Welcome to Our Smart Home Technology Blog

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.