We live in a world of smart devices. Smartphones, smart watches, and now our homes are becoming smart. But what exactly is a smart home? Is a smart home an automated home? What is an automated home?

A smart home is a home that has lighting, electronics, heating, and other devices that can be controlled remotely by a smartphone or computer. Having a smart home can add peace of mind and a lot of convenience.

Did you know that the first wireless speaker was invented in 1969? Okay, not really. But in 1969, a hot piece of tech hit the market that allowed people to take their music with them, wherever they went. I’m talking about the boombox (if you’re not sure what a boombox is, ask your parents or grandparents). Philips Electronics created the first boombox, a portable, radio and cassette player with two speakers. They reached their peak popularity in the 80’s, blasting Madonna, Michael Jackson, Queen, U2, Elton John, AC/DC and more.

This revolutionary invention brought music sharing to a whole new level and began turning the world of personal music on it’s head. Now, we have dozens of options for playing music in a truly wireless situation. Wireless speakers come in all shapes and sizes and connect to most devices via Bluetooth. When you’re at home, in the car, at work, or the gym, it’s easy to pull out your phone and connect it to a wireless speaker and share the music you love with whoever will listen.

Many homeowners are looking to add home automation to their new or existing homes. It’s become a very exciting aspect of home ownership. Home automation brings you control of your home through your phone, tablet, or computer almost anywhere in the world. Home automation gives you the ability to work with your lights, appliances, heating and cooling systems, electrical outlets, and more. It can also bring in home security automation for your alarms, doors, windows, locks, cameras, and smoke detectors. All these devices are controlled through a remote network available on your smartphone or tablet.

You’ve finally decided to build your home theater! That’s great. So, now what?

There’s a lot that goes in to building a nice home theater. Before you start purchasing everything that catches your eye, it’s a good idea to sit down and make a plan on what exactly you’d like to have in your home theater. It’s also important to make a budget, and identify what items on your list are the most important purchases. You don’t want to blow all your money on comfy seats and then only have enough money leftover for a 27 inch monitor. So what do you need?