{"id":860,"date":"2014-03-31T14:50:30","date_gmt":"2014-03-31T20:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/?p=860"},"modified":"2014-03-31T14:50:30","modified_gmt":"2014-03-31T20:50:30","slug":"6-most-important-pieces-of-info-to-share-with-your-tech-installer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/cisncuser\/audio-systems\/6-most-important-pieces-of-info-to-share-with-your-tech-installer\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Most Important Pieces of Info to Share with Your Tech Installer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Tidbits about your lifestyle, family and home can net a well-designed A\/V and automation system.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A realtor wouldn\u2019t dream of selling you a house without understanding your needs and wants (or \u201cmust-haves\u201d as they\u2019re known these days). The same goes for the professional who designs and installs A\/V and automation systems into homes. In order to provide a customer with technology that will truly enhance the convenience, comfort and entertainment value of a home, he needs to learn about how those homeowners live in their home now, what they\u2019d like to improve about the house and how they envision life in an automated residence, among other tidbits. (To see home tech requests achieved to their fullest, check out our Home of the Year Award winners.)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like peeling back an onion,\u201d says custom electronics (CE) professional Tommy Kissell of Texas-based Eco High Fidelity, of his first meetings with prospective clients. \u201cThe more we know about a client, the better equipped we\u2019ll be to design a system that suits their habits, routines, schedules and lifestyle.\u201d So what are some of the areas you can expect your CE pro to ask you about?<\/p>\n

The House Itself<\/strong>
\nCertainly, he\u2019ll need to know whether you plan to automate an existing house, will be remodeling or would like to put the system into a house that\u2019s on the drawing boards. Some of your first meetings with a CE pro could take place at your house; this will give the installer an opportunity to gauge the complexity of the job. He\u2019ll need to see if there\u2019s an attic, basement or crawlspace through which to fish cabling; if not, he may investigate other wiring avenues. He\u2019ll be able to see first-hand if there are any materials like concrete and stucco that could make the project more difficult. Also, he\u2019ll probably ask you about current technologies your home might already have: built-in speakers, a computer network, a security system? With a clear understanding of your home\u2019s makeup, a CE pro will be able to determine the types of tools and manpower he will need to get the job done, and what types of products and systems\u2014for example, wireless or hardwired\u2014will work best.<\/p>\n

Inconvenient Truths<\/strong>
\nEverybody can rattle off a few items they find annoying or inconvenient about their home. Maybe it\u2019s the closet and bathroom lights that nobody bothers to turn off, or the tedium of locking up and shutting things off before bedtime. A CE pro wants to hear your pet peeves you so he can design your system that takes care of those trouble spots. Don\u2019t hold back, and make sure every member of the family has a say.<\/p>\n

Comfort with Technology<\/strong>
\nHow do you use technology in your home now? For example, are you a fan of streaming music and video services? Are you a PC or Mac user? Do your kids do much of their homework online? What about mobile devices? Are they loaded with apps? A CE pro can tell a lot by your current use of and familiarity with technology. For example, if everyone in family is an avid user of an iPad, your CE pro may design a system that lets you use this device to manage and monitor your home systems. If you have thousands of CDs, then those might be prioritized within a whole-house audio system over streaming services, for example (or perhaps you\u2019d rather pare down the collection and simplify to the streaming route).<\/p>\n

Way of Life<\/strong>
\nLifestyle is a big buzzword in the home technology industry, and for good reason. A candid discussion of your way of life will likely reveal the most important pieces of information a CE pro needs to design and implement a system so in sync with you and your family that you\u2019ll wonder how you ever managed without it. At the very least, expect to divulge your household status (single, married, kids, elderly parents), your family\u2019s schedule (work, school, travel), your social life (do you entertain frequently) and your hobbies (sports, exercise, photography, art collecting, etc.). If your daily routine involves a half hour on the treadmill, perhaps you\u2019d like to have some music piped in over in-ceiling speakers rather than be tethered to an iPod; or maybe create the proper lighting environment for displaying artwork.<\/p>\n

Aesthetic Preferences<\/strong>
\nDo you want to show off your home electronics investment or keep it under wraps? Your aesthetic preferences will help a CE pro decide whether he should install speakers that recess into the walls or models that stand out in the open, for example. If you like the idea of having all of the A\/V components (amplifiers, processors, Blu-ray players, etc.) hidden completely from view, by all means tell your CE pro. There are lots of clever ways to hide technology.<\/p>\n

On the Clock<\/strong>
\nPrepare to have an idea of when you\u2019d like the project started and finished. Do you want everything installed by the holidays? Is there a special event by which you\u2019d like the project buttoned up? Based on answers to earlier questions, a CE pro is probably visualizing a system, but when you say you want it done in six weeks, he may have to rethink the plan, or may even bow out if you\u2019re firm on the deadline. Be clear with your timeframe; be flexible if you can.<\/p>\n

by Lisa Montgomery<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.electronichouse.com\/article\/6_most_important_pieces_of_info_to_share_with_your_installer\/Learning_Center<\/p>\n

Custom Installation Services, LLC \u2013 Call us for your free “Tech” evaluation! in Charlotte, NC and surrounding areas<\/a><\/p>\n

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Tidbits about your lifestyle, family and home can net a well-designed A\/V and automation system. A realtor wouldn\u2019t dream of selling you a house without understanding your needs and wants (or \u201cmust-haves\u201d as they\u2019re known these days). The same goes for the professional who designs and installs A\/V and automation systems into homes. In order […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[526,886,1062,1063,3,72,95,1050,1013,998,117,1049,1029,898,1065,1064,1067,18,1032,997,1034,528,700,1033,1030,709,938,1066,15,43,688,1068,1031],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=860"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":863,"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860\/revisions\/863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cis-nc.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}