Smart Technology Sweats the Routines While You Juggle Work, School, and Entertainment

With social distancing and restrictions an unfortunate reality of current life for some time, stress is on the rise. Home has always been many things, but now home is the center for work, school, and entertainment as outside options are curtailed.

With the whole family in the house – including perhaps your college-age child unexpectedly back home –  life at home is busier and needs to balance multiple priorities for everyone at the same time.

With all that is going on, why not let smart technology take a bit of the load off? Here are some tips on how a Savant home automation system can sweat the small stuff in your Chicago, IL home while you focus on more important things.

Discover What Smart Homes Are Made Of!

As smart home technology goes mainstream, homeowners are exploring the immense possibilities, often one step at a time. They may start with a smart lightbulb before adding a smart thermostat and, eventually, a smart oven. These devices provide convenience, letting users control them via their smartphones.

They are, however, far different than a home automation system. 

As a home automation company serving Chicago, IL, for almost 60 years, we’ve witnessed incredible technological advancements. Today’s smart home is an ecosystem of integrated systems and devices working together to create the ideal environment, perform everyday tasks, and enhance a home’s beauty.

Let’s explore the many devices and components in home automation and how they come together to create a lifestyle once unimaginable.

Barrett’s Is Here For Forward-Thinking Homeowners

The concept of a smart home has been around for decades, but the futuristic idea of robot-powered homes is off the mark. Instead, a modern smart home offers incredible convenience for everyday living, saving time, adding style, reducing stress, and more, with the simple press of a button or a voice command. 

Below, you’ll discover how working with a premier home automation company like Barrett’s can transform your Lincoln Park, IL, lifestyle. Keep reading for more.

Enjoy Peace of Mind Knowing Your Loved Ones and Property Are Protected

In the week from September 12 – 18, 2022, the Chicago Police Department reported 181 robberies, 144 burglaries, over 400 thefts, and 558 stolen motor vehicles. We share these statistics with you not to scare you but to make you aware of what you probably already know: the crime rate in Chicago is increasing. 

The CPD reports a 26% increase in burglaries and a 63% increase in thefts from 2021 to 2022. Some of these residential burglaries involve offenders representing home repair personnel before entering the home.

The good news is that you can protect yourself, your loved ones, and your home. Today’s home surveillance system offers crystal-clear video once limited to commercial applications and can take proactive measures, stopping intruders before the unthinkable occurs.

Let’s explore how these systems help protect homes. 

Smart Home Automation Makes Entertaining and Holidays a Breeze

It's still late summer in Illinois, so why are we already discussing the holidays? As you know, if you don't think about them, they're upon you before you know it! But there's a reason we're bringing up the holidays now. With a little planning right now, you can have a Savant home automation system and Lutron lighting control that get you through the holiday season in Western Springs with less effort and more enjoyment. 

Ready to see how a smart home system can help? Keep reading below!

A Little Planning Goes a Long Way for Your Dream Smart Home

In life, a little planning goes a long way. Do you plan your vacations? Most people do it for a better result. Even if you love serendipity and spontaneity, planning can eliminate nasty surprises and save lots of time for what you really want to do.

If you’re building or remodeling a home in Chicago, careful planning also eliminates surprises and saves on cost. Typically, these projects are also the best time to consider adding smart home features. For the best results, any smart home technology should be well integrated with your project, including planning with your architect, interior designer, and builder. So what are some key things to know about planning your smart home installation? Keep reading below!

The Future is Here – Why Wait?

Those of a certain age might remember the Jetsons, the cartoon series from the 1960s that depicted a future as imagined in that era. The Jetsons foresaw flying cars, robots, drones, holograms, and video calls. If you think about it, that future – save for flying cars – is mostly here. 

The Jetsons was ideated over 50 years ago, so we can only imagine what’s to come in smart home technology in the next 50 years. While that might be fun, today’s reality is amazingly Jetson-like and worth getting right now. So let’s explore the possibilities for your Hinsdale, IL home – available right here, right now!

Make Your Vacation Home Easier to Manage and Secure

For many in the Chicagoland area, Lake Geneva has been a spring and summer escape for decompressing and getting away. Historically known as the “Newport of the West,” the area's natural beauty and grand summer homes have lured many for decades. While today’s summer homes may not have quite the same splendor of the past, like any second home or vacation property, they require attention and maintenance.

Shouldn’t a vacation home be more fun than work? We think so too, and with smart home automation, you can take some of the stress out of managing your Wisconsin getaway. Keep reading for three ways you can use smart technology to worry less and enjoy more.

More Often than Not, It Pays to Hire an Expert

Smart devices and home automation products are everywhere these days. The success of smart assistant platforms like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple's Homekit has certainly popularized Jetsons-style futuristic control over many home features, especially thermostats, lighting, and audio entertainment. There’s no shortage of smart lights, cameras, locks, thermostats, and more.

Can you build an automated home using consumer DIY products found at your local electronics store? The short answer is yes; you can automate your home using some of these products. The real question is, what do you consider an automated home to be?

With some DIY products, you might end up with a collection of smart devices that don't always work in harmony. You could end up with many devices that you can control remotely via voice and smartphone, but the sum of them add up to something less than an automated home.

So, should you hire a professional home automation company (like Barretts Technology Solutions) to make your home smart? Of course, we’ll make the case below. Keep reading!

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.

How Home Automation Lets You Worry Less and Enjoy More

With Halloween just behind us, we’re now barreling headlong into the holiday season in Hinsdale. With it, the Illinois fall is also in full swing, and winter – well, it does come early here! But you can be ready for the holidays with a little help from a Savant home automation system. Savant's smart home features can take care of little things, give you peace of mind, and make holiday entertaining just a little easier.

There's a lot to do for the holidays. Whether it's ordering gifts, getting the house decorated, keeping the holiday lights working, or ensuring all the meals and parties are affairs to remember. As always, you’ll be busy! Let a Savant home automation systems take a bit of the load. Here are four of our favorite ways you can enjoy the holidays more with home automation.

Discover All the Powered Window Treatment Options for Your Home 

Powered window treatments are an increasingly popular option for today’s smart homes. Once you have them, you never want to go back to manual ones. It's like power steering in cars – when was the last time you drove one with manual steering? Some things just make a lot of sense. With motorized window treatments, you have so many more options for managing the light in your home. 

You might hear the term motorized shades used with powered window treatments, and that’s because the roller shade type is the most common one. However, you might be surprised to learn that there is a powered window treatment for almost any kind of window! Keep reading below to learn about eight – yes, eight – types of motorized window treatments for your Chicago home. 

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.

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.

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.

Impress your clients with lighting control in these 4 home spaces

Smart home technology is going to be increasingly in demand if you build homes or work in interior design. Prospective homeowners want these devices in their homes because of the convenience they offer and how they contribute to a superior lifestyle. And one of the most common home automation systems your clients will be asking for is lighting control. To show you’re in touch with their needs, here are four spaces you can install or plan for smart home lighting in your Lincoln Park, IL building projects. Read on to see what they are.

Incorporate Automatic Window Treatments & Hidden AV in Your Design Projects

Minimalism is not just a design trend anymore—it’s a lifestyle. The term is no longer exclusive to stark, cold spaces with little to no furniture. Your clients can fill their homes with bright colors and eclectic pieces while remaining sparse and leaving room for their taste to shine.

But the one thing that can kill a minimalist’s dream? Unsightly technology. Wires, boxes, switches, remotes, screens, and bulky speakers don’t do much for aesthetics. Yet many modern homeowners desire smart technology to enhance their lifestyle. Luckily, there’s an overlap between minimalism and tech, and that’s found in hidden technology. Continue reading to see how hidden AV and automatic window treatments will enrich your Chicago, IL interior design projects.

Stay Connected with Family and Friends with Pro-level Videoconferencing at Home

The Coronavirus pandemic has yet to run its course, and right now, many of us are still doing the majority of our work and education from home. Chicago public schools reopened in September virtually, employing platforms like Google Classroom to facilitate remote learning. Major technology companies like Google, Facebook, and many others have announced plans to continue remote work for professionals well into 2021.

In this environment, connectivity, communication, and collaboration from home have become essential. But communication is not merely for work and school; it's important to keep up with family and friends and continue participating – however remotely – with your social groups.