Deter the Dreaded Porch Pirates This Holiday Season

The holidays are filled with festive activities with family and friends, and shopping opportunities for that special someone – or someones – in your life. Online shopping and store deliveries have become very popular in recent years, and it’s not uncommon to see packages lying on the porches of your Irvine, CA, neighbors, or even on your own front porch. Unfortunately, a new term exists for individuals that take advantage of this burgeoning trend of home deliveries: porch pirates. These individuals take advantage of a convenient service to many. From video doorbells to surveillance cameras, keep reading to learn how you can leverage your smart home security system to your advantage this holiday season.  

SEE ALSO: Let Control4 Ease the Stresses of the Holiday Season

Video Doorbell

Control4’s door stations offer your home a video and audio intercom experience. Full-motion video and high-quality audio capabilities allow you to communicate with, and see, whoever has rung your doorbell, plus notify you of any detected motion. Packages sitting on your porch or not, this is a beneficial system to incorporate into your Irvine, CA home. If a potential thief approaches your door, you will be notified via text or push notification of the detected motion; then, you can tap the screen to view live video footage. Your audio will automatically be muted, but if you see a thief nearing your front door, you can turn on the audio function, communicating to the pirate that you will call the authorities and that you have them on camera in the act. Hopefully, this never happens, as the security cameras serve as a deterrent in and of themselves, but you can rest easy knowing you have a course of action to take.

More than a Doorbell

Control4’s video doorbells are more than just a doorbell. Extend the video and audio capabilities inside your home using Intercom Anywhere. Intercom Anywhere allows you to greet guests at the front door, communicate with specific rooms of your home, and call people outside of your home with a Control4 touch screen or from the Control4 app. The same functionality that allows you to deter porch pirates keeps your family connected!

A Piece of the Puzzle

Smart home automation from Control4 allows for easy control for the solutions mentioned above, plus grants you the ability to manage your motorized shades, lighting control system, home theater, security system and more. Not only can you deter porch thieves, but you can keep your Irvine, CA home safe with security systems and surveillance cameras, too. It’s all operable with Control4 automation!   If you’re ready to deter porch pirates this holiday season, plus keep your family communicating, contact us today at (949) 515-7030 or use our online contact form to reach out. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Make Your Home Merry and Bright with Home Automation

Not to add to any existing stress you may have regarding the upcoming holiday season, but here’s a reminder: the holidays are right around the corner! No matter which holidays you celebrate this winter, it’s sure to be a time full of merriment, gift-giving, and gatherings with your family and friends. Why not make life a little bit simpler by incorporating the capabilities mentioned in this blog with your existing Control4 system? Or, if you want to treat your Huntington Beach, CA home to an extra special holiday gift this year, invest in a new Control4 home automation system to unleash a whole new world of possibilities for yourself, your family, and your holiday guests. Keep reading to learn more about how Control4 can help you ease the stresses of this holiday season.  

SEE ALSO: Why You Should Have Control4 Home Automation in Your Home

Individualized Access Codes

The holidays are a hubbub of activity, with family and friends entering and exiting your home more often than usual due to holiday parties and get-togethers. Do you remember the days of hiding a key under a fake rock or other un-safe yard locations so your guests could enter your home while you were away? Those days are gone, thankfully, and your Huntington Beach-area home no longer needs that potential security breach hiding in your flower bed. Instead, send a smart lock guest access code to friends and family arriving from the airport while you’re away at work. You can text or share the code with them prior to their departure. Once they arrive at your doorstep, all they need to do is type in the code and voila, keyless entry. You can monitor your home from your smart device, too, and ensure they’ve locked the doors if they need to run errands before you arrive home from work.

Deter Porch Pirates

In addition to an influx of guests, you’re probably receiving package deliveries more frequently this time of year due to an increase in your holiday shopping. Instead of losing track of the safety of your packages, utilize smart home devices that work well on their own but even better when integrated into a Control4 automation system. Video doorbells are a great addition to any Huntington Beach, CA home’s façade. Whenever the device detects motion or when someone rings your doorbell, you’ll be able to monitor the camera feed and even speak with the person at the door. You can speak with delivery drivers, unlock your smart lock remotely, and have the delivery person place your packages inside the door. You can then lock the door behind them. Any potential porch pirates will also be deterred, knowing they’d be caught in the act on video.

Lighting

Lutron lighting control can also integrate with your Control4 automation system. As guests arrive, they’ll be able to easily locate your home from the street with luminous landscape lighting and holiday string lights that automatically turned on at dusk. There’s no need to manually operate your lighting or forgetting to turn lights on because you were busy prepping for the evening’s festivities. You can sync indoor lighting with a timer or with the tap of a button on a smart device, keypad, or touchscreen, and it can all operate in sync with the rest of your home. Cozy up next to the fireplace and get into the holiday spirit with festive colored lighting, and stream your favorite holiday playlists throughout your home with a multi-room audio system.   An integrated smart home is possible and easy to use thanks to Control4 smart automation. Chat with us using the live chat at the bottom of your browser or fill out our contact form to get started on your no-obligation consultation. We look forward to helping you ease your holiday stresses.

Launch Systems is Your Laguna Beach-Area Home Theater Design Professional

When one of your clients asks for a custom home theater, what do you do? Hopefully, you don’t scour YouTube on the best products and DIY solutions to provide your clients. A DIY home theater would likely cause your client (and yourself) a headache. When your clients inquire about home theaters, you should work with a professional home theater designer because we know the latest home entertainment trends. Plus, we can design a dedicated home theater that works great on its own or one that integrates seamlessly with the rest of the Laguna Beach home’s automation solutions – lighting control, motorized window treatments and more. Avoid the headaches and unhappy clients by working with Launch Systems. Keep reading this blog to learn what type of custom home theater solutions a design specialist can provide your clients.

SEE ALSO: Why Make the Switch from Manual to Motorized Window Treatments?

Stunning Visuals & Sound

A great image makes or breaks a custom home theater. Why would anyone want to visit for movie night if the screen is small or pixelated? Your clients have a variety of preferences – from hidden, roll-away projection screens to TV screens that become artwork when not in use. A home theater design specialist will know what products produce the best image quality while also fitting into the design preferences of your clients. In addition to a beautiful image, clients need great audio. A design specialist can ensure speakers become a dramatic focal point in the space or remain unseen, installed into the walls of your Laguna Beach clients’ home. A home theater’s sound system can also tie-in with a more extensive whole-home audio system, easy to control with the tap of a button on a smartphone, universal remote, or in-wall touch panel. By working with a designer, your clients’ home will allow movie nights to come to life, but they can come to life effortlessly.

Integrates with Home Automation

Imagine walking to the home theater from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn in-hand, saying, “Alexa, turn on Movie Night.” Your clients can situate themselves on their custom-designed home theater seating as their  smart lighting dims and motorized window treatments lower to create the perfect mood for a successful movie night. The roll-away projection screen will lower as the projector turns on, and Netflix is at the ready for a movie selection. Your clients won’t be bothered by clunky remotes or need to walk to the light switch to dim the lights just-so.   Avoid DIY-disaster and make your clients happy by working with a professionally trained home theater design specialist like Launch Systems. We’d be glad to schedule a no-obligation consultation, so call us today at (949) 515-7030 or fill out our contact form to get started. We can’t wait to work with you and your clients.

Professional Installation Services from Launch Systems Keep You Connected

Smart home solutions such as lighting control systems, climate control, security systems and more have all become popular for the modern homeowner. Before you begin adding additional smart home devices to your Laguna Beach, CA home, make sure your home network can handle the influx of smart technology without lagging and causing you potential headaches. You will also want to ensure your network is encrypted and safe from potential cyberhacking.

 To be sure your network is robust and safe enough to handle a variety of smart home solutions, employ the services of a home network installation service provider like Launch Systems. We have decades of service, providing excellent customer service to Californians just like yourself.

Keep reading our blog to learn why you should consider a professionally installed home network before you begin building your smart home automation system.

SEE ALSO: Consider a Lutron Lighting System for Your California Home

Works Seamlessly

Devices just work as they should! With adequate bandwidth and designated traffic channels, your smart home devices can work seamlessly and without a hitch. Everyone notices when the internet isn’t working well; they rarely notice when it’s lighting fast! With the upcoming string of holidays, help your visitors connect without notice. Any family and friends visiting your Laguna Beach home won’t notice a thing, but you’ll know your home network has lightning-fast and reliable service thanks to a network installation by Launch Systems.