to ensure we’re doing everything to curb the spread of COVID-19. 

Though these may change over time, here are the current steps we are taking to reduce the risks associated with this novel coronavirus:

• Every technician is equipped with hand-sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol to clean their hands. It is also readily available at our showrooms, offices and work sites to be used by all of our employees. In addition, all employees must wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Employees who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness are recommended to stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever (100.4° F ​​[37.8° C​] or greater using an oral thermometer), signs of a fever, and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants). Employees are instructed to notify their supervisor and their healthcare provider immediately upon experiencing any symptoms.
• Measures are in place to address employees who have recently traveled or have family members who have tested positive for COVID-19. They will go through a CDC-directed risk assessment for potential exposure and be directed to stay home if necessary. 
• Disinfectant wipes are readily available throughout our job sites and permanent locations to wipe down frequently touched surfaces including workstations, countertops, doorknobs, remotes, and touchpanels. In the field, our installers also have wipes handy to wipe down tools and equipment before and after each use.
• Our installers are following strict on-site health and safety guidelines including the use of disposable gloves and sterilization products. 
• We will refrain from shaking hands with clients, and will maintain recommended distances while in your home or business.
• Employees have flexible sick leave policies that offer them the ability to care for themselves and family when needed.

We appreciate your trust during these unprecedented times, and we take the health and wellbeing of our clients and employees very seriously. To protect our staff, we also ask that our clients communicate if anyone in your home or business is experiencing symptoms or has been exposed to the virus. We also ask that you follow the CDC's guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19 while we are on-site. If you have any questions about these precautions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

If you’re considering new, innovative technologies for your smart home automation system, voice control might not be high on your list as of late. This solution can feel a bit too futuristic at first – why would you need this added feature? What can it do for daily life in your Dallas, TX home?

In this blog, we’ll dive into how voice control from Amazon’s Alex can elevate your entire automation system. Make every day easier than ever at home by just saying a few simple words to get things done and have your whole property at your command.

Want to learn how Alexa can benefit you and your family? Keep reading below.

SEE ALSO: 3 Benefits You Can Expect from Professional Smart Home Automation

Elevate Smart Home Security

Keeping your family safe and secure is your top priority, always. So how can you avoid making your home security a complicated, compromised aspect of your system? Smart surveillance cameras throughout your property, smart locks in exteriors and interiors, and burglar/fire safety alarms all create a safer space for you and your family. And with Alexa, you can check on every smart feature with just a few words.

How your business appears to the new customer is a critical part of their return rate. That’s why a commercial lighting automation system from Lutron is an essential component for your Dallas, TX business’ success.

But if your lighting control isn’t easy to use, then how can you expect your employees to optimize it to best benefit you and your company or store on a daily basis? Panelized lighting from Lutron is the key, as well as the ability to use a handheld smart device when needed. With Lutron – you can have it both ways, and never with any hassle or fuss.

In this blog, we’ll dive into the benefits of a commercial Lutron system for your business. Want to learn more? Keep reading on below.

SEE ALSO: Why Lutron is Our Favorite Commercial Lighting Automation System

Set the Mood: Highlight and Brighten Up

As mentioned above, lighting has a significant impact on a space’s appearance – and how it makes people feel when they’re in said space. How you adjust lighting in your business or store needs to reflect the mood you want to set there.

A top-notch conference room design is necessary for the running of your Dallas, TX office. How can you continually keep morale high and ensure everyone is communicating effectively in your meetings?

Whether you’re in the middle of a brainstorm gathering or an important presentation for clients – you don’t want a technical glitch interrupting your productivity. Keep your business operations on track with commercial automation and AV features that elevate your whole work environment.

Learn about the top three solutions for your boardroom by reading on below!

SEE ALSO: Create an Efficient and Productive Meeting and Work Environment

High-End Audiovisuals

Imagine taking your next presentation or interactive meeting to a whole new level with stunning audio video features that never delay or hinder your setup.

A work environment has a huge impact on how productive your employees find themselves throughout the week. When your office starts to grow gloomy or mundane, you might notice a dip in motivation across the workforce.

But by adding dynamic shading control to your Dallas, TX office, you can breathe new life into its atmosphere.

In this blog, we’ll show you just how much motorized shades can benefit your whole building and give your employees a boost in morale. Want to find out more? Keep reading on below.

SEE ALSO: Commercial Lighting Promotes Employee Satisfaction

The Look and Feel of a Space

When employees come into the office in the morning, a poorly lit space can feel dismal and cheerless. In contrast, an intensely bright area lit by fluorescent lighting can also induce headaches or cause eyes to glaze over. And when employees arrive to these types of settings day in and day out, it can start to wear them down.

Don’t waste time and energy on a DIY or off-the-shelf smart system for your Dallas, TX home. You need to put your trust in the top-quality services and work that home automation companies can deliver to your property.

So just how beneficial is teaming up with a professional? When you work with an experienced company like DeVance Electronic Lifestyle, you can rest assured your smart home is taken care of.

Read on below to learn the top advantages of working with our team, and how we make the entire installation process a breeze.

SEE ALSO: Interior Design Trends for the Smart Home

Know You Can Rely on Us

There’s nothing more annoying than when devices stop working right when you need them most. When you pick up products from the store to make up your smart home system, you might able to install them quickly – but you can never trust that they’ll work in the long run.

There’s nothing worse than your technology failing you at the most inopportune time. When you’re in the middle of a meeting, the last thing you want on your mind is whether your audio video and automation systems will run properly.

That’s why you need a top-quality conference room design to streamline business operations at your Dallas, TX company. You can improve communications and efficiency throughout the workspace and never have to worry about technical glitches again.

Read on below to learn how these commercial system features can elevate your entire company.

SEE ALSO: 5 Must-Have Technologies for Your Boardroom Automation System

Creating the Perfect Conference Setup

Having a space ready and prepped for any type of meeting, presentation, or conference call is ideal and can take away most of the jitters or nerves employees might have. A perfect setup eliminates one step off the to-do list and keeps a presenter focused on the meeting at hand. This keeps communications going and the workday running as it should.

The basic image of a movie theater hasn’t changed in more than a century. The viewer sits facing a screen, while a projector fires images from behind them. Over the years, visual displays have evolved. Now, you can watch from a projector or a TV in stunning 4K resolution right in the comfort of your Southlake, TX home. For some homeowners, that’s enough. But if you want to enjoy the real benefits of a home theater system, you’ll need to upgrade your sound system, too. Immersive audio is a great way to enjoy your movies the way you did when you saw them at the local megaplex. Ready to learn more? Keep reading.

SEE ALSO: 3 Creative Uses for Your Home Audio Distribution System

What Is Immersive Audio

Surround sound has been around since the 1970s. Originally, it was a way for moviegoers to experience films in a whole new dimension. They were no longer stuck with two-channel stereo. Instead, they could hear five, or seven, or more channels playing sound from all over the room.

Systems became more popular, and soon people were able to enjoy full surround sound in the comfort of their homes. Unfortunately, these systems rarely sounded as good as the one at the theater down the street -- there simply wasn’t enough space to accommodate the appropriate number of channels.

In 1959, Joel Spira invented the rotary dimmer switch, Lutron’s initial claim to fame. Lutron’s popularity soared through consequent decades as they created customized lighting automation systems, motorized shades and controls for homes and businesses, perfecting their product offering along the way. Now one of the most significant names in the smart home industry, they’re innovating LED lighting, tunable lighting and motorized shades for Dallas, TX, offices like yours.

But with the other automated lighting systems out there, why do we consistently choose Lutron for business applications? You’ll discover a few of those reasons below!

SEE ALSO: Is Your Conference Room Design Ready for the Next Decade?

Streamlined Connection

Lutron uses custom repeaters that employ radio frequency technology to communicate, ensuring the smoothest connection and minimal network interference. This system, called Clear Connect RF, means that you never have to compromise the bandwidth needs of your AV system with your lighting and shading requirements, which pays off if you’re controlling many devices throughout a large, tech-heavy office. And whether you have two lights or two hundred, you can control dimming and color temperature, monitor energy usage or power down your whole office from anywhere by using your Lutron app.

Human-Centric Setup

Static lighting - illumination that doesn’t change temperature or brightness throughout the day - occupies most commercial centers: The American Society of Interior Design reports that 68 percent of employees complain about the lighting in their offices. We can blame this trend on the ubiquitous fluorescent light that raises many staff complaints - ranging from unshakable midday lethargy to early-morning jitters.

We recommend Lutron’s lighting control for businesses aiming to implement the lighting that humans need to thrive. Its brilliance and tone shift imperceptibly throughout the day but impact our productivity, alertness and well-being in noticeable ways. You might notice that your staff seems more focused and alert, even during that late-afternoon meeting.

Have meetings in your Dallas, TX, office been less productive or engaging than you would hope recently? Your audio might be to blame: Sound issues are one of the most distracting issues you can face while video conferencing, but we have a few solutions to try. Keep reading to see how to mitigate audio setbacks and engage your staff with the help from the DeVance Electronic Lifestyle team.

SEE ALSO: Winterize Your Office With Motorized Shades!

Maximize Your Microphones

You want everyone on the call to hear your message, loudly and clearly, but you’ve probably experienced poorly installed incoming audio that sounds garbled, quiet or staticky. Figuring out exactly where to place your microphones often requires a professional audio-video integrator’s skills, so that’s where we come in.

Have you ever asked someone to speak up in the conference call, only to get louder volume with more distortion? When we perform video conferencing equipment installations, we place microphones close to the people speaking so that sound quality doesn’t depend on volume. Digital sound processors, or DSPs, can distinguish between people speaking and noise, while automatic gain control can fine-tune your sound so that your microphone balances both your louder and softer-spoken participants.

Also consider whether omnidirectional or directional microphones work best for you. Many people think omnidirectional microphones at first because they pick up sounds from multiple directions: This effect captures audio from people speaking all around the room. However, omnidirectional mics pick up ambient noise, too.  Directional microphones target the meeting participant close by, and many microphones include DSP processing capabilities to clarify incoming and outgoing audio alike.

In today’s offices, you see a complete transformation from the business scene of just ten years ago. Alongside less fluorescent lighting and fewer cubicles, another lasting trend we’ve noticed is the huddle room: According to recent market trends identified by Frost & Sullivan, huddle rooms are projected to replace almost 70% of all meeting rooms by 2022.

What is a huddle room, though? It’s too small to be called a conference room and too business-oriented to be a break room, so imagine, if you will, something in between. Maybe two or three employees want to spend half an hour rehearsing a presentation but don’t want to book a conference room. Or a peer leader wants to instruct an employee on a topic that needs a visual aid. In these instances and several others,  a huddle room proves a handy tool in your overall commercial audio video and automation setup. Why would your Dallas, TX, office need one, especially when you already have a few conference rooms? We’ll explain below.

SEE ALSO: 3 Commercial Audio Video Trends You Need to Know

A Welcome Break From an Open Office

The open office concept seemed to crop up in nearly every business last decade. According to a 2010 study by the International Facility Management Association, 68% of people worked in an office with either no walls or low walls–and the number has undoubtedly grown.

Regardless of the cons of the layout, which we’ll discuss below, owners continued to build them for their cost-efficiency and collaboration benefits. Some studies have noted that banishing the closed-door office has leveled the manager-employee playing field and made executives seem more approachable.

If the headline seems like a simple question, you're probably well on your way to building a security system that will keep your Dallas, TX, business safe. But for many business owners, there's a lot of confusion surrounding the topic. What's the difference between surveillance systems and smart security cameras? Which one is right for your company? The answers are a bit more complicated than you might imagine. Keep reading to learn more.

See Also: BOOST SALES, WORK SMARTER WITH DIGITAL SIGNAGE

Surveillance Systems

A surveillance system is a network of devices designed to record and store video information for security purposes. That includes cameras, DVRs, and the appropriate digital networking to make it run.

You're probably already familiar with cameras, but as technology continues to develop, there are different types of cameras you should be aware of. For instance, a security camera is any camera that's part of a security system. But a "smart" security camera is one that connects to your smartphone, tablet, or computer to offer a direct feed and controls remotely.

Smart security cameras are typically self-contained systems. They’re designed to give you visual access to an area. They often boast features like connectivity with other smart devices and offer a small amount of local storage. They’re perfect for small residential spaces but not great for larger, high-traffic commercial areas.

A distributed audio system lets you play your favorite songs in any area of your Highland Park, TX, home. Wouldn’t you love to host a party where the speakers pulsated with the same beat throughout the house and the patio, playing your favorite song for the entire party to hear? What if you could pause your movie halfway through and resume it in another room because your audio-video equipment was perfectly in sync?

Welcome to the world of whole-home, high-performance audio. If you’re starting out with a single-room setup, and the prospect of adding music to every room feels daunting right now.

That’s why we always recommend enlisting a tech integrator’s help before trying to DIY your multi-room audio. We partner with the best brands, such as Origin Acoustics and McIntosh, and we know how to strategically wire speakers for the optimal sonic experience. Keep reading to see a few options to weigh when we look at your home.

SEE ALSO: What Is Whole-House Audio Video?

#1: You Enjoy Entertaining

You’re that person that can’t imagine a single holiday passing without throwing that one party that everyone talks about. Everyone has a different entertaining style: You might go all out with a five-course dinner party or chill on the sofa during a game day event. Perhaps you decorate for elaborate themed soirees. Or maybe you convert your biggest room into a dancing space where you can drink cocktails with friends all night long. No matter what, your Control4 system facilitates playing and pausing music, switching tracks, adjusting volume, and anything else you need to manage.

If you consider yourself an audiophile, you probably prefer a multi-zone audio setup that lets you hear your music throughout the house and control it with a comprehensive entertainment solution like Control4. We’d be the first to tout whole-home audio systems benefits for Highland Park, TX, homeowners, but many people want to take their music hobby and sound system installation one step further. Keep reading to learn why and see how a dedicated listening room will enhance your Highland Park, TX, home experience.

SEE ALSO: A Brief Day in the Life With Whole-House Audio And How DeVance Can Help

Benefit #1 - Utilize and Customize a Spare Room

Do you have that room that merely occupies space in your home? Maybe you had some lofty plans for this room when you moved in, but since then, it’s been relegated to a glorified closet or indoor shed. The DeVance team can offer a consultation in which we help you re-imagine that space as a dedicated listening room.

Often, the spaces in your house don’t quite like your “own.” You might have an office or study that you fill with your favorite trinkets, sports memorabilia or movie posters, but admittedly, that one customized room seems too small for all your interests and personality.