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Why You Should Upgrade Your Lighting with Lutron Keypads

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Deliver Greater Elegance, Comfort and Efficiency With Lutron Lighting Control

Are you interested in adding Lutron lighting control to your Chicago, IL home? You may have heard about the benefits of managing all of your lights from a mobile app or a modern touchpad. Switches on the wall seem archaic in comparison. For your day-to-day needs, though, you’ll still want a tactile way to manage the lights in the room.

Our Lutron lighting control systems offer advanced, sleek on-wall control solutions through their vast array of keypads. Not only do these keypads streamline your décor by reducing the number of switches needed on the wall, but you can manage audio, shades and climate through them as well.

Each keypad model is available in a wide range of colors, finishes, and configurations to provide the perfect match for both your interior design and lifestyle. Our latest blog highlights the many Lutron keypads you could incorporate in your space.

 

How to Embrace a Healthier Lifestyle

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Invest in Technology Designed to Improve Your Overall Wellness

Every client we work with has a different reason they want to integrate smart home technology. In the past, this has included a yearning for greater security or more immersive entertainment. Getting a more streamlined approach to technology, both in aesthetics and functionality, is another common motivation. Health usually has not been part of that conversation, but that may be about to change.

Recently, technology has emerged that improves homeowner wellness and health in various ways. How exactly does it achieve this in your Naperville, IL, home? This blog highlights three technology innovations from our partners Delos that put wellness at the forefront. See how circadian lighting, air purification, and water purification will transform your lifestyle.

 

3 Ways Savant Enhances Your Smart Home Experience

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Explore the Latest in Lighting Control, Video Distribution and Energy Management

One reason we love working with our premier control system partners, Savant, is their constant innovation. Every year they release new technology to improve their existing solutions and accommodate the latest smart home trends. As Savant dealers, it's our job to keep you up to date with their most recent innovations and help you upgrade your Savant home system.

The newest releases this year include lighting fixtures that enhance your wellbeing, a whole new way to watch video, and a smarter way to manage energy in your Chicago, IL home. Here we highlight each of these new features and offer additional information on how each will affect your day-to-day lifestyle.

Explore the Best Screen Options for Your Home Media Room

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Take Into Account Style, Lighting, and Viewing Preferences When Choosing

How do you know what display would be the best fit for your media room? Getting optimal video quality while maintaining your tailored interior décor requires the right technology. In this blog, we’ll highlight three installation options ideal for luxury homes in Lincoln Park or throughout the greater Chicago area.

Naturally, all families and their spaces are different, which is why we want to highlight three unique approaches instead of merely focusing on product recommendations. We’ll discuss flatscreens first since they are still the go-to option in home media rooms. However, there are impressive new projectors and screen technologies to consider.

3 Mistakes Builders Make with Smart Technology

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Ensure You’re Installing Value-Added Solutions in Your Projects

Over the past decade, smart home technology has gone from a rare upgrade to an expected feature for luxury residences. Technology helps custom builders attract better clients while differentiating themselves from their competitors. However, approaching technology the wrong way will have an adverse effect. Generic or disjointed solutions could turn future buyers away since they'll see you're not prepared to handle that kind of project.

Reach out to Barrett’s Technology Solutions, the top smart home company in Hinsdale, IL and the greater Chicago area, who can help you best integrate technology into your projects. Along with educating you on the latest trends, we’ll partner with you directly to install state-of-the-art home automation systems in your new construction projects. Not only will you be able to add value to your projects, but you’ll be able to avoid the following common mistakes.

Do You Want to Improve Your Music Listening Experience?

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Enjoy the Perks of a Professional Whole Home Audio Installation

How do you typically play music in your home when hosting a party, doing the dishes or relaxing after work? In most cases, people listen to streaming services or digital libraries using a smartphone, wireless or Bluetooth speakers. Sometimes these do the trick, but in the long run, they come with limited quality, reach, and scalability that will leave you wanting more. Often adding more speakers helps, but this means a lot of unsightly components not blending in well with your interior décor. You can get more out of your favorite music by upgrading to one of our professional audio installations.   Using speakers from Sonance and a control solution from Savant, we can deliver the ultimate listening experience in your Hinsdale, Il home. Our whole home audio systems give you instant access to your favorite music while providing high-end sound to every corner of your space. Intuitive control of your music makes it easy to set the right mood for any activity or environment.

Combine Lutron Fixtures and Lighting Control in Your Home

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With their Ivalo and Ketra lines, Lutron brings their lighting expertise to bear in a new way

It’s no secret that we’re fans of Lutron here at Barrett’s Technology Solutions. With their technical expertise, attention to detail and focus on creating easy-to-use systems, Lutron is the go-to brand for smart lighting control and motorized shades.

But did you know Lutron also makes lighting fixtures for your home? With their Ivalo and Ketra Lines, Lutron has crafted a range of home lighting solutions that seamlessly blend elegance with functionality. Here are all the ways a Lutron lighting control system integrates these high-end fixtures to improve your Hinsdale, IL, home.

Barrett's Is Moving, But Our Commitment to Care Is the Same

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Explore the Technology That Will Be on Display at Our New Location

Big news from the team at Barrett’s Technology Solutions: We’re moving! We’ll be transitioning to our new office in Lombard over the coming months. What does this mean for you, our customers and trade partners? A more centralized location closer to downtown Chicago, the surrounding suburbs and lake home communities means quicker, more personalized service for all our clients.

With brand-new technology systems on display, this new location also offers us the ideal environment to educate you on the best solutions for your space. By getting to experience the top technology on the market firsthand, you’ll be able to gauge which is the best fit.

This move offers opportunities for longtime clients as well as those who may not be as familiar with us as a smart home company. Today’s blog showcases some of the things you’ll be able to explore at this experience center, whether you’re interested in home theater design, conference room technology for your business, or sprucing up your kitchen with the latest smart home technologies.

Sharing A Glimpse of The Future of Smart Home Automation

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Barrett’s Technology Solutions brings specifiers to visit leading smart home manufacturers to learn about our evolving industry

It’s crucial that a smart home company serve as a technology ambassador, educating specifiers and homeowners alike on the latest products, features and trends. From Illinois’ Gold Coast region to Chicago, the suburbs and beyond (as you’ll see below!), we take proactive steps to help our trade partners in particular know what role technology can play in their projects.

As technology becomes such an integral part of homeowners’ lifestyles, it’s more important than ever that architects, designers, and custom builders be able to have conversations with them about how to optimize this aspect of their homes.

That’s where Barrett’s Technology Solutions steps in to help, introducing our specifier partners to the top manufacturers in the smart home industry. As part of this ambassadorial role, Barrett’s hosted a group of specifiers on a trip to New York City to let them experience some of our favorite technology partners firsthand! Below are some highlights on what our group got to see during our trip.

3 Ways Whole Home Audio Can Improve Your Lifestyle

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A smart home audio system opens new and exciting ways to enjoy music throughout your Chicago home and outdoor living spaces.

Whether you’re cleaning your kitchen, enjoying a glass of wine after a long day or entertaining your friends, music makes your home a livelier and more enjoyable place to be. Given all the ways audio can enhance both everyday activities and special occasions, why not make it as easy as possible to listen to your audio of choice anywhere in your home?

This is where whole home audio systems come into play. Using a network of speakers connected by sophisticated software, your music can follow you around your home with ease. There are additional benefits as well. Want to know more about whole home audio for your Chicago home? Keep reading.

Our Summer Safety Checklist for your Home Surveillance System

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Barrett’s Technology Solutions shares which safety gear makes the biggest impact during this vulnerable season!

As the heat rises, so does the prevalence of crime. In fact, studies have shown that most varieties of criminal activity peak during the summer -- seeing an increase of more than 10 percent.

Research cites many reasons that this could occur. Homeowners are away longer for vacations, or they’re opening windows to invite the fresh lake breezes. Some psychologists have mentioned that warmer weather and increased alcohol consumption result in increased crime compared to temperate climates.

No matter the root cause, it’s our job at Barrett’s Technology Solutions to prepare your home in Lincoln Park and throughout Chicago for anything. That’s why today, we’re giving you a comprehensive home safety and surveillance system checklist that not only compensates for summer mishaps but also pays off all year.

How Can You Create the Best Media Room on the Block?

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Barrett’s Technology Solutions Gives You More Control of Your Entertainment Spaces.

You want your home media room to stand out. Imagine creating an entertainment space, with the help of a certified integrator, that becomes the talk of your Chicago, IL, neighborhood. With Barrett’s Technology Solutions, your dreams can actualize into a cool, polished environment that you’ll be proud to enjoy by yourself or with friends.

Picture stepping into a media room uniquely designed for you, pressing one button and seeing your favorite titles appear on the screen. Settle into your favorite chair and sink into a comfortable escape for hours. Sound enticing to you? Here’s how to make your dream a reality.

Why Home Builders and Designers Need an Integrator for Outdoor Projects

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Barrett’s Technology Soltuions helps building professionals in the Chicago area design and install outdoor audio/video systems that will wow clients every time

As you probably know by now, today’s discerning homeowners view smart home technology as a must-have feature instead of a nice addition. If you’re an architect, designer or interior decorator and you aren’t including home automation systems in your projects, you’re missing out on a substantial revenue source.

With summer approaching, homeowners want to enhance their outdoor spaced with smart technology. It’s easy to see why; outdoor audio and video systems help people relax and have more fun in their yards. But setting up outdoor audio and video requires specialized training, knowledge and a set of skills most electricians or contractors don’t have.

That’s why you want an expert technology integrator like Barrett’s by your side for your next project. Today we’ll walk you through all the reasons you should bring us on for any upcoming outdoor audio/video projects you have in Chicago.

3 Ways a Stronger Network Improves Home Technology

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Get faster, more reliable performance from your devices while also improving your network security with help from Barrett’s Technology Solutions trusted integrators

We know our tech savvy clients probably know the basics of setting up a home network: You plug a modem into the wall, then plug a wireless router into the modem, and you’re up and running. However, if this is still the setup, you’re using for the devices in your home in 2019, you’re in dire need of an upgrade.

There are so many devices in our homes with wireless internet connectivity compared to years past. This puts a tremendous amount of strain on your network, which could cause all sorts of problems. Security and logistical concerns that didn’t exist before the proliferation of Wi-Fi devices are now big issues for homeowners.

Here are a few reasons why your existing home network installation isn’t enough in 2019, and what homeowners in Illinois’ Gold Coast gain from a network upgrade.

3 Exciting Ways Tunable Lighting Improves Your Home

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Everything you as a homeowner needs to know about smart lighting solutions for your home

They may not be something you think about a lot, but your home’s light fixtures play a major role in setting the mood for a room, as well as how you feel. Even if it’s just at a subconscious level, you know that darker lighting in a room puts you to sleep while bright lights wake you up.

With this in mind, wouldn’t you like a system in your home to make your lights easier to manage? And wouldn’t it be great if that same system could boost your energy and help you live a healthier life? You can do all this and more with smart home lighting for your Hinsdale, IL residence. In this blog, we’ll walk you through three of the top benefits of smart lighting control.

Why Big Summer Movies Are Better in a Home Theater

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No need to leave your home to see the best blockbusters – bring the best experience to your Chicago home

Summer movie season is here, and that means it’s time for the studios to show off their biggest, baddest, most awe-inspiring movies. In years past you had to trek to your local movie theater, wait in line, and sit through commercials just to enjoy the best possible visuals and sound, but no longer.

With a professionally installed home theater system for your Chicago home, you can bring the best elements of the cinema to you instead of needing to brave the multiplex. It’s easier than you might think, and we can walk you through everything you need.  Here are 3 elements that make your at-home movie-going experience superior.

Your Ultimate Outdoor A/V Upgrade Guide

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Watch spring sports while you’re grilling or listen to your favorite music on the patio with these essential systems for your home

We’re finally emerging from the frigid days of winter in the Greater Chicagoland area, and the warmth of spring marks the return of backyard parties, barbecues and other chances for outdoor fun at home. You can add some new outdoor entertainment options this spring with audio and video systems from Barrett’s Technology Solutions.

Picture it: You’re with your family and friends in the yard, the grill is going, and the Cubs game is playing on your new 49-inch outdoor TV. Or maybe you’d prefer something a little more serene, like a calming playlist in the background as you lounge in your patio chair with a favorite book and a glass of wine. Regardless of the occasion or mood, an outdoor audio and video installation is the perfect spring upgrade for your Naperville, IL, home.

3 Powerful Smart Home Upgrades

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Chicagoland builders and designers should keep these systems in mind for their next retrofit or new construction projects

We’re well into spring at this point in the year, which is both a seasonal high point for buying and selling homes. It’s also the time homeowners start thinking about spring cleaning, and both factors make this an ideal time for builders and designers to suggest smart home upgrades for their clients.

But how do you stand out in a crowded market, especially as automation technology becomes increasingly common in homes? As the Chicago area’s leading smart home company, we’d suggest these three systems for your next project.

5 Smart Home Systems That Make Your Life Simpler

Install these devices in your Naperville, IL home to improve your daily routine and ease stress

It often seems as if advancements in technology change so rapidly it can be hard to keep up. Instant communication makes it easier to talk to loved ones across the country, but it also makes it easier for work to follow us home. High-definition audio and video allow us to enjoy a theater-quality viewing experience in our own homes, but controlling all your devices may involve half a dozen devices.

The electronics in your home don’t need to be a source of stress, though. With the right home automation and control system, you regain control of your technology and can start having more fun around the house. At Barrett’s, we specialize in creating easy to use systems coupled with professional and dedicated support to help you and your family. Here are five systems a smart home company can install in your Naperville, IL home to simplify your life.