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With the rise of smart homes, connected vehicles, wearable technology, connected health applications, and the like, IoT has migrated into our homes and offices. Learn more here!

<p>The &ldquo;internet of things&rdquo; (IoT) is a catch-all term for devices that are connected to the internet and exchange or communicate information. Until fairly recently, IoT was primarily reserved to describe applications in commercial, industrial, or infrastructure sectors. Now, with the rise of smart homes, connected vehicles, wearable technology, connected health applications, and the like, IoT has migrated into our homes and offices.</p>
<p>Some examples of IoT devices include smart home products such as light bulbs, security systems, doorbells, cameras, and speakers. By definition, it extends the power of the internet beyond typical electronic devices &mdash; to &ldquo;things&rdquo;; devices that are traditionally connected to the internet, such as smartphones or computers, are not considered IoT devices.</p>
<p><img alt="woman using smart wall home control system" src="https://d6y5eqdcxq8w3.cloudfront.net/assets/blog/blog_electronics/ci-iot-and-tunable-fixtures-header.jpg" title="iStock Credit: Prostock-Studio" width="700" /></p>
<p>As the popularity of IoT devices increases and prices fall, the IoT network grows ever larger. It is predicted that by 2025, there will be 41 billion connected things. While at first IoT may seem vast and complicated, there are many simple ways you can integrate IoT devices into your home.</p>
<p>Before attempting a DIY IoT project, it&rsquo;s helpful to understand the basics of what IoT is and how it works: through a combination of sensors and actuators to connect a physical device to the internet. Sensors measure physical properties. For example, a sensor might measure an environment&rsquo;s temperature and then convert those external properties into a signal to send to an actuator, which uses this information to choose an action. If the temperature is above or below a certain number, it can adjust the thermostat to shift back towards what you want it to be.</p>
<p><img alt="smart thermostat mounted on wall in home" src="https://d6y5eqdcxq8w3.cloudfront.net/assets/blog/blog_electronics/ci-iot-and-tunable-fixtures-thermostat.jpg" title="iStock Credit: Maxiphoto" width="700" /></p>
<p></p>
<p>It&rsquo;s important to have the right infrastructure in place. Some IoT devices are Bluetooth-connected, which is straightforward and simple. Others may need more hardware and physical connectivity. When devices need to connect to the network, that&rsquo;s when hiring a professional is important as these devices move a lot of information around on the network. This network &ldquo;traffic&rdquo; can affect your internet speed and ability to do things you might be used to such as streaming audio or video. Common DIY home installations include thermostats, security cameras, IoT alarm clocks, and smart garage doors.</p>
<p>A successful IoT project considers your day-to-day problems and uses a connected product to solve or make that problem much easier to handle. The following describes the two main use-case types in terms of IoT projects.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Sensor-based projects.</strong> These are the easiest type of IoT projects to complete alone. They involve reading sensor values and using them locally with connected devices to make decisions. Sensors can read temperature, pressure, humidity, light, and gas, among other properties, and make changes in your home based on those levels.<br /><br /></li>
<li><strong>Cloud-based projects.</strong> These projects are more complex, as they require an IoT cloud to store and analyze data, as well as connect across other devices in your IoT system. There are many &ldquo;cloud&rdquo; options to choose from, and you can weigh their features, security, and other properties when making a decision that meets your needs. This type of project is typically used when you need to store data to visualize it and analyze trends at a later date. In cloud-based projects, the data collected through sensors is sent to the cloud via the internet. You can then remotely control and monitor your IoT devices via the internet.</li>
</ol>
<p><img alt="young woman using smartphone in kitchen" src="https://d6y5eqdcxq8w3.cloudfront.net/assets/blog/blog_electronics/ci-iot-and-tunable-fixtures-connected.jpg" title="iStock Credit: gorodenkoff" width="700" /></p>
<h2>Call or Visit Us</h2>
<p>IoT can add a great deal of convenience and flexibility to your home, letting you control many functions with just the touch of a button on your electronic device! If you&rsquo;d like to learn more about IoT and its use in your home, Carolina Custom Sound provides many options to cater to your needs. <a href="https://www.carolinacustomsound.com/contacts/" target="_blank">Contact us at Carolina Custom Sound</a> to learn more about our products and services.</p>

What Is IoT, and How Can You Implement It Into Your Home?

Deadlines and projects wait for no one — especially slow internet speeds. These are the reasons why every home needs a high-quality home network.

<p>Your smart home is only as good as its network. Having a fully functioning home network keeps day-to-day life running smoothly. It&rsquo;s not just TVs, smartphones, and tablets that connect to a home network, it can be lights, audio systems, surveillance systems, outdoor speakers, and even appliances. Connectivity for these devices can happen in one of two ways: wireless and wired &mdash; either connecting devices via a WiFi signal or a physical Ethernet cord.</p>
<p>The advantage of using Ethernet is it&rsquo;s easier to set up, is arguably more secure, and provides greater speeds. It also frees up bandwidth for those devices that require WiFi, and don&rsquo;t have an Ethernet option, like a smartphone. It is often recommended that larger devices such as televisions, scanners, and printers, or anything that isn&rsquo;t mobile, connect via Ethernet because of these benefits.</p>
<p><img src="https://d6y5eqdcxq8w3.cloudfront.net/assets/blog/blog_electronics/ci-quality-home-network-header.jpg" width="700" /></p>
<p>The obvious advantage of WiFi is mobility but also retrofit ability. Especially in older homes, there is not always going to be an Ethernet connection available at the location you would like to put a device or appliance. So, unless you&rsquo;re willing to possibly turn your walls into swiss cheese, WiFi might be the best option.</p>
<p>A quality home network provides time savings and efficiency. For example, connecting multiple devices or computers to a single printer via the network allows you to quickly print from anywhere in the house. Also, a home network allows you to access files, documents, music, videos, photos, and more, all from any of your devices on the network.</p>
<p><img src="https://d6y5eqdcxq8w3.cloudfront.net/assets/blog/blog_electronics/ci-quality-home-network-laptop.jpg" width="700" /></p>
<p>Bandwidth is an important factor that affects the quality and speed of your home network. It is often compared to traffic on the road. When you&rsquo;re the only car driving, the trip is easy and fast; but as more cars join the road, the drive gets slower and more difficult, leading to a traffic jam. This is the same with a device connection: as more devices are trying to connect to the network, the bandwidth becomes crowded and slower. All the more reason to have a network with both Ethernet and WiFi connections. Using the same analogy, think of an Ethernet connection like a subway or train, and a WiFi connection like the freeway. By having some devices on Ethernet, and some on WiFi, you can optimize the amount of traffic and bandwidth being used. Performing an analysis on how much of your bandwidth is currently being used through your router settings or by downloading a third-party application will aid you in deciding whether you need to upgrade your network to improve its efficiency and speed.</p>
<p>Within your home network settings, you can prioritize devices and even types of content. For example, you can set a sequence for your work devices to connect to the internet before something like streaming or video games. With a smart home system, each connection takes up some amount of your internet bandwidth, so prioritizing devices assures that the most important ones will be able to connect with the strongest and most reliable speed.</p>
<p>The location of your physical home network devices, such as the router and modem, also play a role in successful device connection. It is important to place your WiFi antenna (usually located on your router) in a central location in order to even out the connection throughout your home. If needed, you can add range extenders or wireless access points for more hard-to-reach or remote areas.</p>
<p><img src="https://d6y5eqdcxq8w3.cloudfront.net/assets/blog/blog_electronics/ci-quality-home-network-router.jpg" width="700" /></p>
<h2>Call or Visit Us!</h2>
<p>An efficient home network should be secure, fast, and reliable. Familiarizing yourself with the components of your connected home system will allow you to use all its features to their highest level. If you want to learn more about what your home network can offer you, or if you think it&rsquo;s time to upgrade, Carolina Custom Sound provides many options to cater to your needs. <a href="https://www.carolinacustomsound.com/contacts/" target="_blank">Contact us</a> to learn more about our products and services.</p>

Don't Settle for Slow Internet Speeds: Why a Quality Home Network is Important

Default Dev Script Validation

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What Is IoT, and How Can You Implement It Into Your Home?

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