Smart Home Installation Kent

BUILDING MARSH BARN

PAR002_123@heg.com — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 16:20:54 GMT

BUILDING MARSH BARN

This Beautiful Barn Conversion built in the Kent countryside has both the touches of a classic finish with all the perks of the modern home the perfect blend of what a modern home should be.

This project for us will always be in the fore front of our minds when going forward on this style home as we are particularly proud with how it came out, not only did the team work swimmingly with all other contractors making the installation a breeze but also maintained a great level of communication with the client from our first visit to system handover and now during there aftercare package.

Through this case study we will take a look at some of the key rooms the house has to offer and what Smart Home Tech was installed, then we will break down some of the back bone systems of the house in sections to show what we used, why we used it and how the integration made all this tech a super simple but powerful solution.

Kitchen / Diner

We will start with the kitchen / diner as this is the first room you you see when entering the property.

As you enter to you left you have a Control4 T4 Touchscreen. This touch screen is the perfect way to compact the home services in 1 easy to use place. This is gives full Control over the Lighting, Sound System, TV's, Intercom, CCTV & Alarm System.

We Installed 6 controllable lighting circuits for this room using a combination of Wired & Wireless lighting from Rako Controls. The touchscreen gives the option to independently control each circuit and then set different lighting scenes we have programmed, Each scene was set and picked by the way the customer wanted to feel when using the room or set because of use requirements.

For Entertainment here we have a single Large Television Mounted in the far corner of the room on a full motion bracket that can be push back flat against the wall when not in use.

For Sound the client wanted something simple and effective so went for a SONOS amp to power 4x Sonance ceiling speakers. We went for the SONOS option as quite frankly no other brand in our opinion uses "Airplay" as well and this is how the customer was used to playing their music, the only down side to this would be the integration with control4 is fairly limited but we set multiple radio stations and playlists as favourites which are available via the touchscreens and app very easily giving the customer massive streaming options and met their actual requirements.

Lounge

For the Lounge we fitted the Main TV within some custom built joinery complete with a SONOS Beam Soundbar pair with some over head ceiling speakers again power via SONOS and distributed over Sonance speakers.

Lighting controls again we used Rako Controls with a 10 button keypad for individual light control and pre-programmed scenes this included the wall lights, ceiling spots, linear lighting installation around the custom joinery & floor standing lamps.

We cabled to the Bi-folding doors for when the client is ready for us to introduce motorised blinds powered by Qmotion and integrated into Control4 offering a simple but smart shading solution this will give the client either pre programmed options so the electric roller blinds can automatically open and close at particular times of day giving not only privacy when needed but also in the summer some shade for the room to help cool the environment even if they are not around. We are Qmotion blind installation experts so when the time come we do not need to out source any of the task keeping costs as low as they need to be.

HOME TECHNOLOGY

AV Rack & Electrical Cupboard

The containment rack we feel is the perfect place to start with this system as this is where we contain most of equipment. These are typically built off site for this type of installation. Before delivery each piece of equipment is fully tested and each cable is custom made labelled and tested meaning that theres minimal distribution on site when installing this key ingredient into the system.

All hubs, controllers and main "brains" of the system are housed here including our Control4 EA3 controller

this integral bit of kit is what we use to integrate all our sub systems and entertainment equipment wrapped up in to one uniformed easy to use interface for all devices including: touchscreens, remotes and smart devices. Alongside this we have our Rako lighting hub, business grade router & Starlink router.

Within the Cupboard its self we also have our Texecom alarm panel, Rako lighting panel & cabling termination box keeping everything out of sight but neat and tidy in one place.

For visual entertainment we fitted 4x4 HDANYWHERE video matrix driven by 2x Sky Q Boxes, CCTV recorder & Apple TV giving full flexibility to view any of these devices on each TV over a single cable to each point giving the cleanest possible finish in each room where a TV was fitted.

Audio for this project was pretty short and sweet with 2x zones of audio powered by SONOS amps with a shared zone for the kitchen/diner & the second zone being the garden covering the patio and hot tub areas like the kitchen speakers we spec'd Sonnance speakers but wall mounted and designed for the outdoor environment, these were black in colour keeping in tune with the exterior facade of the property.

Other key pieces of equipment contained here are all network equipment which is mentioned below, CCTV recorder & our APC battery back meaning even if this home loses power they don't lose Network system control or even CCTV! giving peice of mind that the clients home stays connected and protected.

Home Network & Broadband

This Part of the installation came with some difficulties that were out of our control as the client had arranged to have Fibre line to be fitted for the house but unfortunately this had, had some major delays for over 9 months and as the moving date was growing ever closer we had to act so we educated them on the benefits of having a Starlink Satellite broadband Installation and shared the results we had been having when installing Starlink in Kent & other rural areas. With Download speeds of 200+ Mbps in areas, this was looking like the best resolve in the meantime with rental packages available. We installed the dish on a outbuilding bringing the network into the main house using pre- laid amoured CAT6 linking the two buildings. The installation was of course a success and we finished with typical speeds way into the 200mbps mark.

We then fitted and business grade Araknis router within the Rack and then fitted a High powered Araknis rear loading POE switch within the rack running all needed devices in the rack and around the home. For Wi-Fi distribution we deployed various TP-Link business grade in wall access points with WiFi6 capabilities all managed by a onsite controller giving us remote access for updates, maintenance & fault finding opportunities. as part of our aftercare service.

Home Security System Installation

Here we have the security system installation for this stunning Kentish home. For obvious reasons this is vage but things to mention is that system being "Smart" mean we interlinked all systems within each other but not just security components but also the lighting which can work wonders with security as we're sure you can imagine. Interlinking your security services using Control4 has some great benefits you necessarily get from a standard security system with push notifications going to specific users, with lights, audible warnings and or even having a specific CCTV camera feed populate all wanted screens when certain targeted areas are triggered giving you not only full reactive security but precision and fewer if any "false alarms" many of these great features were used when installing this system and gave the client perimitter protection, intrusion coverage, remote access but most of all piece of mind they know they're whole properties situation wherever they may be home not.

Access Control

We opted for the Control4 DS2 intercom system with a coded access full HD camera module fitted the electronic gates over 50m away from the house and being that this model is POE powered means it run on the battery back up within the main containment rack so even in a power cut calls can be answered from in the houses to the gate system. the DS2 will call to each Control4 touchscreen in the house with a pop up of the live feed of the camera on screen so you know who the visitor is before the call is even answered. all calls can be answered via your mobile phone with a similar feel to Facetime or video call and the same as the in home screens the gates can be easily opened with a on screen button or of course rejected/hung up.

CCTV

For CCTV we are using full HD IP based CCTV cameras, black in colour to keep with exterior colours of the property. These cameras come with A.I technology that over time will learn the differences between vehicles, animals, humans and general moving objects meaning less false alarms and precise notifications or reactions.

the cameras record in full colour 24hrs a day giving clearer day/night images. all cameras have optional audible warnings and controllable lights built within giving visual warnings wear needed.

Intruder Alarm

a Texecom alarm system was deployed for this home we used a mixture or door contacts, shock contacts and the latest capture PIR sensors for detection. giving the integration in Control4 we can run certain scenarios such as when the alarm is set to the away mode all the lights, certain plug sockets and AV equipment will shut off so you can leave knowing nothing has been left on. Other great features include push notifications letting know the status of you alarm, who's set and unset it and of course warnings if or when it's been set off.

Smart Home Project Kent

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 11:34:01 GMT

KENT SMART HOME INSTALLATION

This project was one of our favourite jobs to date as we were invited to work and collaborate alongside the client’s architect, building contractor and interior designer, yet submit our own concepts and designs for the house that we felt were of great value to its size and location. Using our in-house electrical contractor for all the first fixing of our infrastructure helped the project move along swiftly for all parties involved. Plans were designed and additional 3D renders were made for the project once a few key services and home automation sub-systems were agreed upon with the client;

Smart Lighting
Integrated Security, including CCTV and Intruder Alarm perimeter protection
HVAC including Shading and underfloor heating control
Access Control for the front and rear gates
Multi-room Audio System
Business Grade Internet and Wi-Fi distribution throughout the house and annexe
Home Cinema / Media Room for family movie time and sporting events
Remote Access to the house and utilities within it
Aftercare and maintenance package including remote updates and programming changes

Being a home technology company the brief was an easy one for our team, most of our client’s homes are becoming smarter and more connected than ever before. Our experience alongside the advancement of home automation systems like Control4, the homeowner was left with the power to control and manage various aspects of the house effortlessly.

From lighting and HVAC control to security and entertainment systems, using a handful of wall-mounted touch screens, wireless remote controls and mobile phone app control, they have a comprehensive solution for the whole family to enjoy.

Read on and we can explore the exciting world of home automation, home networking, and security, and how it can transform the way you live.

Smart Lighting

Using Rako Controls Lighting we had control of the whole house in almost every room, with attention paid to some of the lighting zones where we created customised lighting scenes & settings for various activities or moods. Whether it's a cosy ambience for a movie night or bright task lighting for work, simply put the client was able to effortlessly switch between different lighting scenes with just a touch of a button.

We are now also seeing the benefit of smart lighting becoming far more energy efficient which is another significant aspect of a centralised smart lighting system paired with Control4 lighting. Lighting Zones within the system were programmed to automatically adjust the lighting levels based on natural daylight and paired with occupancy sensors. This helps to save energy by ensuring that lights are only on when needed. Additionally, smart lighting offers dimming capabilities, to set the desired brightness level and reduce energy consumption.

HVAC & Underfloor Heating

Heatmiser was used for the thermostats to the underfloor heating system and the hot water system, we used a number of Control4 touchscreens to offer an interface to the available heating zones system to check room temperatures and configure heating schedules. Air conditioning zones were also controlled from our touch screens for each of the bedrooms.

Unfortunately We had to use a stock image as we didn't take any photos of the interface.

Integrated Security

The brief was simple and effective here, to implement a Smart CCTV system consisting of ultra high-definition cameras to capture video footage of the house and surrounding areas. These cameras are equipped with various features such as motion detection, coloured night time images with audio and smart analytics to send alerts to the family if any potential intruders were coming near the property during scheduled times. Finally, easy playback facilities to be accessed remotely through a smartphone, tablet, or computer from anywhere in the world

Using a Texecom intruder alarm system, we were able to provide enhanced security again for any unauthorised access or intrusions. Installed internal and external sensors placed at various entry points such as doors and windows, as well as motion sensors that detect movement within the monitored area. When the sensors are triggered, the system activates a loud alarm siren and also sends notifications to the user's device via the Control4 App as well as a professional monitoring service.

Using some advanced programming the alarm system was configured to automatically turn on some lights and activate a live view feed to the CCTV Network Video Recorder when an intrusion is detected, providing an additional layer and deterrent effect in identifying potential intruders.

A Control4 DS2 external gate module was fitted to the front and rear gate offering a video and audio service to both the house and mobile phones which allowed end users to see, view and answer the gates both in and out of the house from anywhere in the house.

Home Cinema Installation

Video

We fitted a drop down Projection Screen offering ultra high definition display with the added bonus to be completely hidden at the touch of a button. Next used a Sony VPL-XW5000 Native 4K Laser Projector, Carried within flush mounted Future Automation PD1 projector drop mechanism again recesses into the ceiling once the room has been switch off.

The rooms media was driven by Sky Q TV, Roku Media player, Apple TV and a Blu-ray player connected to the AV receiver which was hidden away in the AV Rack.

Audio

Our speaker configuration was a 5.4.1 Dolby Atmos home cinema package using rear projection fitted out with the following components;

DENON AVR Receiver - Dolby Atmos channel with enough outputs for a 9.2 speaker setup.

KEF T105 Speakers, including wall mounted front left, right & centre channels. KEF left & right surrounds & 4x KEF over head ceiling speakers.

1x KEF high powered subwoofer

Seating

7 x Front Row Cinema seats finished in luxury brown leather complete with cooling cup holders within the armrest, USB charging points and full electronically controlled reclining functions.

We built a small staging area was built for the rear seats giving a clear view of the screen. the staging was trimmed with matching carpet to the room and finished with smart controlled LED lighting giving great low level ambient lighting programmed in conjunction with the rest of the rooms lighting and lighting scenes.

Lighting, Shading & Room Control

Our lighting package here was fairly simple but extremely effective. A large section of the ceiling was covered with Starscape ceiling tiles giving a beautiful night sky feeling which can be left on whilst viewing without any distractions from the feature being played. Surrounded by a Kofer ceiling box with a full RGBW LED strip. with different colours programmed for various lighting scenes paired with the staging trim mentioned earlier. All spot lights are fully controlled by Rako system as per the rest of the home.

For window treatments we used 7 Q motion Motorised Blinds all fully programmed to run in sync with each other.

Finally the sub systems of room like much of the rest of the house is full integrated into Control4's interface giving simple control of the room and many options of automation like our "Movie Time" button which is a 1 command room set up button turning on all room functions shuts the blinds sets the lights to the perfect scene and selecting the right sound settings for the film, in reverse to that a simple room off command will slowing re introduce the lights and shut down all un-needed systems.

Business Grade Wi-Fi and Network

Multiple Ubiquiti indoor wireless access points were installed throughout the house to guarantee whole home Wi-Fi coverage for all wireless devices, we also fitted a 48-Port Network switch at the headend rack to offer hard-wired ethernet connections for the home office and smart TVs etc. For the Annex we had hard-wired armoured data cabling installed and for the terrace and patio area we used an external access point which we had custom painted in black so we were able to mount this onto a black drainage pipe at a high level, this will also act a wireless point to point link for a potential pool area which may be built at a later date.

After discussing the incoming line to the house and with the internet being one of the most important utilities to the homeowners with two working-from-home parents, and two children who are both at university and the son is a keen gamer, we offered the client a fixed fibre line into the home and fitted a ‘Starlink’ system as a back up to the house, with both lines being connected into our business grade router we were able to offer a fall over on the system so that if one line into the house fell over the other system would automatically take the lead and maintain a live internet connection without having to swap any cables or reboot the system.

Maintenance & Aftercare

Offering a handful of different package types to cover all aspects of our services, the maintenance package for this project consisted of our silver care package allowing us the flexibility to make firmware updates remotely, change programming to audio-visual components and make necessary changes to gate access controls and network security without entering the home.

This all followed up with a physical annual visit to inspect all hardware fitted, clean the AV equipment and test automation and service the cinema room.