Why You Need A Systems Integrator
So you’re building a new home, whether it’s your first home or your forever home, you want everything to be right! You visit with the builder and your realtor and scour over plans and designs for everything from flooring and cabinetry to paint colors even the type and color of the siding, you’ve thought of everything, right? Well, if you haven’t included a Systems Integrator in the mix you probably haven’t.
What do you think about when, or even if, you consider how technology is going to work in your new home? Other than saying “not much”, most would probably reference things like having WiFi for their computer and smartphone, or maybe mention something like Netflix, but technology is so much more today in a modern home than just those things. If you were told to pick out all the devices in your home that are going to be Internet ready, or Internet dependent, you would probably be somewhat surprised at just how many there are, and this number is increasing every year.
One of the most common mistakes I see homeowners make, and many builders for that matter, is when they unknowingly over simplify the importance that technology is going to play in their home and the degree to which they are going to depend on it going into the future. What you’re doing with technology in your home today is not near the number of things you’ll be doing with it tomorrow. Don’t believe me, just consider how much you’ve seen technology change in the last 10 years, or how about even in the last 5 years. Let me share a couple of real life stories with you for just a moment that exposes this problem.
A few years ago, I remember walking through a new home with a customer when it was in the middle of construction, the time during the job when there was no insulation or drywall, and a time when anything could have been done in the way of running cable through the home. To them, their world of technology consisted only of what they were using it for right now. They didn’t watch a tremendous amount of TV and believed data wiring wasn’t all that necessary for them. For television, they were going to be using basic cable TV, and if they wished to watch a movie, they would either use one of their own on DVD or drive down to the local Blockbuster or Roger’s Video store and rent the newest release. At the time, this would have seemed quite reasonable to a lot of people. Now turn the clock ahead just a few years later, both Blockbuster and Roger’s Video have disappeared and their WiFi doesn’t seem to keep pace the way it used to...I mean who ever thought we would be watching High Definition TV on a “retina display” iPad, right? They’ve since purchased an Apple TV for renting movies, since the video rental stores have gone the way of the dinosaur, but they have to use it on their WiFi network. Because the area where the TV is located in their house, well, the WiFi isn’t all that great causing movies to freeze or buffer, which you can imagine is very annoying. I’m now trying to help them with the installation of a new SmartTV, you know, those new devices that didn’t exist back when they built their home.
In another case I was contacted by a client that was general contracting their own home. We were called into the job near the point we would have to run the wire right away. Most of the major decisions had already been made like the type of heating system and the plans had already been drawn up for a beautiful bookshelf around the fireplace. Although we only had a limited amount of time, we were able to get the wiring installed in the main areas of the house, and the bedrooms, before the insulation and drywall were installed. For the most part, the user experience for this customer is fantastic in most areas of the home. Each bedroom of the house is equipped with hardwired data jacks, and when their kids are doing a research a paper for school, the Internet is rocket fast and very stable, allowing the kids to focus on their homework instead of getting frustrated over a crappy WiFi signal. We installed a WiFi Hotspot on each floor of the home for their mobile devices and they ended up with excellent WiFi signal throughout the entire home, yet the job was not without its issues. After adding some automated switches in the house, we went back for the purpose of installing a couple of automated thermostats. Unfortunately, their heating system was a type that could only use the thermostat it came with, so any idea of them installing something like a Nest thermostat was out the window. Another issue came up part way through the construction of the home, the customer decided a TV would look really nice mounted over the fireplace, but by that time, the job had progressed too far and would have involved cutting the drywall open to do it, besides there was no provision in the bookshelf to put any of the equipment they wanted to use with the TV anyway.
These are just a couple of examples where a knowledgeable Systems Integrator could have help the customer through the design process and eliminated frustration in the future. A System Integrator understands more than just computers and TVs, they specialize in making systems work together for a better user experience, they are the ones who ask the customer questions like, “have you thought about how this is going to work?” or “did you think of where your going to put that Blu-Ray player with the TV up so high on the wall?” They are also the one who coordinate with the Electricians, HVAC, and other people, to make sure the homes systems are going to work together for the best automation experience. They are the ones who keep up to date on current trends and product so that you don't have to.
Does your builder involve a Systems Integrator in the building process, if you’re not sure just ask them, these days many reputable builders involve a Systems Integrator in the building process to help their clients have the best experience with technology in their new home.
Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or call (902) 453-3388 with any questions or comments you might have.