Blog

SEE ALSO: Hate Dealing with Comcast? Avidia Can Help

Keep Cable, But Cut Back Number of Boxes

If your main goal for cutting cable is to save money, be aware that streaming services are not always less expensive. The cost of a Comcast account with speedy internet and two cable boxes is very close to the cost of leading live TV streaming services. If you want to reduce your monthly bill, you should first consider eliminating add-on services. Premium channels and unnecessary high internet speeds can more than double your bill.

Reducing the number of boxes in your home will also significantly reduce your monthly bill. In rooms without cable, you can keep your displays but use services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Hulu. You won’t be able to enjoy the latest episode of your current shows live, but your family will grow used to the idea that certain rooms are for live TV while others are streaming only. In many cases, you will discover a world of high-quality content that isn’t available on cable channels.

If you plan to move away from cable because you can’t wait to call your cable provider and tell them what you really think of them… well, let us show you how to make your ‘streams’ come true!

SEE ALSO: Want Great Audio Throughout Your House?

Neeo’s Unique Design & Features

Crafted by Swiss designers, the Neeo remote has a sleek and refined shape that incorporates a glass touch screen alongside hard buttons. While touch screens are currently all the rage, there’s still a valid demand for hard buttons that a user can intuitively operate via muscle memory. That way, you won’t have to take your eyes off the movie to pause, mute, or change the channel. You’ll know exactly where to press at the right moment. The lightweight remote can also withstand drops from several feet high and runs on a rechargeable battery that can stay powered for five days. When Neeo is not in use, it sleeps until instantly reawakening when you pick it up.

On the touch screen, you’ll save recognizable icons for your favorite programs, like ESPN, Netflix, or HBO. The remote offers one-touch access to the rest of your devices, too, like locks, smart lighting, speakers, and shades. Select any screen in the house or queue songs for your home’s speakers, all in one place. Neeo removes complexity, making it simple to switch between Roku, Apple TV, Blu-ray, and satellite on the TV and choose custom scenes for your home’s smart devices.

How to Get Neeo

SEE ALSO: 3 Signs You Might Need a Home Network Upgrade

The Comcast Assistance Service

What is the Comcast Assistance service, and why does it exist? We know that you lead busy lives, and you have better and more important things to do than deal with bureaucracy and tell multiple people what you need to be done. Avidia gives you one point of contact for dealing with Comcast.

Are you having a new internet or cable service installed? One call to us and we take care of it. Our technician will be at your house and supervise the installation, ensuring that your network and TV service works the way you want it.

If you are having internet or other connectivity issues, you don't call Comcast – you just call us instead. We will troubleshoot the problems with Comcast, and if it requires an onsite visit, we will schedule it and be there for that, too. No more waiting on the phone, going through troubleshooting scripts with Comcast support, or even taking time out of your day for the appointment; Avidia will handle it all for you.

Lighting Control Is One of the Most Desired Smart Home Features

As builders and designers, you typically look for an edge in your projects. It may be the extra attention you pay to superior design inside and out, a unique flourish that you add like building a hidden room off of the den, or greater customizability in floorplans and finishes that gives clients more choice.

The explosion in the availability of consumer smart lighting products like Philips Hue and others shows that there is high interest and demand in residential lighting control solutions. And while these products are suitable for some applications, with new construction, the opportunity is there to add a comprehensive lighting control solution that is far more customizable for your clients.

Avidia works with Control4 for smart home automation and lighting control because it offers incredible opportunities to add smart home features your clients will love. It’s also far easier to add the infrastructure and fully customize it in the construction process than after the fact. Read on to see why adding a residential lighting control system to your Barrington, IL projects is a smart move for you and your clients.

And Why You Should Consider a Professional Network Installation

Home networking is practically a utility as necessary as running water and electricity. A connection to the internet is required for many daily activities. Whether you’re checking your work email, scrolling through your Facebook feed, watching a show on Netflix, or the kids are doing their school homework, all those things require reliable connectivity to work. What happens when you can't access the internet? Everyone gets quickly frustrated.

Sometimes it’s not difficult to fix a problem. Restarting an app, reloading a web page, or the occasional rebooting of your router and modem can fix the random network glitch. But sometimes these problems are less random and happen more consistently. When they do, it may be a sign that your home network is the problem.

Let’s explore three signs that indicate that your network is not measuring up to the task, and how a professional home network installation might be the answer for your Highland Park, IL home.