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Figuring out which technology is the best fit for your Highland Park, Illinois home can be an intimidating task. Whether you’re looking for a full smart home solution or an upgrade to your family room, you want an impressive system that’s reliable while still falling within your family’s budget. As the premier Control4 dealers in the area, one of our primary roles is to be your technology advisers. As part of that role, we'd like to introduce you to Control4's new EA series which gives you intuitive control of your favorite technology and entertainment. Check out our latest review to see some of the series’ best features.

SEE MORE: How to Extend the Reach of Your Favorite Entertainment

Control of All Your Home’s Technology

The new EA series (which stands for Entertainment Automation) is focused on creating a unique entertainment experience while making your home smarter. It can control products capable of high-resolution audio and 4K video while managing your lights, thermostat, security and more from the same system. Your entire home can be controlled from a smart remote, touchpad or the Control4 mobile app.

Easy Access to All Your Favorite Entertainment

In case you missed the news last month, Control4 has unleashed a beautiful, brand-new operating system: OS 3. With an elegant appearance and helpful new features, OS 3 makes every interaction with your home automation system simplified and personalized. Whether you already have a Control4 system in your Northbrook-area home or you’re new to Control4 home automation, continue reading to learn how the Control4’s newest operating system can bring relaxation, convenience, and fun to your northern Illinois living space.

SEE ALSO: Why You Should Use Control4 in Your New Construction

New to Control4?

Control4 is one of the world’s leading home automation platforms that enables you to effortlessly manage your smart home’s devices from one universal interface. With a smartphone, tablet, universal remote or even a voice-command speaker, you can turn on all of your home’s lights at once, control music in every room, and check security cameras. With presets like “Morning” and “Night,” your home can automatically adjust the temperature, blinds, indoor and exterior lights at just the press of a button. On your way home late at night? Right from your smartphone, you can turn on the first-floor lights before the car is in the driveway. Control4 is a smart way to save energy, time, and peace of mind.

The New Features

Control4’s new OS 3 offers an evolved and smooth interface with larger icons that are easier to see from far away. With the “Favorites” feature, you can put the most frequently used icons on the main dashboard screen and save favorite rooms to the top of the list. Screens are now customizable with wallpapers, and new OS 3 icons represent the active state of your devices. That way, you can instantly see if the garage door is open, fans are on, or if the front door is locked – simply based on the status of the icons on your Control4 interface.

For whole home audio users, the new “Sessions” screens show what’s playing throughout the entire house. Sliders make it easier to change the volume in one room, multiple rooms, or the whole house at once. The new “Now Playing” screen enables you to adjust the volume, skip tracks, and even evaluate the audio quality.

You’ve gone to great lengths to design the perfect home in Barrington, IL. You’ve personally chosen the kind of foliage you want in your landscaping, the artwork you show off in your living room, and the perfect layout for all your furniture. It should be no different when it comes to your technology. One of the greatest perks of a smart home automation system is that it can be customized to your specific preferences. In this blog, we show you how to make sure your system is uniquely yours.

SEE MORE: 3 Reasons to Upgrade to a Smart Home System

Choosing the Scope of Your Project

What technology is the biggest priority for you? Some families may want to focus on enhancing their entertainment, while others may care more about strengthening their security. The first step is figuring out what you want to include in your smart system. The possibilities are endless including climate, lighting, entertainment, security, and surveillance.

We recommend a full home automation system that encompasses your entire property, but we know some clients may want to start small. One-room solutions can be useful when it comes to entertainment centers—like using the Control4 EA-1 for a media room. All installations are primed for growth, so if you want to add more rooms or components in the future, it's easy to do so.

As your local Control4 dealers, we’re proud to work with one of the most innovative companies in the home automation industry. Recently named the 2016 ProSource Custom Integration Vendor of the Year, Control4 is always improving on its products and creating comprehensive technology solutions for your Winnetka, Illinois home. One of the ways that the company has done this is by emphasizing the importance of robust networking systems as the backbone of your home automation. 

SEE MORE: Product Spotlight: A Look at Control4’s EA Series

Why is Your Home Networking So Important?

A network is kind of like a referee in sports, the better it is the less you notice it. When was the last time you thought about your internet connection? It likely wasn’t when you streamed a movie uninterrupted on Netflix or sent an email to your secretary. It was probably when your Blu-Ray player wouldn’t connect to your Hulu app or your Facebook wouldn’t load on your computer.

It’s the same with smart home automation. You’re not going to notice how well your AV system communicates with your security system or how well your control system handles network traffic unless it becomes a problem. And it is our job to make sure those problems don’t arise.

Is Your Network Prepared to Handle the Load?

Every second of every day, data is traveling at break-neck speed throughout your system. Smart control devices—whether standalone or part of a Control4 system—place a huge burden on your network. This is for a variety of reasons.

According to a study by ECN Magazine, 70 percent of pet parents feel guilty when they have to leave their pets alone to go to work or on vacation. Home automation systems have become a way for owners to take care of their pets’ wellbeing without having to be in their Kenilworth, IL home. Whether it’s making sure fish aquariums have the right environment or the cat isn’t getting into the pantry again, owners can get peace of mind with these smart home features.

SEE MORE: How to Give Your Smart Home a Personal Feel

Your Personal Animal Channel

Why scour the internet for cute dog and cat videos when you can look in on your personal favorites? With a home automation solution, you can watch live surveillance footage from your smartphone at any time. See if your dog is still by the door waiting for you to return or check if the cat left you any gifts in the litter box. You can search from room to room and zoom in to get a good look at what your pets are doing.

Upgrade to a Smart Doggy Door