Posts

Showing posts from July, 2016

Sonos Sub Gets New Look SUBG1US1BLK

Image
The Sonos SUB gets a new look as it falls in line with the latest Play 5 speakers  aesthetics . The inside woofer of the new Sub is the same as before with only style changes this time around. The new Sub has a new part number which is  SUBG1US1BLK with a UPC of 878269002338. The new Sonos Sub is available in the dealer store soon and will start shipping August 10th. The image and link below is of the original Sub style and is still shipping until supplies last.

Savant 8.0 iWatch App Home Control Review

Image
The Savant 8.0 app is a great new edition to Savant's home control lineup. With the addition of full Sonos control, Savant has made leaps and bounds from the days of old (which is probably just last year knowing how fast technology goes). A great feature on the Savant 8.0 app is that it is compatible with the Apple iWatch. Assuming you have a functioning Savant system 7.0 version or higher you are able to utilize the Savant iWatch app functionality. There are two ways to access the Savant iWatch app on your smart watch with the first being from within your iWatch apps home screen and the second being from the glances watch menu.    1.  The way to access the iWatch apps home screen is to press the digital watch crown in towards the watch which takes you in and out of the apps page. (A press and hold of the digital crown accesses Siri voice control which is not yet available to the Savant system) Once you locate the Savant app press the logo using the watch touch

Disable iPad Notifications When Using as a Controller on your Electronics System

Image
Since the inception of the iPad smart tablet from Apple, the smart device has revolutionized the remote control and user interface for using it as a smart home electronic control. The conveniences of the iPad including the multi-function usability with all the tasks and apps that can be used, extended battery life and affordable price point make it a superior remote control to many of the other dedicated electronic touch panels out on the market today. With all the options, features and tasks the iPad does it can also cause problems and annoyances when trying to simply use as a smart home control. The number one issue when trying to simply control your home or television is a pop-up notification from various apps and the iOS software itself that blocks your control app which hinders controlling what you are wanting to control. Simple settings adjustments on the iPad can greatly help the notifications annoyance that many control applications face when being paired with an i

How to Reboot a Crestron Processor Remotely

Image
1.  The first step to reboot a Crestron processor remotely is to setup and connect to the remote network with a VPN connection where the Crestron system you are working on resides. Setting up a VPN connection is beyond the scope of this article but this connection can be done utilizing a VPN router and a dynamic DNS service. 2.  Once you have a successful VPN connection you can now open the Crestron toolbox program to initiate your connection to the processor. Within the Toolbox program open the text console and connect to the processor that you would like to reboot. Having an address entry for your processor will help streamline connecting to your processor. This can be done using the address book button located in the lower left of the text console. Once your address entry is complete you can simply select the correct entry in the drop down address box.  3.  Upon connection to the processor within the text console you will see the model number of your proces

How to Control Amazon Fire TV with IR (Infrared)

Image
When attempting to control and integrate the Amazon Fire TV with the use of a universal control you will need the help from the Flirc USB Dongle to accomplish the task which is readily available on Amazon's Online Store .  The Amazon Fire TV comes with a Bluetooth remote which is great if you do not have an involved TV setup and would like to hide the Fire TV away out of viewing site but it does not help if you are trying to have one system and remote control to work all your devices seamlessly. This is where integrating the Fire TV using the Flirc USB comes into play. When setting up the Flirc adapter you are able to configure the USB dongle and learn the IR codes that you would like to use to control your Fire TV with the downloadable Flirc configuration software. The Flirc dongle and software together learn the IR codes from any remote and allow them to control the functions of the Fire TV which are set one at a time.  Once the setup has been com

How to Set an Alarm on your Sonos System

Image
1.  Within the Sonos application (app) press the menu button in the upper left corner. 2.  Navigate and scroll down within the list and press the alarm option. 3.  Select and press new alarm. 4. Set the time, room, music, frequency and volume for the alarm. Once all settings are complete press the save button in the upper right hand corner of the app and you have completed setting an alarm on your Sonos system.

RTI and Amazon Alexa Voice Control Integration Driver

Image
The new driver from MyDevice  is now available on their website to integrate Amazon Alexa voice commands with system macros on an RTI smart home control system. The new driver allows you to use the Amazon Echo, Dot, Tap and Fire TV product to trigger events based on your voice commands. The voice actions that can be integrated with this driver are on, off, up, down, raise, lower, brighten and dim. Each voice trigger is given a unique name usually room location based to trigger the macros that are specified within your RTI system programming. The driver is purchased and downloaded for $100 but a free demo driver is available for download to test out this great new control driver from  MyDevice . "Alexa, turn on the bedroom lights" My Device RTI Amazon Alexa Driver Download

Free Amazon Prime Membership for your Smart Home

Click below to start your free Amazon Prime Membership for your Smart Home http://amazon.com/tryprimefree?tag=trevkemp-20

Amazon Prime Day Discounts for your Smart Home

Best Streaming Music Station in Southern California for your Smart Home

Image
If you live in the Southern California area the best FM station around is KCRW  which is 89.9 on your FM dial. If you are listening to the radio from the Coachella Valley than you tune your dial to 89.3 to catch the NPR affiliates music and news programs.  KCRW  is also available from the Tunein radio service for free which can be conveniently streamed from your Sonos system. For the best news, information and music recommendations  KCRW  is your choice not only in Southern California but all over the world with their streaming service online 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

How to Play TV Audio Through Sonos System with Playbar

Image
When using the Sonos phone or tablet application press the room name at the top of the Sonos application. If you have a Sonos Playbar playing your TV audio you will see the TV icon as shown above within the respective room that it is located in. Press the group button next to the room audio you are trying to distribute out to the other rooms. IE Living room audio is going to be sent to the rest of the Sonos zones within the house. Press each room name and put the red check mark next to all the areas you would like to distribute the TV audio to. Press done in the upper right had corner of the Sonos app and now you have successfully distributed the TV audio to all the Sonos areas of your house.