Case Study: Whole House Technology
Montserrat, Southwest Fort Worth, TX
Blu Glo Home Media S
ystems was tasked with upgrading the technology in a home located in the Montserrat area in Southwest Fort Worth, TX. This home owner wanted a full stack of features including security, entertainment, automation and networking.
Home Security
The homeowner lives in a gated community but prefers to augment the security services provided by the neighborhood gate system with a state-of-the-art home security system.
The DSC (Digital Security Controls) system features control via a smartphone app. The mobile phone app uses a common mix of security sensors on doors and windows, along with motion sensors in hallways, glass break sensors near large fixed-glass windows, smoke detector sensors and garage door sensors.
We installed a HIKvision camera system featuring an 8-channel, 4tb hard-drive NVR. This camera system offers the capability to store all the video footage that may then be viewed on an iPhone app without relying on cloud-based DVR functions located outside the home. Each of the (8) cameras have 4K resolution in both daytime and night-vision recording modes.
Entertainment
This family includes a few avid golf fans! They also follow the Baylor Bears during football season so sports entertainment is a must in this household!
To get the best video performance we chose Samsung QLED 4K HDTV’s that we placed throughout the home for video entertainment.
For video streaming we installed AppleTV streaming components on each TV that allowed the family to view content on each TV from their iPhones.
The AppleTV units feature the same Safari browser used in Apple computers and the App Store. It can be loaded using apps that most iPhone savvy families utilize.
For the music lovers in the family we installed whole-house Sonos components, specifically the Sonos Port that is installed through Denon amplifiers and played over 30 speakers throughout the home.
Each person can listen to their favorite music in their area, or the entire house can be linked together playing the same music inside & outside. Party Time!
The entire entertainment system is easy to use thanks to the RTI control system. Each member of the family has an app on their phone that will control any system in the house.
Automation
The family can control all the subsystems in the house using apps on their phones through the RTI (Remote Technologies Inc) control system.
This RTI Application allows control of the following systems via a smart phone.
- Trane HVAC System & Thermostats
- Liftmaster Garage Door Openers
- RING Video Doorbell System
- DSC Security System
- HIKvision Security Cameras
- Home Entertainment & Sonos Systems
- Lutron RadioRA Lighting Control System
Of note, the Lutron Lighting Control System features 74 smart dimmers and keypads that allow the entire house to be setup as lighting “scenes”. When ready to entertain, one simply presses the “Entertain” preset and the lighting throughout the house will change to the desired levels in each area.
Networking
All of these technologies rely on a foundation of strong internet & WiFi connectivity. We installed a Ubiquiti Unifi MESH network featuring (12) wireless access points located throughout the property to insure wherever the person is they’ll get full speed & bandwidth on their device.
The MESH technology works in a very similar fashion as a cellphone network. As you roam around the house the system will connect you to the WiFi via the closest access point thus insuring the highest speed & bandwidth.
