Let’s Reduce the Noise Around Video Doorbells to Help You Pick the Right Solution

It’s no secret that video doorbell systems are a popular vertical in the smart home technology market. Today, homeowners in Chicago, IL have a plethora of options to choose from, including products from Arlo, Nest, SkyBell, Ring, and Control4—just to name a few.

As the market becomes more saturated with video doorbell systems, it can be quite the task to compare solutions to decide which is right for you. After all, you must consider factors like power, connectivity, camera quality, motion detection, video recording, customization, and smart home integration.

To help you decide which is right for you, we’re comparing two popular video doorbell systems: Ring and Control4. As a certified Control4 company, we admit Ring offers some solid features too, but it’s important that you know the key differences between these solutions. Let’s dive in!

While Technology Plays a Crucial Role, Room Layout Is Most Important

It’s high time you considered a private home theater. Public cinemas are either closed or operating at limited capacity, families are spending more time than ever at home, and we’re up to our ears in video streaming services. So, where do you start?

The answer is not with the electronics. Contrary to popular belief, the display and speakers you choose for your home theater in Glenview, IL will hardly matter if you neglect room design. For a truly immersive cinematic experience, you must master the layout of your home theater before picking the technology.

Don’t spend a ton of money on the latest gear only to settle for a subpar home theater experience. Work with a professional home theater designer like Avidia instead. Read on to learn about a few key components of an ideal home theater design and how Avidia can create your dream theater room.

Ensure Exceptional Reliability for Online Work and Leisure with a Professional Solution

By now, we’re all aware that remote work and learning are creating a paradigm shift in the way we use and depend on the internet at home. This new height of internet usage has consumer-grade network system companies swarming to offer quick solutions for speedy, reliable internet. The hottest trend? Wireless mesh networks.

However, what many homeowners in Barrington, IL and around the country fail to realize is that wireless mesh networks may not be the remedy they claim to be for those who require an unwavering internet connection for critical tasks like virtual business meetings and online education platforms.

Keep reading to learn about the fallacy of wireless mesh networks and why a professional whole-home wi-fi network installation is a solution you can trust.

Partnering with Avidia Helps Put Your Projects Ahead of the Competition

Homeowners today are more connected than ever. So naturally, they expect their homes to feature the latest in home technology to help maintain their connected lifestyle. Homebuilders in Winnetka and the Chicagoland area should capitalize on this rising expectation and differentiate their projects by offering smart home technology solutions as a standard feature in their builds.

But adding independent technology devices like smart thermostats and smart door locks won’t suffice if your goal is to stand out among the competition. Instead, your builds should offer a true smart home experience, which gives homeowners the ability to control and manage all their connected devices within one intuitive system—whether they’re home or away.

By partnering with our smart home integrators at Avidia on your builds, you can market your custom homes as both beautiful and smart. Keep reading to learn how Avidia can help put your projects ahead of the curve with smart home experiences that meet the desires of your unique clientele.

DIY vs. Professional Home Network Installations: Here’s Our Take

Anyone can set up a basic home network—if they want basic internet coverage. The web offers virtually unlimited resources that can help walk you through the process of installing a home network. So, why would a homeowner choose to work with a professional home network installation company instead?

Without getting into the weeds, we’ll say this: DIY home networks provide only a small fraction of the capabilities that a professional home network provides. If your Glenview, IL home features data-heavy connected systems like audio-video, security, and home automation, then you need a solution that provides expansive coverage and unwavering performance results—among other requirements.

Keep reading to learn the difference between a DIY and professional network installation and why enlisting the help of an expert like Avidia is your best bet. 

Create the Soundtrack for Outdoor Summer Fun

We've probably said it before, and we'll say it again. Music is one of the most potent elements in setting a mood. Whether you want to get up and dance, tap your toes to a beat, or fall asleep to the dulcet tones of a favorite artist, music is the perfect accompaniment and catalyst.

Your music doesn’t have to live within the walls of your house, either. With an outdoor speaker system, your Barrington, IL home can extend the power of music throughout your patios and backyard. Keep reading to see how your outdoor sound system helps you get outside for much needed fresh air this summer and seasons beyond.

Get a Custom Sonos Experience Like No Other

If you’re familiar with Sonos – and many people are – you might be wondering why Sonos and professional installation are mentioned in the same breath. Sonos is indeed a popular consumer audio product, and generally, for simple applications doesn't require a professional integrator like Avidia to set up if you're comfortable with smartphone apps.

While Sonos is deceptively simple, you can do more complex things with the system. One of the things we love about the Sonos system is its ease of use, but it also has some custom capabilities that aren't as simple as plugging in a wireless speaker and connecting it to your network.

Recently, Sonos introduced two products that bring in other audio systems, like an existing stereo that you love, and extend them throughout your house. Those products are the Port and Amp. The Port lets you bring an existing audio system into the wireless streaming world of Sonos. The Amp adds even more capability. It adds a powerful amplifier to bring Sonos streaming to any set of speakers – bookshelves, towers, built-in, or even outdoor. Its various configuration options are one reason we offer Sonos professional installation services.

If you didn’t know that Sonos had all these custom capabilities for your Northbrook, IL home, we hope you’re intrigued. And there’s more. Please keep reading.

Create the Perfect 3-Season Indoor/Outdoor Space

On these pages, we've often discussed the virtues of motorized shades; they bring a variety of real benefits and luxury to any home. But have you thought about outdoor motorized shades? They’re not just for sun-soaked restaurant patios or homes in California. They work to help you get more use of your patio here in Illinois too.

You might be thinking that the outdoor season in Illinois is shorter than in the South and West, and of course, that's correct. That's one reason why we think outdoor motorized shading can make your patio more of an indoor/outdoor space, letting you stretch your outdoor use in good weather days in spring, summer, and fall.

Let's look at five ways outdoor motorized shades let you do more with your Barrington home's outdoor spaces. After all, can't we all use a little more time outside these days?

How a Professional Home Network Installation Can Help

Given the concerns about health in the current environment, you might be thinking – now I have to worry about something else? The short answer is no. But scientific research has shown that there can be adverse health effects with too much exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR). You may already know that, as many people choose not to buy a home that is too close for comfort to high-current powerlines.

Just as there are people that are highly sensitive to gluten and other foods while others have no issues, some people may be more sensitive to the effects of EMR. We need to be clear – low levels of EMR, such as the radio waves used in wireless technologies, are not proven to have harmful effects on humans. But just as gluten has a real impact on some people, other research has suggested that we don't know everything. In 1996, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched an extensive, multidisciplinary research effort to study the effects of EMR.  While current evidence does not confirm any health issues from exposure to low levels of EMR, it also noted that more research is needed as many gaps in knowledge exist.

What does it all mean? As a professional home network installer, Avidia designs and installs many wireless networks in Wilmette and across the Chicago area. If you are concerned about the effects of EMR, we can help. Read on for more.

At Avidia, we’re celebrating our anniversary with a feature in CEPro and exciting plans for the future

Since our doors opened in 2010, we’ve undergone tremendous change and growth here at Avidia. Our evolutionary path has taken us from a start-up company performing basic installation jobs and product development to a first-class home automation company specializing in custom integration projects in Northbrook, IL.

This year, we rang in our 10-year anniversary with a featured cover story in CEPro about how far our company has come in the last decade. Today, we’d like to take some time to reflect on our company vision, mission and goals, and where we see ourselves in the future. Keep reading for an inside look at Avidia’s journey.