For many, fall is their favorite season. Who doesn’t love a pumpkin spice latte’? But there is an adjustment period when the cold fronts come in and the winds pick up. The same goes for your Indianapolis, IN smart home. You may have a specific routine already in place for keeping your house a particular temperature. Did you know that your motorized shades can contribute to your home’s climate? Read this guide to discover how automating your shades will make managing the changing seasons easier and your home more cozy as the leaves change color.

Keep the System on Manual

One downside to the summer leaving us is that the sunshine also goes away. Instead of keeping the shades closed to block the sun’s rays, you can keep them open and enjoy watching the leaves change color. Of course you can keep them closed if you want more privacy or just feel the darkening sky is getting too gloomy.

The weather can be temperamental this time of year so you can keep the system on manual too. Wireless technology makes it easy to change the shades’ position at any moment. Use a remote control, your phone, or your voice with voice control. With Amazon Alexa you can say, “Alexa, close the shades” and your smart home will do it for you. Or, pick up a handy wireless remote and press a button to open them as you bake a pie for Thanksgiving.

SEE ALSO: Experience the Benefits of an Automated Shade Installation

Halloween can be a fun holiday, but it can also be one of the scariest days of the year. The night can bring pranksters and other odd characters out, threatening the safety of your home. While there’s probably not a masked murderer on your doorstep, you need to be prepared for every situation. And if you’re watching a scary movie in your home theater, you’ll most likely want to at least feel safe. Here are some tips on how to be prepared for All Hallows Eve with security and surveillance in your Zionsville, IN home.

SEE ALSO: Which Security Camera Should I Choose?

You may still be enjoying that summer vacation or parties at the pool, but school is right around the corner. Before you know it, it will be time to get supplies and get back into a routine. A home automation system installed in your Carmel, IN home can help by guiding your schedule every day using lights, audio/video and more. Here are some great ideas on how to go back to school organized.

SEE ALSO: How to Entertain Guests with Home Automation

Use Your Smart Home to Wake Up

There’s nothing harder than having to wake up super early—unless you’re a morning person. To start getting used to hearing that alarm go off at 5 a.m. after sleeping in all summer, create a wake up scene using a Control4 system. Create a playlist of some fun songs and schedule them to come on at 5 a.m. You can even make the volume start off soft and gradually get louder to not startle you out of a heavy sleep. At the same time, your lights will turn on at 50%, the shades will open, and the TV in your bedroom will turn on the morning news. 

You can do the same thing for your children too. Ask them which songs they would like to hear in the morning while they get ready, and program their lights and shades to activate at 6 a.m. after you’ve had your coffee or got in a morning workout. 

We have a lot of summer blockbusters to look forward to, but the truth is it’s never fun to fight the crowds at the box office. With so many fun flicks to watch over the next few months, why not bring the big movie experience home? Installing a home theater system in your Indianapolis, IN house is essential, but there are multiple ways to do it—including outfitting your backyard. Yes, it is possible to put your home theater outside. Here are some tips on how to work with us to do it right.

SEE ALSO: Theme Ideas for Your Dedicated Home Theater

The Outdoor Theater Basics

Currently, you need to purchase an outdoor TV to enjoy watching movies, sports, and more outside. But if you want a big screen, the reality is you will need to use it primarily at night. Outdoor TVs have special anti-glare technology that can display high-contrast images in even the brightest sunlight. However, there currently aren’t professional-grade projectors that can handle bright sunlight. Here’s what you are going to need to make watching movies outside possible.

The Projector