Welcome to Our Smart Home Technology Blog

If you had mentioned smart boardroom AV systems or HD video conferencing just a couple of decades ago, people would have seen the prospect as too futuristic to ever happen. Collaborating with stakeholders across the globe? Communicating with remote teams thousands of miles from your Dallas, TX, office?

Now, however, these notions feel commonplace, as modern offices demand the best AV tools and an ever-faster internet connection to piece all the components together. As we head into the new decade, don’t neglect to update your boardroom to suit your video-conferencing needs. Keep reading to see why it’s so vital to your profitability, employee satisfaction and more.

SEE ALSO: Reduce Your Office Energy Costs by Switching to Smart Climate Control

The Future of Meetings

Automation and enhanced AV solutions speed up those once-daunting tasks, urging business owners to take more risks and optimize every meeting.

Meetings are no longer location-dependent, meaning owners can reduce expenses needed to fly contacts into their physical office. Similarly, you no longer must search for employees within 50 miles of the Dallas area: Find top talent from virtually anywhere. Not to mention, your in-house employees gain some flexibility to work from home if a need arises.

According to the US Energy Information Association, HVAC usage accounts for 23 percent of total energy consumption by businesses. That means heating, cooling, and ventilating your spaces is a significant overhead cost. And if you're not careful, you could end up wasting energy and driving up the price tag of your monthly energy bill. Here, we'll show you how integrated technology can help you manage climate control in your Dallas, TX, business.

See Also: STOP WASTING MONEY ON INEFFICIENT COMMERCIAL LIGHTING

Smart Automation

Automated technology can help you reduce the amount of energy your thermostat is using. A combination of smart sensors and energy management software will help you stay afloat of what’s happening throughout your commercial space. And if you notice an opportunity to save, you can easily make adjustments with a single touch.

Many businesses use occupancy sensors to help manage light. But integrated technology means multiple systems can work together to help you benefit. When a room is not in use, your system can adjust the thermostat to a pre-set degree so that it won't waste energy cooling. And when someone enters the room, it will automatically lower the temperature.

Energy monitoring is a great way to keep track of the spaces that use the most electricity. Power meter controllers and branch monitoring transformers can help you keep track of specified areas so you can adjust settings to reduce costs.

Almost everyone we know is grumbling about Daylight Savings Time and for good reason. It seems that the brief time period in which we enjoy sunlight has dwindled into a few hours, and many of us are feeling more sluggish as a result. Now that Texas has finally started showing signs of winter, your employees might feel a little cabin fever within your office walls, which interferes with brainstorming and creativity.

You can enjoy more of the illumination you and your employees need just by adding motorized shades to your Irving, TX, space, and you can even save money in the process. Keep reading to see how one solution can do both.

SEE MORE: How Lighting Control Makes Your Conference Room Smarter

Harvest Sunlight

We’ve all experienced the dreaded 3 p.m. lag, which often coincides with the time that we need to be the most productive. Liven up the post-lunch conference room meeting by brightening your surroundings! Human rhythms depend on bright daylight illumination to power us through the morning and afternoon. Motorized shades with photo sensors “read” the amount of daylight outside and automatically raise the blinds to optimize light intake. We can program your shades to rise and fall at preset times, based on circadian rhythm patterns.

...And Heat

Did you know that some of  that light coming through your office’s windows converts to energy? According to an Energy.gov study, up to 40% of a building's heating energy is lost through windows during heating seasons. Motorized shades effectively decrease your heating bills in two ways - by allowing more of the sunlight to come in and heat the house and by trapping cold air outside. Let’s look closer.

We’ve all been into that Dallas conference room that was less than impressive. Most of them shared some standard features: you could walk in and instantly notice the fluorescent light and antiquated furniture that heralded a bygone era of corporate life.

AV enthusiasts would notice deeper conference room design issues as soon as someone started using the room. We’ll reveal some pain points that signal an office that you can leave in the 2010s and some quick fixes that will make your Texas office future-ready. Keep reading!

SEE ALSO: Conference Room AV Upgrades You Will Want for Your Business

Clunky Speakers

Minimalism might not be everyone’s style, but if you see floor speakers everywhere, with no audio gear in the speakers or walls, we usually take it as a sign that your office is outdated. Speakers littering the floor indicate that you might not be achieving the surround-sound quality necessary to fully participate in video conference calls, for one thing. Also, audio clutter doesn’t look as attractive or professional and takes up too much real estate in smaller rooms.

Wires Galore

Similar to our gripe with multiple floor speakers, visible wiring everywhere diminishes an otherwise sophisticated, modern office aesthetic. We can streamline all your A/V components into a rack that we conceal somewhere like a closet. No more tripping over cables on your way to the screen or trying to figure where to plug in a cable to start using audio or video.