“Away (Day)” – This is a button on my keypad by the back door that I use constantly. Especially because it usually takes me about 3 tries to get out of the house with everything I need for a busy day of work, yoga, kid activities and errands. When I push this button, every light in the house turns off. Every single one. It’s awesome. Even better, the temperature resets to 78 in the summer or 65 in the winter so I’m not burning a bunch of energy heating or cooling our house when no-one is there. The security system arms. And here’s one last thing that’s kind of cool. We have about a gazillion office computers, printers, etc. plugged into a power strip. They just sit there sucking power all day long while we’re away. Not any more! Now that power strip turns off so all of those devices are actually powered down for a good 8 hours. Same thing with the coffee pot and my flatiron…things that we notoriously left on for hours at a time before we got “smart.” It might not be a huge energy savings but it makes me feel better!

We have an “Away (Night)” setting too which leaves a few lights on inside and they’re actually programmed to mimic our actual behavior so it looks like someone is in the house – people around here call it “mockupancy.” The exterior lights are timed to go on automatically based on the sunset time so we don’t have to include that in this scene. Our “Away (Night)” setting doesn’t change the temperature dramatically since we’re likely to be gone for a shorter period of time in the evenings, but it does set the security system.

“Goodnight” – I think this is pretty much our favorite scene. We have three floors in our home so making the rounds to flip off all the lights is a little pre-bedtime exercise I had grown to despise. Now I just pick up my iPhone and use the app to put the house to bed. All the lights go off with a few exceptions. We leave the kids’ bathroom light on at about 15% so they can find their way in the middle of the night, the front exterior lights stay on until midnight, and our bedside table lamps stay on for 1 hour from the time we set the trigger. Hey, sometimes we need a little reminder that it’s time to stop reading or watching TV and get our beauty sleep! We also have motion sensors in the kids’ rooms, the main hallway and the front entrance. Once we hit goodnight, we’ll get alerts on our phones if anyone is moving around – quite handy considering that our three-year-old is a little midnight mischief-maker. The temperature drops to the mid-60’s so we don’t roast, the security system arms and it’s off to dreamland.

“Exercise” – This one is fun. We have a little home gym. Okay, it’s a treadmill and a bunch of weights but it works. My husband likes to work out to music so we have his set to turn the lights on bright, fire up his “Gym Rat” playlist from his iPhone through the Music Bridge (and, yes, I set the max volume so it doesn’t get too loud upstairs. I don’t care what he says, it’s just not cool to lift weights to really loud Neil Diamond.), and turn on a floor fan so he doesn’t work up too much of a sweat. I, on the other hand, prefer a “cardio cinema” experience so my “Exercise” button dims the lights and turns on the TV so I can decide what movie to watch while I’m doing my miles, and since I’m usually a little cold I don’t have the fan start automatically. The cool thing is that we have it set so that once we’re done, the treadmill “locks up.” We have two little kids and have heard a few too many horror stories of how they can injure themselves playing on a treadmill so we make sure that without our special button presses, they can’t turn it on at all.

By now you’ve probably got a million cool ideas for your own scenes swirling in your mind, right? So how do you actually “make” them? The first option is to have your dealer create them for you, either when you set your system up (so start thinking now!) or once you’ve lived with it for a while and have a better idea how you want to personalize your Control4 world. I am busy and not super technical so it’s easier for me to paint a picture for my dealer and then he can just remote into my system and magically (but for a small fee), my dream becomes reality. If you’re more of a do-it-yourselfer, you can use Composer Home Edition to customize simple lighting and audio media scenes.

Be forewarned, creating scenes can be a little addictive. I’ve got more ideas for scenes than I know what to do with, like a “MommyTime” button that automatically locks the bedroom and bathroom doors and queues the speakers above so I can enjoy a nice hot bath with some great music, and no interruptions! If only I could figure how to automate a pedicure into that one, I’d be set!

To get even more ideas on how you can “make a scene”—in your own home theater, family room, bedroom and beyond—check out the Spaces section on our new website! 

Whether it’s Bach, the Beatles or Beyoncé, you first have to get your music into a format that works for both you and your devices. If you’re listening to honest-to-goodness CDs using an honest-to-goodness CD player, that’s generally an easy proposition. But if you’ll be using any other kind of music player—an iPod, Android phone, or Control4 home automation system—you have to convert your music into a playable format. It helps to know just a little bit about digital music formats and what they mean.

First, a couple of definitions:

• Conversion: Conversion is a necessary step to taking your music from the CD to your hard drive. This will allow you to listen to your tunes on a computer (with a program like iTunes or Windows Media Player) or on a standalone music player such as an iPod or Android device. Converting a CD is typically allowed under copyright laws as long as you own the CD and use the resulting audio file yourself (i.e., as long as you don’t share it with others).
• Codec: The term is short for “compressor/decompressor” (or, if you prefer, “coder-decoder”). This is roughly analogous to “format” but that’s not always the case. Some of the most popular codecs for audio include MP3, AAC and FLAC. Other common audio codecs include WAV, WMA and Ogg Vorbis. The purpose of a codec is to take “raw” music files or CD tracks and transfer them to a hard drive or digital device. Often some kind of audio compression is used to squeeze the files down to a size that will give a good balance of quality and disk space. When you choose your codec, it’s important to make sure it’s one that your music player of choice (whether it’s a program on your computer or a standalone device) can play.
• Bitrate: The bitrate of a digital audio file is generally expressed in kilobits per second (kbps). With compressed audio, high bitrates translate to better-sounding files. But files converted at higher bitrates are larger (in terms of hard disk space) than lower-bitrate files. If storage is an issue, as it almost always is with standalone playback devices such as smartphones or iPods, then the challenge is to decide on a bitrate that strikes the best balance between size and quality.

What’s the best format?

So what’s the best format, codec and bitrate for your music? The answer is, of course, “it depends.” Actually, it depends on a couple of things.

First, how discerning is your ear for audio quality? If you’re the kind of person who thinks the sound you get from a typical “top 40″ station on the radio is just fine, you’re probably not an audiophile or music power user. If you’re one of those people who has to listen to music in an absolutely quiet room on a high-end sound system with perfectly matched speakers, then you’re probably on the other end of the spectrum. Most of us are somewhere in the middle.

There are two types of codecs, and the type you choose will depend on whether your ear requires pure perfection or not. Some codecs are “lossy,” in the sense that they compress the audio down by getting rid of “unnecessary” bits of information, sacrificing quality for economy of size. Other codecs are “lossless,” which means that they maintain the exact quality of the original source audio. Lossy compression codecs like MP3, AAC, WMA or Ogg Vorbis will always result in a slight reduction in quality, though at higher bitrates you may not even notice the difference. With lossless codecs like WMA, ALACand FLAC, you can actually re-create the original audio file from the compressed version, though at the expense of larger files.

What devices or systems will you be using for playback?

Before you decide on a digital audio format, take a moment and think about all of the devices that will be used to play your music. Just about every audio player on the planet will play MP3s, though some may be constrained by the bitrates they can decode. iPods (and iPhones and iPads) will play AAC, MP3 and uncompressed WAV and ALAC files (as well as some other, less common formats), but generally can’t read WMA or compressed WAV files.

If you’re going to be playing your music over a Control4 system, check with your dealer or the equipment specs to see whether the format you choose is compatible. Newer Control4 controllers such as the Control4 HC-800 and HC-250 will play MP3, AAC and FLAC files natively. Older controllers may not be able to play FLAC files.

So what format and bitrate should I choose?

That’s the big question, isn’t it? You can take some time to experiment, or you can take my word for it.

In my humble opinion, you can’t go wrong with good old MP3 files at a higher bitrate, because you’ll be able to play them on just about any system and device around. According to Knowzy.com, a file converted in “CD quality” (256 kbps) that takes up 2.2 MB will be 1.7 MB in “FM quality” (192 kbps) and 1.1 MB at “fair quality” (128 kbps). I would caution against using anything less than 192 kbps when converting your music. Anything lower than this flattens the sound and reduces much of the clarity—and to be honest, hard disk space is pretty cheap these days.

If you need perfection, FLAC is your friend. Because it’s a free and open standard for lossless music (the acronym stands for “Free Lossless Audio Codec”), it’s more likely to be supported by more players. Of course, if you import all your music as FLAC files and someday decide to change to another format, your source file will be an exact copy of the original.

Since hard disk space just gets cheaper and cheaper, a better (though more time-consuming) approach would be to convert everything to FLAC and then create MP3 files at either 192 or 256 kbps so you have both versions. It just depends on your specific preference.

There’s still some room for experimentation … so do a little testing if you still aren’t sure. You can use iTunes or another audio conversion tool to convert CD tracks into various formats and bitrates. If you’re using iTunes, open the Preferences and choose the “Import Settings” on the General tab. Convert the same track several times using different codecs and quality settings, then listen to them in a quiet room and see if you can tell the difference. Most people can’t discern between MP3 files imported at 192 kbps versus 256 kbps, but a careful listener can easily hear the difference in quality between 192 and 128 kbps.

What codec and bitrate have you used for your music collection? Have you ever changed your mind and had to re-convert your entire catalog of CDs? Let us know in the comments below!

There are so many different streaming music services available on the market that it’s tough to know which one best suits your needs.   As a music enthusiast, I’m always looking for new artists, genres and services that meet my ever-changing mood.   What I’ve found interesting is how many of these streaming services seem to fade in and fade out as fast as last year’s colors.   This constant change is making it more and more difficult for audio products to keep up with these changes.

The goal of all streaming services is to make their music source your #1 pick.  They first work on the products that individuals touch the most—their smartphones.  Rather than trying to figure out which streaming service is the best one for our users, Control4 is embracing them all by enabling the smartphone as a primary music source for the smart home.

By leveraging proven technologies—such as AirPlay, Bluetooth and DLNA—the smartphone you use on a regular basis can now take the plethora of streaming services and easily integrate them into your Control4 Audio System.   This super cool new product is the Control4 Wireless Music Bridge.

Several years ago, Control4 recognized that the smartphone was quickly becoming the center of many people’s listening experience. The Control4 iPod Dock was our first product that allowed users to tether their phones to their automation system, but since then times have changed and technology is progressing by the day.   It’s exciting that I can now walk around with my iPhone throughout my house and listen to Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, MOG, or even my own music sitting on that 16GB of flash memory.

No doubt I’ve fallen in love with “The Bridge.”   It has become a product that I used every day.  On weekends my wife and I listen to iHeartRadio and enjoy some of the funny morning shows from our old stomping grounds.   Later we transition to a Pandora Station or two.   During the week, I stream Spotify on my way home and, once I get out of my truck, I bridge it to my Control4 system and send the same programming into my living room and home office.   I knew that Control4 hit the mark with this product the day I found my wife playing her music from her phone.  Sure I told her what the AirPlay icon in the lower right corner was for, but when I came home one day and she was actually using it, I was impressed.

Getting a bit technical, “The Bridge” has some cool features built right in that, in the past, installers would have to climb mountains to achieve.  Some of which include:

• Automatically starting and stopping your audio system based on your phone’s status.
• The user never has to touch a Control4 touch screen or remote to listen to their music.
• Metadata (information like song titles and artists) is streamed directly from your phone onto the Control4 System.
• You can control your phone from a touch screen in case you left your phone in the office, but that song that is currently playing is not what you are in the mood to listen to.

From an installer perspective, this level of functionality could be achieved previously via 3^rd party hardware and drivers, but at great cost and time of install.

Again, I’m super excited about what this product does for the Control4 customer base and for the dealers that install our products.  With the Wireless Music Bridge, customers will enjoy a world class listen experience through Control4.

Rock on!

My wife and I have lived with the benefits of distributed audio and video in our home for years and now we can’t imagine living without it.  It’s just one of those things that becomes a part of your family routine and adds to the enjoyment of being at home.  It’s so great to have music to get you pumped up while getting ready in the morning. Coming home after work to your kids dancing to music playing in the kitchen is always a treat.

However, we’ve only recently begun living with lighting control as part of our daily routine.  After using Control4 lighting control for several months now, we’ve come to love it just as much—if not more—than distributed audio and video.  As parents of both a three- and four-year old, our favorite feature is being able to gather up the kids at bedtime without having to turn off all the individual light switches downstairs.  After we’ve put them to bed, we can simply turn off all the lights in the basement with one button press.  Another big one is the “Away” scene which allows my wife to press a single button on a wireless keypad as she’s headed out the door. All of the lights in the home gradually turn off, while leaving on the garage light for 5 minutes so she has plenty of time to load the kids into the car and leave before the garage light turns off too.

My personal favorite is a “Morning” scene that creates a dimmed lighting path from the bedroom upstairs to the bathroom in the basement.  This scene makes the process of waking up so much easier without having to fumble for multiple light switches on my way to the bathroom or getting blinded by bright lights along the way.  Of course, the Control4 MyHome app with Anywhere Access is awesome for checking in on the house while we’re away to make sure no lights were left on, or to start up a vacation lighting mode when we’re on extended trips away from the home.

Recently Advanced Lighting Scenes were added to the Control4 lighting control arsenal.  So, I had to check this out to see what new features were available.  Here’s a quick summary of the new capabilities and why I think they are super cool:

Scene Tracking:  This feature allows me to see from a keypad if a scene such as “Morning” is active or not.  So, if my wife gets up before me and activates the scene, I can see instantly that she has already turned the scene on, and I won’t accidently turn it off on her.  The way I can tell the scene is active is by looking at the LED right above the “morning” button.  If the LED is on, I know the scene is on.  I can even make the LED a different color than the other LEDs on the keypad to make it very obvious that the scene is on.  This is very useful considering how I am in the morning before I drink my coffee.

Scene Toggling:  Instead of having a separate “Morning On” and “Morning Off”  button taking up space on my keypad, I can simply check the status of the scene to see if it is on or off and then press the “Morning” button a second time to turn all the lights in that scene off.  The LED above that button then turns off, telling me that the scene has been deactivated.  I can use this for turning the “Morning” scene off from my basement bathroom too.  I have a “Morning” button on a keypad in the bathroom as well that allows me to turn that scene off when I’m finished getting ready.

Scene Ramping and Fading*:  This feature allows me to easily adjust all lights in a scene by ramping them up or down at the keypad.  This is ideal for my “Entertaining” scene.  When I first launch it in the early evening the lighting is perfect.  But as the night progresses and it’s darker outside, it’s nice to be able to ramp up the whole scene a bit to make the lighting a little brighter and just right.  I can also see this being useful for my “Morning” scene.  I may feel like I need the lighting to be a bit brighter or subdued and having the option to tweak a little is a nice feature.

I found these to be the some of the best features of Advanced Lighting Scenes for my system, but there are additional features such as a flash option and delays within scenes that others may find to be useful.  If you’d like to have some or all of these features activated in your current or future Control4 lighting control system, make sure to contact your Control4 dealer and see what lighting magic they can create for you.  I can tell you from personal experience it has been a fantastic addition to our lighting control system.

*Scene ramping and fading feature only works with the new Panelized Lighting and Next Generation Wireless Lighting systems.

Having a smart home can certainly be a bonus when you’re selling your home. The investment you’ve made in your system would likely impress potential buyers. According to an April 2013 Better Homes & Gardens survey, 64% of those surveyed wouldn’t live in a home that wasn’t up-to-date with the latest tech capabilities and 84% believe technology is an absolute home essential. So your Control4 home is likely in high-demand. But how do you sell it, value it, and make sure the transition is a good one?

1. Promote the “smart home” feature.
   Obvious, but make sure you note that the house is a smart home, or has a home automation system in it. We, of course, recommend that you specify that it’s a Control4 smart home.
2. Promote value and clarify inclusions.
   You know how much you invested in your automation system. As with most enhancements and remodels you make to your home, you might not get back out every single penny you invested but you should definitely work with your real estate agent to figure out how much value the system adds to the sales price of your home. You should also make sure that you are clear about the inclusions and exclusions. For instance, if you have a home theater, are you leaving the projector and screen? Are you taking any of the remotes or touch-screens or smart door locks with you to the new home? Home automation is kind of a new feature for most buyers and agents so it’s better to be clear up front than to run into confusion later in the process.
3. Make a plan to transfer the system, understanding the process and any related costs.
   Give your buyer the name and contact information for your dealer along with any documentation or instructions they may have provided you. If you are planning to install Control4 in your new home (and why wouldn’t you?!), you may want to talk to your dealer ahead of time about transferring your account to the new home system and how that works. Your buyer will probably want to set up an entirely new system, but the dealer may prefer to transfer the settings (the project) as it stands so they don’t have to start from scratch.

As far as costs go, some homeowners factor an initial “transfer” service fee into the price of the home. A quick call with your dealer will not only give you an idea of how much the fees will be to transfer the system over, but you can also talk about the logistics so you can communicate clearly to the new owners. This seems to work out nicely for everyone involved because the transition is professionally managed and seamless. Some sellers even include a one-year support contract with their dealer as part of the sales price, kind of like an extended warranty. Those people are really nice. For us, since we didn’t think about this brilliant idea ahead of time, we simply contacted our dealer and asked for the transition fee estimate and process and then communicated that to the new owners.

1. Make sure your buyer knows the system basics.
   A basic walk through (before you shut off your Internet service and take all your wireless networking out!) will be very helpful. Just like you would show a new owner how to winterize sprinklers or where the shut-off valves are, you should also show them the system basics, where the gear is located and answer any questions you can. For instance, we took our buyer down to the basement to show him where the thermostat lives. The actual temperature sensor is just above an in-wall touch screen in the kitchen—skillfully hidden behind wall texture and paint so it’s invisible.
2. Get with your Control4 Dealer and start planning the installation of your new system.
   Speaking from experience, I lasted all of a week in our new house before I realized that I really can’t live without those “can’t live without them” features. So you might as well make sure your new home is fully automated the moment you move in.

Buying a Control4 home? Check out:
Buying a Control4 Home: Transitioning a Previously-Owned System

If you’re on the market for a new home and you are lucky enough to purchase a home with a Control4 system already installed, make sure you find out the following information from the current owner to make it a smooth transition. Some owners may not know much about their system because it just works or there may be other circumstances at play, so you need to make sure you ask the right questions.

1. Who is the Control4 Dealer they use and what is their contact information?
   Not only should they be able to give you important information about the system, you’ll also need their help to set up your MyControl4 account and determine whether you want to transfer the current settings (called the “project”) or build your experience from scratch based on how you live. The dealer will also provide tech support and help with any upgrades down the road. You might want to ask them if they have support contracts or what their fees are so you’re prepared.
2. When was the system installed?
   This will give you an idea of how much updating you might want or need to do. As with any technology, things evolve fast at Control4 and in the electronics world. If the current homeowner hasn’t done much upgrading, you might want to have a dealer come in and give you a run-down on what it would take to get you all the latest and greatest features and functionality so you can decide what you want to do.
3. What features do they have in their Control4 system?
   One of the great things about Control4 is its flexibility, which means you can customize it to suit your needs. That also means each system is unique so you’ll want to know if they have lighting control, what kind of audio and video setup they have, if security is integrated with door locks and sensors, and if the HVAC system is set up. If the owner doesn’t know all the details (to many, it’s just magic!), make sure you get in touch with the dealer as soon as possible.
4. Are they taking any of the equipment?
   Although the owner should have noted whether the automation system was an inclusion or exclusion in the sale of the house, you’ll want to make sure you know if they’re planning to take any of the peripherals, like remotes or touch screens, with them.
5. Don’t ask for a user manual.
   You can, but once the system is transferred over and you personalize it for you, their manual won’t be of much use. You can download general user documentation from the www.control4.com website (Resources) and check our YouTube channel for tips and tricks.
6. Get your Internet service and wireless network working as soon as possible.
   No matter what control functions you see when you walk through the house the first time or two, you should expect that by the time you get the keys and start moving in, your Control4 system will be in some state of dysfunction. This is due to the fact that the previous owner has likely shut off the Internet connection to the house and has probably taken their wireless equipment to the new home. Many of the functions of Control4 are dependent on the home network, so once you’re back online and your dealer has transferred the system for you, you’ll be back in business.
7. Go online and learn!
   There are a lot of things you can do with your Control4 system, such as adding and changing tablets or smartphones to control your home. (Make sure you get a 4Sight subscription from your dealer so you can enjoy Anywhere Access!) You can learn how to set favorites, set up playlists for Rhapsody and TuneIn, and customize your lighting scenes on your own.

If you have purchased a home with Control4 in it and you didn’t get all of your questions answered—or any of them—you should contact a local Control4 dealer. They will be able to give you the best evaluation of your system and help make sure you’re enjoying all the benefits. However, if you still have questions or need help just email us at customers@control4.com and we’ll get you taken care of. Enjoy!

Selling your Control4 home? Check out:
Selling a Control4 Home: Transitioning your System to a New Owner 

This post comes from Paul Williams, Vice President of Security & Communications Products at Control4.

How safe are you in your home?  Let’s make the assumption that you have a security system and you lock your doors at night, so as you tuck yourself in bed you feel secure.  Should you though?  While you sleep peacefully (and frankly anytime during the day) your home may be under constant attack, not from burglars in masks trying to pry open windows, but from something potentially equally as devastating and intrusive.

The attacks are cyber attacks.  The goal of the attack? Gaining access to your personal information, access to your home systems, and any information that can be used to the financial gain of others. Sometimes the attacks are meant just to cause havoc, as in the case of computer viruses.  In today’s digital world, consumers are continually adding more and more devices to this connected world, a world where even refrigerators are being connected to the cloud. That means we are increasingly creating more and more points of infiltration into our “homes” and personal lives.

A recent CNN report (http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/08/technology/security/shodan/index.html) documented how new search engines like Shodan can expose poorly secured networks and network connected devices to unscrupulous individuals.  It’s a good read, but also can scare you when you see that even governmental agencies have had their systems infiltrated.

Thankfully for most of us, we aren’t a large target like a government agency, but it does not decrease the need for us to be vigilant when it comes to truly securing our home.

So, what can you do?  Here a few tips and suggestions:

1. Check your passwords on all Internet connected devices, especially routers and WiFi access points.  If your password is “password”, “password1” or any other default password, change it IMMEDIATELY!
2. On WiFi access points, many allow you to “Broadcast SSID”.  This is often the default.  Since this is your personal system network, unless you really need to be broadcasting your SSID, turn off that feature.  NOTE: This means that when you want to connect a device to your WiFi network you will need to enter the SSID name into the device, but this adds another layer of security.
3. Install a Firewall.  There are many software and appliance options out there.  The important thing is to have one.
4. DO NOT enable port forwarding on your network router unless you truly understand how to set up port forwarding securely. Unless it is setup properly behind a firewall and with intrusion detection software, port forwarding can open up your home to outside attack.
5. Be wary of email you receive from people you do not know.  Many intrusions into systems and computer viruses come from email attacks.
6. Maintain good passwords for everything you access on the web (bank accounts, school grades, security systems, etc.) Change passwords occasionally and make sure they cannot be easily guessed.  Names of family members or pets are not secure passwords.
7. Be vigilant!  Make sure you evaluate your security on a frequent basis, and as you add new devices, make sure they are have adequate security to protect your systems.

While all of this can be scary, properly connected and configured devices can provide you with a secure environment while allowing you to live a connected life.  That way when you tuck yourself in bed, you truly can feel fully secure and dream about some warm tropical beach, instead of the constant barrage of cyber intrusion attacks on your home.

This guest post comes to us from Ted Rosenberger, Founder & CEO, HouseLogix.

If you’ve heard about VoicePod – the new device from HouseLogix that adds voice recognition to Control4 – it’s easy to imagine situations in your home where having completely “hands-free” voice control of lights, temperatures, and security could be handy.   However, since VoicePod both listens and talks, it can take your Control4 system to a whole new level.  Here are a few of the unexpected benefits of our revolutionary product:

• INCREASED SECURITY AWARENESS.  Each night as you crawl into bed you probably push a “Good Night” button using a touch screen or keypad and assume that your standard good night actions happen. But what if the garage door doesn’t close or the security system doesn’t arm?  With VoicePod, you simply say “Good Night” and if anything goes awry, your house will tell you.  VoicePod can verbally confirm each action as it happens or notify you only when something goes wrong. I’m sleeping better already!
• SAVING BRAIN CELLS.  Quick – what is the channel number for National Geographic in hi-def? What about Cartoon Network, or ESPN2? With VoicePod you don’t have to remember TV channel numbers or spend time scrolling through mile long channel guides. You simply press the blue button on your Control4 remote. VoicePod says “Please say a channel name,” and you reply, “ESPN Two.” The TV turns on and instantly tunes to ESPN2. Want to change the channel? Press the blue button again and speak another channel name. Save your brain cells for remembering more important things.
• MORE GREEN. Unfortunately some of the finer things in life, like spas, can cost you more green and make your home less green, in terms of energy use. With VoicePod, your home can verbally remind you of normally scheduled events that are about to happen, like heating a spa, and ask if you want that event to occur. For example, while you’re getting ready for a lunch date your house announces “Would you like to heat the spa as scheduled?” If you say “yes” or don’t answer, the spa heats as normal on schedule, but you say “No” since you’ll be gone for the day – the spa doesn’t heat and you save energy and money!

  

• WEATHER PREPAREDNESS. Upon awaking you say “Good morning” and while the shades open and soothing music begins to play, your house quickly checks the day’s weather forecast. If inclement weather is impending, your house alerts you and reads the full forecast to you. You haven’t even had coffee and you already know if you’ll need your raincoat!
• INVISIBLE NANNY.  While VoicePod provides hundreds of commands that function for everyone’s voice right out of the box, you can also set up custom voice commands that only work for your voice, by design. Don’t want the children messing with the thermostat or accessing the wine cellar? You can effectively put a “voice password” on these functions making them accessible only when you speak. Just don’t let those clever kids secretly record you!
• REDUCED WALL CLUTTER – Home automation systems need a lot of buttons to make things work and the more control you want, the more buttons you need. Imagine trying to use a typical 6 button keypad to control music, lights, temperatures and house scenes in a room. Most rooms need dozens of buttons or a full touch screen to effectively give you the control you want. VoicePod delivers the equivalent of hundreds of buttons in one small, discreet device (which you can even hide under a couch and use through a hidden microphone). What’s more, VoicePod can help you maximize the usefulness of the keypads you already have. Imagine pushing a single “Music” button on the wall – the room mutes and a voice says “Say type of music,” you say “Rock and Roll” and that’s what plays.
• EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE – You trip and fall and you need to get some help.  Say “Hello VoicePod” -”Emergency” and VoicePod gives you the option of calling 911 or notifying neighbors or family members by text message that you need some help.  No unfashionable necklaces, bracelets or chip implants needed!
• MORE UNINTERRUPTED COZINESS – It’s late and you’re snug in bed, but you’d like to lock the door, arm the security system or turn off that outside light. No one likes to sleep with remotes and iPhones, nor fumble in the dark for controls on the night stand. With VoicePod’s COMPLETELY HANDS FREE CONTROL, you just say “Hello VoicePod” and your whole home automation system is at the tip of your tongue. Secure the house and adjust the lights, but don’t budge one inch from that cozy warm spot under the covers!

By now, you’re probably imagining many other intriguing possibilities for VoicePod in your own home. Together, VoicePod and Control4 can literally transform your home into the home of the future! You definitely want to check out the new lifestyle videos on voicepod.com and contact your Control4 dealer for more information on this exciting product.

As a full-time working mother, I’m always up for anything that helps to make life just a smidge easier. Truth is, I only have one child, a very helpful husband, live pretty close to work and the babysitter is a stone’s-throw away. So I really have it pretty easy in comparison to a lot of others (and stay-at-home mothers work just as hard, I must add). But still, I find it hard to keep up with the numerous daily annoyances that tend to pile up—similar to my many loads of laundry—on the weekly to-do list. Bills, dishes, grocery shopping, and so forth. Sometimes I’m not even sure I remember how to adequately apply makeup, because I never seem to have time for it these days.

However, there are a few things that I find great joy in that I have taken for granted in prior years.  For example, going to the grocery store unaccompanied is no longer a tedious task, but a short (and VERY enjoyable) mini-vacation.

Since Control4 has entered my life, many features in my system have helped to make my life a bit easier. However, my very favorite is one that has just helped to make it a whole lot more enjoyable. My “Mom Time” button on my bathroom keypad (yes, that’s the real engraving), triggers my pre-programmed Rhapsody playlist to play at 30% volume over my bathroom ceiling speakers as the lights dim to 25% over a 15-second span of time. It also adjusts my thermostat so that I don’t freeze when getting out of the tub. The only thing it doesn’t do is pour my wine. But I can deal with that.

I asked around to discover some favorite Control4 features of fellow moms, and these are their own “simple pleasures.”

“My three-button keypad on my nightstand! Can’t live without it. One button to turn off the house, one button controls my bedside lamp, one button turns off the master bedroom and a double tap illuminates the kids bathroom light to 10%.”
—Christi Nelson, Senior Channel Marketing Manager

“As a mom, this system has truly made my life easier. I have an ‘All Off’ button I can hit on the way out the door, so I do not have to go room-to-room on my way out, turning out the lights and TVs. I have a button in my kitchen that announces ‘Dinner is ready’ all over the second floor and it automatically turns off the kids’ TVs.  So, less yelling. Another button announces ‘Get your butt out of bed’ to remind my teenager that it’s time for school. I have a camera at my front door and when someone rings the doorbell, their image comes up on my Control4 Touch Screen and I can talk to them from there. I do not have to open the door for anyone if I do not want to.  Goodbye unwanted solicitors! I use the Control4 system to play Pandora throughout every room in my house—it makes chores like laundry, dishes, and cleaning so much more enjoyable!”
—Marla Glabman (wife of Control4 installer at Glabman Technology Solutions)

“Our son, Brody, will open the door at night—I’m sure like a lot of 2 or 3 year olds. But with kids with Autism, especially our son, he makes no sound. If he opens his door, it will turn on the lights in our master bedroom and it will say something over the speakers. I absolutely love it. I don’t know what I would do without automation and Control4.”
—Robin Buzzard (check out “Automation for Autism” here)

“What’s not to love about Control4 for a busy mom? One of my favorites is the Yale door lock controlled by Control4. No fumbling around for a key with groceries or the dog’s leash in my hand; I just touch the keypad with my personal combination and the door opens. I also love that the bedroom touchscreen shows the outside temperature. The ‘Goodnight’ button locks the garage door, turns off lights and whatever else we want so no worries there!”
—Diane Hirsch (wife of Control4 installer at Horizon Install Group, Inc.)

“I dig being able to play my music or change my lighting from my iPad, anywhere in the house. I also like being able to use MyHome on my mobile device while I’m sitting on the patio enjoying a cocktail … or having friends over. My husband’s hooked on the single remote. Oh, and I love it when my grandkids come to visit. They like to sleep in, and I love to play loud rap music in their rooms to wake them up. Mean g’ma, eh?”
—Bev Noyce, Senior Technical Writer

“A few weeks ago my husband and I heard our 3-year old son get out of bed and go into the living room. We hear both the TV in the living room and kitchen light turn on. I quickly grabbed the iPad and opened my Control4 app, turning off the television and the light. He obviously doesn’t realize we are doing this, so he turns the television back on and I see (from the iPad) that the light is turned back on as well. I turn them back off. I can hear him trying to figure it all out, and he tries another light. I quickly turn it off. Then we hear him run up into his bedroom (we leave our Control4 7-inch In-Wall Touch Screen on to hear him at night). I walk in there to ask him what’s going on. He says, ‘Mom it’s broken, the TV and lights need new batteries, they aren’t working.’ I proceed to tell him that they don’t work well after dark when it’s time to sleep. Problem solved. Control4 helped me avoid a toddler meltdown, as he now thinks the TV and lights won’t work late at night. He hasn’t done this again. It was nice to have that control.”
—Shannon Schritter, Human Resources Generalist

“My favorite is of course my own music that I can access anywhere in the house and the fact that each kid can have their own music in their own rooms.  This also helps with the morning wake-ups for the kids because they wake up happier than if I were to wake them up. I like the button by my bed to turn off the living room light when I forget before climbing in bed. Lastly would be the pantry door sensor because I never have to walk by the pantry door open anymore.  We have an announcement that plays a repeating reminder to close the pantry door if it gets left open for more than a minute.”
—Kimberly, wife of Todd Miller, Director of Training

“My wife loves the fact that the light in the pantry automatically turns on when the door is opened (and off when it’s closed). Same for the light in the garage at night. Her next favorite feature is intercom to get the kids out of bed in the morning or to call everyone for dinner. And finally, seeing who’s at the front door with the door station.”
—Kordon Vaughn, Director of Control4 Listen & Watch Products, of his wife, Rachelle

“My wife’s favorite button is the one next to the recliner that allows her to turn off the kitchen lights when the kids leave them on. That’s the one she says is going to turn her into one of those chair-bound orca people from WALL-E.”
—David Baker, Online Marketing Manager, of his wife, Melanie

“My wife double clicks the dimmer in the nursery to start our son’s playlist that he takes naps to. Makes nap time very easy.”
—Tyler Reed, Manager, Demand Generation & CRM, of his wife Jennifer

What are your favorite features of your Control4 system? What helps make your life a bit easier?

Up until recently, many consumers who have embraced home automation did so with the intent to trick out their family room—most likely because they just bought a new flat panel TV, or to drive multi-room audio throughout the home, or to automate climate control to better manage energy consumption in the house. Lighting control was not often the driving factor for a consumer to seek out a Control4 system. In fact, most consumers only “try” smart lighting to complement another automation application. I know for me, I got “hooked” when my dealer explained how cool it would be if the lights in our family room dimmed automatically—every time we hit “play” on the remote to start a movie.

But here’s a surprising tidbit. When we asked our customers what’s the one home automation application in their system that they cannot live without, the answer is unilaterally, “lighting.”  Once you live with smart lighting control, you really can’t go back to the “old-fashioned” way. For me, lighting is the application that best showcases the delight and surprise of automation. Control4 integrates lighting control with other automation functions to create “scenes. A “Home” scene creates a lighting path from the entry to the kitchen and disarms the security system; an “Entertainment” scene which dims the lights and tees up music; an “Away” scene which lowers the shades, places the AC into energy savings mode, shuts off all but a few select lights, and activates the security system. When my husband travels, I know if necessary, I can press my bedside “panic button” and the alarm would sound, the lights would flash on and off inside my home and out—alerting an intruder to leave the premises before help arrives.

Today, Control4 launches a brand new line of lighting control products—a broad range of elegant and energy saving lighting solutions, featuring a diverse palette of color and finish options and lots of cool “personalization” features that ratchet up the lighting experience in your home to a whole new level. Working with your dealer, you can program your smart lighting to enhance the aesthetic of your home (think dramatic lighting effect that turns on automatically in the evening illuminating your pool, front yard or walkways, or a stunning spotlight to showcase a central art piece in the living room or a bank of lights to highlight family photos along a hallway) and combine your new lighting with other automation applications to create the scenes that are most relevant for your family and lifestyle.

Embrace smart lighting and you’ll never go back. We, who enjoy, reflect on the old days when a switch on a wall could only turn on a light. With Control4, one button press does a whole lot more!