Simplified Tech
Smart Home Automation
Home Automation
When you go to bed at night, the fireplace shuts off, the lights adjust, the shades close, the doors lock, the security system arms, the thermostat adjusts, and the TV turns off. When you come home from work, the crock-pot switches to warm, the shades open, the lights adjust, and your favorite relaxing music starts playing in the kitchen. Simplify your home by having different automated routines for morning, night, home, away, or anything else you can think of. Making your home safer, more efficient, more comfortable, and more simple.
Voice Control
Tell your voice assistant to dim the lights to 50%, turn on your favorite music, adjust the thermostat, or lock the doors. Or say, “Good Morning,” to open the shades, adjust the thermostat, and SLOWLY turn up the lights. All without lifting a finger. Even the simple stuff is helpful too, like asking your voice assistant for today’s weather, setting a timer while you’re cooking, or settling an argument with your spouse about which actor is in that one movie. You were right by the way; you’re always right.
Automated Shades & Blinds
Traditional window treatments are expensive, but you might be surprised that for not that much more money you can get them motorized and automate them. You can close all the shades with one button press or voice command. If you’ve got that one area of your house that gets very bright or hot about 23 minutes before sunset, we can automate the shades to close 24 minutes before sunset all year long or just in the summer. Also, having your shades close every time you leave the house can improve security and significantly save on your heating and A/C expenses.
Smart thermostats
Not all thermostats are equal. With a good thermostat, you can program a schedule, but with an even smarter thermostat you don’t even have to program it. A truly smart thermostat knows when you are home or when the house is empty and can adjust the temperature accordingly. Based on what time you set your phone alarm, the thermostat can be triggered to start warming your house before you even wake up in the morning. This not only makes your house more comfortable, but it will save you money on your heating and A/C expenses.
*Simplified Tech makes no guarantees that a smart thermostat will reduce
the amount of arguments over the right temperature for the house
Lighting Control
With one push of a button, voice command, or automation, set all the lights in your home to the perfect setting for entertaining, cooking, cleaning, waking up, going to bed, leaving town, watching a movie, or just relaxing. No more finding all the lights your family member left on. No more struggling to find which switch turns that one light on. Leave the lights on all the way until you get into bed, then say, “Goodnight,” and all the lights in the house can turn off. When you are on vacation, the lights can turn on and off automatically to mimic that someone is home. Automating your lights can save money and make your home safer and simplified.
Audio, Video, & Entertainment
Home Theaters
Enjoy TV and movies from a display and surround sound system that is better than going to the movie theater. It doesn’t have to be a dedicated room either, it can be part of a larger room where you have games, a bar, or a craft table. Make it a space the whole family can enjoy. Watching sports or the latest movie has never been more comfortable to do at home. Most importantly, we’ll make it simple to use so that any member of the family can enjoy the room without needing a manual.
Simplified Remotes
Watching TV or a movie shouldn’t require several remotes and a request for help from your spouse or child. We can set up one great remote to control all of your devices. Choose Netflix, Bluray, Cable, Tivo, Amazon, Youtube, Hulu, NBC or anything else you can think of with one button press or voice command. No more switching inputs and fumbling with several remotes.
Multi-Room Music
Enjoy music on great speakers in any or all of the rooms of your home. Speakers can be set on bookshelves, discreetly recessed in the wall or ceiling, or completely invisible. Start music from a keypad button on the wall, with a voice command, or from your phone or tablet. Play audio from the big game in the basement and on the deck while playing your favorite Pandora station in the kitchen and living room. Picking the audio you want in the rooms you want it in should be simple.
Televisions & Projectors
Watch the movies or TV of your choice on the screen of your choice. We install TVs and projectors as small or as big as you like. We install TVs that look like artwork on your wall with a beautiful frame; the TV can slowly change between famous artwork or your favorite family photos. If you don’t want to see a TV when it’s not in use, we can install TVs, projectors, and screens that retract into the ceiling, floor, or a piece of furniture. And don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to just one TV in a room, we can install three TVs on one wall so you don’t have to decide which game you are going to watch.
Cutting the Cord & Streaming
Gone are the days of having to choose between just one or two cable or satellite providers. Now there are dozens of ways to get live TV, recorded TV, and movies through the internet (streaming). You can even watch and record free high definition TV through an antenna in your attic or on your roof. We love nothing more than the sound of a customer breaking up with their TV provider. After the liberating break up, all the options can be complicated, but we can make starting your next relationship much more simple.
Outdoor Entertainment
Minnesotans truly appreciate good weather and know how to take advantage of it when it comes. Bring the inside out with outdoor TVs, speakers, and lighting. Have a family movie night under the stars or watch the big game with your friends on the deck. Listen to your relaxing music while you lay in the sun or play something motivating so you can get that dreaded yard work done.
Safety & Security
Security Systems
It’s our job to think of the worst case scenarios, so let us worry about that and recommend the best way to secure your home. We install systems that, when triggered, can contact a 24/7 monitoring station that will call the police or fire department. If you want to avoid monthly fees, but still want some peace of mind, we have systems that just send you and/or a neighbor an alert if the system is triggered. When the alarm goes off, we can have the inside and outside lights start flashing, open the shades, and blast music from your most hated band. It’s not just for intruders either; add sensors to get an alert on your phone when the liquor cabinet or the safe opens. Get an alert if your toddler or teenager tries to sneak out.
Security Cameras
Keep an eye on your home whether you are in your bedroom or in another country. Replace your doorbell with a video doorbell that sends you an alert when someone is at your door or when a package is delivered. Use your phone to see and talk to who is at your door; you could be on vacation and ask the delivery guy to try to hide the package behind the bushes. Even more importantly, if it is that pesky salesman again, you can use your phone to decide not to answer the door . See if your child got home from school okay or if your time-challenged teenager got home before curfew. If you want total coverage, we can put cameras on every corner of your house and set them to record 24/7.
Smart Locks & Garage Doors
Install a smart keypad lock that arms the security when you leave and disarms when you come home. Get an alert when a specific family member arrives home. From your phone, easily set up a temporary lock code for the handyman that only works for a limited time or a code for the cleaning person that only works at a specific time every week. We can also install a component that allows you to see if your garage door is closed, and if it is not, you can close it from your phone whether you are home or away. Get an alert if you left home and forgot to close your garage or lock your door. It is so nice to be able to easily double check your garage and locks even when you are on vacation in another country.
Network, WiFi, & Infrastructure
Networks & WiFi
The network and WiFi are the most important part of a successful smart home. Your phones, tablets, computers, TVs, smart home gear, and even some appliances now rely on your WiFi. Many people are using and usually paying a monthly fee for poor equipment their internet provider gave them. We find many people are paying a lot for high speed internet, when they are really only getting a fraction of the speed they are paying for because of poor performing equipment. We love being able to help you get rid of those extra monthly fees as well as giving you a much more solid network. We will make sure every room in your house has a strong and fast WiFi signal.
Smart Managed Internet
With a smart network, you can choose when internet works and doesn’t work for certain devices. All from your phone, you can turn off the gaming console when it is time to do homework, turn off all devices when it is time for dinner, or turn off just the kids’ devices when it’s bedtime. Also, with a smart network, we can monitor and help fix it remotely if there is an issue. Possibly before you even know there is a problem, we can get an alert when your internet goes down and proactively fix it. We can see if a specific device on the network is having trouble and troubleshoot that remotely.
Wiring & Infrastructure
Many people think everything is wireless these days, but we are a very long way away from that being the case. Whether it is a new build or a remodel, we’ll help you prepare for the future by putting the right wiring in the right places. Wire for speakers, TVs, security cameras, security sensors, wireless access points (the things that give you WiFi), and many other connected devices. Before sheetrock gets put on the walls, you’ll want to make sure there is wiring everywhere where you want it or where you might want it later. It is MUCH cheaper to wire before sheetrock than it is to cut and patch a bunch of holes in order to retrofit wire later.
