Designing Integrated Future Ready Homes by FUTURELIFESTYLE.NET

Future Lifestyles - Convenience
The past decade has seen the rapid growth of the internet and email. The use of mobile phones, computer games and the like, have changed the lifestyles of us all. Add to this high definition flatscreens and improving internet connection speeds, people are spending more time at home, many are even working from home.

Security is increasingly important as people invest more in their homes. Increased control over their domestic environment whether it be lighting, heating or air conditioning also becomes a challenge.

Most importantly, we all need to work hard to help safeguard the worlds' resources.

Integrated Home – Networking Media
It's time to get rid of the “wall acne.” Off with the numerous ugly plastic switchplates, thermostats and other controls and replace them with something more elegant.

Integrating different subsystems; lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, audio/video, security, telephone and data can make things more functional and useful.

Our homes now can be controlled by touchscreens or via the web, allowing simple interfaces to be designed to the user's needs – in some cases using a single button.

Imagine….. starting a movie on DVD by drawing the curtains, dimming the lights, dropping the projector screen/turning on the TV and DVD player while activating the surround sound system as the disc starts to play…… all from the touch of a button.

Economic Home – Energy Efficiency
Lighting can play a large part in how a house looks and feels. Adding lighting controls enables control of zones and the moods within them for better efficiency and appeal, all controllable from a single location…..in the garden from the open plan kitchen, living area or even main terrace….. One touch presets can change the mood instantly.

Temperature controls pre programmed so user preferences maintain areas of the house at the required setting. Again, these can be put on presets when leaving and adjusted before arriving home.

50% of all CO2 emissions come from buildings alone so there are “green” reasons to plan for this intelligence too.

Work from Home – Communication
The wide availability of a broadband (meaning that's fast and always on) internet service allows residential customers a lot of flexibility. These days you can “be” at the office without going to the office.

Modern telephone and IT systems allow people to work just as effectively from home and suits peoples´ lifestyles all the better. The ability to access company networks remotely means receiving emails, printing, browsing the server etc.. is no longer a restriction.

A simple home telephone system can now provide the user with enough access to multiple rooms to accommodate the use of entryphones, cordless phones, conference calling, internal intercom facilities plus, paging and voicemail just as in an office.

Add to this the increased ability of the ever improving speed of the wireless function, allowing all rooms and outdoor areas to access the internet with the right supporting technology.

Learn at Home - Education
Some clients spread “the guilt of the purchase” by thinking that their big screen and entertainment system is a purchase to help little Johnny watch Disney films the way it's meant to be viewed, like the cinema. It can also work as an easier to view monitor if he then decides to study online or use supplementary PC learning software. Just don't let him know how much better his computer games are going to look and sound on it too!

Function at Home – Practicality and ease
When time began with domotics, design companies first consideration was one of the following two factors….

Will our technology make the conference room presentation look more professional OR will our newly installed functions make life easier for the client in the elderly home/retirees premises? (This has now developed into full remote healthcare to ill and elderly people).

Domotics took off in the U.S. mainly for the first and in Europe for the latter. Now the two sides of things have crossed over and moved into standard, residential installs too. We are now all looking to the future together.

Audio Home – Fun Loving
Systems now allow owners to “pipe” audio into more than one room from a central system, hidden away in a cupboard (multi room audio). Each room can be controlled in its own zone from the central source i.e., MP3, CD or DVD libraries can all be accessed from different rooms simultaneously via a music server and via a tuner, radio can be accessed.

There are also many excellent flush mounted speakers available to hide discreetly within the décor of the rest of the house with either “in-wall” or “in-ceiling” designs. By integrating the system, the clutter and wires of multiple stack systems are lost.

For the outdoors there are those which are waterproof and look like rocks….

Video Home – Visual Entertainment
It is generally the case that one room will be chosen as a family entertainment area or sometimes a designated cinema. Various technologies are available for displaying video; front and rear projectors as well as all types of flatscreens; Plasma and LCD.

True home cinema will require surround sound dedicated equipment, commonly 5 full range loudspeakers and a subwoofer. Calibration of such a system is also recommended for the best audiovisual experience.

Again, if the system is planned in at the early stages, much of the equipment can be built in to leave a tidy, uncluttered finish.

With properly installed TV systems, it is possible to watch one thing playing in more than one room as easy as playing different media in many rooms.

Now we have interactive TV, digital TV and DVD, high definition TVs and broadcasts, plus there´s “video on demand” available through the internet via video streaming. This will enable you to watch whatever you want when you want, just use your imagination…..

As the broadband gets wider and all that comes with it quicker, “video on demand” will become much more widespread and eventually take over from satellite systems such as SKY+ and SKY HD.

ABOUT FUTURE LIFESTYLE

We are an installation company that specialises in the networking of all digital products for a more convenient standard of living. A smart home automation system enables you to control all your media products at the touch of a button.

A home of this kind can be configured to control centrally all the properties´ multi media, eg. T.V.s, satellite channels and music plus, the lighting, irrigation system and climate control cutting down on energy wastage, thus making the home gentler on the environment.

Your installation can be done so all equipment is hidden away. No more visible wires nor the 3 media boxes and their remote controls in every room…… just imagine.

All this adds value to a property and when it comes to selling your home it will not be behind the times. Would you have considered a property years ago without piped water or more recently, air conditioning? Well, smart homes are that next step in the process.

We install the following digital media products:

Plasma and LCD Televisions - wall or stand mounted.
HD DVD or Blu Ray players streamed in all rooms.
Sky HD Satellite systems.
Home Cinema systems with surround sound.
Audio Stereo equipment - Multi room playback functions.
Security Camera installation.
Lighting - control moods in various rooms. Built in sensors for security. 
Climate and Drape/Blind control, (energy saving).
Computers & wireless networks – surf the net from anywhere in the home

Dip your toe in the water. We understand that a complete rewire of your home is not always plausible or desirable. At Future Lifestyle , we build systems that are upgradeable. As your needs grow, so can your system.

So if it's that new flat screen you've been promising yourself or the extension to your music system out onto the terrace for the summer, then contact us on 902 107 227 or sales@futurelifestyle.net to find out how we can help.

In addition, as part of Future Lifestyle ´s understanding of market trends, we are offering our clients a copy of our Smart Home report, a case study on smart home systems and its on the Costa. It is a brief overview of the home automation market.

If you would like to receive a copy contact us at info@futurelifestyle.net with the title “PACK” and we will happily email you a copy.