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When it comes to setting up a video surveillance system for your home or office, you’ll need to decide on what type of system to use: NVR or DVR? Which is better, or more importantly, which system is better suited for your needs? Both types of systems pretty much provide the same thing – a video recording of an observed area – but each system goes about it in a different way.

We’ve spoken about Z-Wave before, but now we’re going to get into a little more detail on the usefulness and practicality of home automation. Typically you would look at a door/window sensor, or motion sensor, and expect that all it does is tell you and your automation hub when a door or window is open or when movement is detected in the room. While that is true on both counts, these sensors are capable of much more than simply telling you.

Now you can put a large variety of smart home functions into your home in a very simple, all-inclusive and inexpensive way. To this end, the Zipato ZipaTile2 is a great solution!

Use home automation to help make the summer season a whole lot easier. Besides bringing blue skies and sunny days, summer is also responsible for increasing the activity around your home because it’s the time of year when the kids are out of school, the days are hotter, pool parties are being planned, and families get to go on their summer vacation.

Home Controls is proud to announce we now carry Luxul networking devices. Luxul is a trusted name in IP networking solutions, creating high quality wired and wireless network devices for residential and commercial applications. Luxul devices can accommodate any sized home or business regardless of the setup , thanks to their plug-and-play installation design and high capacity specifications, including Gigabit network speeds, Power over Ethernet (PoE) functionality, and more.

Home Controls now carries wireless audio streaming systems from EISsound. EISsound, a European manufacturer, was one of the first players in the home audio system industry to introduce audio control units designed to replace standard light switches. Their product designs always include a seamless or universal aesthetic in order to be easily included into any home audio or business installation. EISsound’s wireless audio products use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth technology to deliver music from a single streaming device to expandable multi-room audio setups.

We will never be able to predict exactly how or when a burglary will take place. However, we can take preventative actions to avoid or minimize losses from these home invasions by adding security devices to protect our homes. Security cameras are one of the most important home break-in deterrents available and can also provide important video evidence to identify thieves and learn about vulnerable areas on a property.

Besides making life easier and more secure at home, smart automation and security devices can also be used to help keep tabs on your kids. There are many parents, both single and married, that have to work full-time jobs and can’t always be home at the same time their kids are home, especially after school.

Streaming music at home without having to rely on just using your smartphone and an external speaker is now possible and easier than you think.

Looking for ways to save money on utility bills and make your rented home a smart home? You don’t have to own the building you're living in to start building an automated home system with smart home products.

Let’s face it: for many of us, waking up during the work week can be a struggle. Whether you sleep through your alarms or force yourself out of bed while still half asleep, it can be hard to quickly muster the energy and focus necessary to kickstart your mornings. For days like these, adding smart home automation devices to your home can potentially improve your morning routine by programing your home to wake up with you. Here at Home Controls we offer a full spread of smart home devices that can make your mornings easier to greet.

Z-Wave 700 (aka Z-Wave Plus v2), and Z-Wave Long Range (Z-Wave LR) allow new Z-Wave compatible devices to benefit from greater transmission ranges, longer battery life, and other improved features.

Home Controls now offers home automation and access control devices from Autoslide, the makers of their patented automated sliding door system.

As more and more people work from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, the need to create safe home offices with comfortable working environments is a must. Adding Z-Wave friendly smart devices to your home can definitely help make it more efficient and more comfortable for your work and living conditions. Most offices I’ve worked in have always provided great lighting, the right temperature, good security, and basically an office/cubicle setting that allowed me to be as productive as possible. Z-Wave can help you accomplish this at home without having to worry about disrupting your workflow, and in many cases, all you need is to provide voice commands or use your smartphone to make it happen.

Building a smart home with home security is not as hard as it would seem. There are plenty of home automation controllers that already include home security features that make it easy for you to connect to a variety of smart security devices. From smart door locks with keyless access control to door/window sensors that will notify you as soon as they’re triggered, there is a wide range of security devices to choose from that can easily connect to compatible automation controllers.

For many of us, receiving Amazon packages in the mail is a common occurrence, and we all often wonder how we can ensure our packages will be safe from drive-by package thieves and porch pirates. Some use surveillance cameras to keep an eye on their packages and others may have smart locks on their gates or patio doors to temporarily unlock to let deliverers drop off packages.

Home Controls is proud to introduce Vera’s newest and most powerful automation hubs: The Vera Ezlo Plus and the Vera Ezlo Secure. These two smart home automation hubs feature groundbreaking automation features and the latest Z-Wave software to create two of the most powerful, versatile, and compatible smart home hubs in the industry.

Keeping employees safe at work during the Covid-19 pandemic has become a challenge for small and large businesses alike; and as the U.S. and other countries do their best to flatten the curve of this pandemic, unfortunately, it’s not going away any time soon. In the meantime, essential companies are looking for safer and easier ways to ensure everyone entering their properties is properly wearing masks and does not have elevated body temperatures. Speco Technologies has found a solution.