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4 port USB outlet simplifies your wall

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How to say goodbye to your wall charger with this 4 port outlet!

Seriously folks! Have you ever ran out of space in your conventional 2 outlet with that bulky iPad cube that hogs up both of the outlets? Not if you have this 4 port USB outlet from Leviton

What about trying to get 2 of those wall chargers in one outlet! Forget it man. Now lets get creative and improvise and use a conventional power strip?

Power strips eliminated with this 4 port outlet

If you are really into wall acne, trying to secure this strip on the wall, then lets give you some duct tape to secure it there.

Unless you have the skill to drill 2 small drywall screws that have the right diameter for them to fit inside the small slots behind the power strip, you are simply out of luck. Who you gonna call? Leviton’s 4 port USB to the rescue!

Let’s face it, less is more. And Leviton has delivered in Spades with this little beauty of having 4 individual ports that will charge your iPhone, mini, maxi, iPad, droid, kindle, or any kind of widget that uses a USB cable to super charge your device.

Here is a quick video that describes the outlet


Just check out this picture below of a clean installation that could be used just about anywhere you can think of. Like where you might ask?

The 4 port USB is ideal in these convenient locations listed below:

Great for the Kitchen

By the nightstand in the bedroomLeviton 4 port outlet

Practical in the office

Cozy in the Den

Fantastic in the garage.

Commercial applications can also benefit from the outlet

How about the restaurant tables?

Like right in the main lobby of the hotel

Commercial outlet example

Waiting rooms at the Doctors

While you’re getting your nails done at the beauty shop

Let’s not forget about those Airport terminals

I could go on t, and on about about this little 4 port USB outlet, but I know time is money.

So here is the bottom line. You and your family will never have to fight for that dreaded cube, power supply to charge your devices ever again with this simple, cost effective, and convenient, outlet that will simplify your lives.

And is this not the goal we are all trying to achieve? Simplicity and convenience does go hand in hand.

So take a moment out of your busy lives and give us a call, or shoot us a text message at 858-764-2648 to evaluate your home, or commercial location to see how we may bring a little simplicity and elegance to your establishment without breaking the bank.

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admin

The New Samsung OLED TV has some sexy curves

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Samsung has done it again with OLED

big tvIs your rear projection television giving you that faded look? Are you looking for an alternative TV that brings back that WOW factor in your living room? The new 55-inch curvy OLED flat screen from Samsung is now available and in stock for delivery starting today.

What is OLED TV?

oled specificationsWithout getting too technical, it is the thinest, sexiest television that belongs in its own room. It is simply a work of art that will impress even the finicky ones that hate that flat screen look. The O stands for organic which translates to the most true, blurr free motion and the richest, deep colors that your eyes have ever laid on.

OLED is the new holy grail canvas on Air

actual pic of oled tvOne of the nicesest features of this work of art is that the outer bezel literally gives the TV a look that it is truely floating on air.

This will bring a stunning, minimalistic level of elegance that truely belongs in a modern museum that is now available for your home,  your office or favorite wet bar.

Here is a first glance out of the box of the curved OLED TV

sexy curved TV

As you can see from these to pictures that the new curved television gives you an unpresedented view like never before. The speakers are eloquently hidden below the outer frame. and the base gives it that true floating image.

once you turn it on, that is when all the magic comes to life and the suspension of disbelief becomes reality in 3-D.

It also features a newmulti-view that 2 people can view 2 different, full size programs at the same time. What this means is that you grandkids can watch Sponge bob for the millionth episode while you watch the big game at the same time. You just can’t beat that.

I know you want it! so how can you get one?

We now have them in stock and ready for delivery and installation. Simply pick up the phone and give us a call today, or send us a text message at 858-764-2648 to schedule a time to get together to see how we can accomodate your flat screen, or rear projection replacement needs.

Stay tuned! We will be posting a video of it soon.

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admin

Bored with your doorbell! Try the iChime doorbell.

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What is the iChime doorbell?

It is a simple, replacement doorbell that replaces you boring, single chime, run of the mill, factory preset, plain-jane, single play song. With the holidays approaching, wouldn’t it be nice for a change of tempo?

Now that you have lived in your home for the past 10 to 15 years, don’t you think its time to give it an inexpensive makeover with a new chime?

Believe it, or not you cannot make a better first impression that what happens at the front door. The door chime is a direct reflection of you personality Did I say this out loud? Yes! I did.

The door chime can actually enhance the inner child and playful adult in all of us. Why do you ask? Simple. Life is all about variety. As the seasons change throughout the year, why not change your tune along with it?

With the new iChime that we have discovered, now you can have a great variety changing the tune of what is behind the doorbell for just about any occasion.iChime doorbell

Here is a small smaple of the different choice that are pre-programmed in the iChime.

 

  • Halloween – Play scary music or make it scream!

  • Holiday – Greet your guests with music of the season

  • Special Occasions – Birthday, Anniversary, Wedding, Graduation

  • Animals – Cow moo, Duck quack, Dog bark – anything you want

  • Sports – Play your college fight song or announce your favorite team

  • Chimes – Traditional Ding Dong or Westminster and a lot more

  • TV or Movie – Load your favorite theme song or catch phrase

  • Music – Download Abba to Zeppelin or anything in between

  • Talking, laughing, singing, snoring – it is all possible now!

Here is a short video demonstrating what the iChime is all about.

What if I want to personalize my own doorbell chime?

You can do ths as well. The iChime has a built in microphone so that you can record whatever you want, or upload a pre-recorded song, or catch-phrase.

As you know, we will install this unit and integrate it with you doorbell and much, much more.

I have a phone system, will the doorbell iChime work with it?

For example, if you have a Panasonic phone system, we can integrate it so that you can have find out who is at the door, without having to go to the door. That is a great security prevention when you are home alone.

Fore more information, please pick up the phone and give us a call, or text at 858-7664-2648 to schedule an appointment to see what will work with your lifestyle and sense of security.

 

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admin

Honey? How do I turn the pool speakers on?

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With Labor Day just around the corner. Wouldnt it be nice if you never had to ask someone else just how to turn on the swimming pool speakers.

Even more embarrassing is when you don’t hear anything after you try and try different buttons and knobs and still no sound?

The pool speakers are not working not what?

pool speaker selectorif you have a speaker selector like this one in the picture to the right, you know that the next thing you have to do is go to each area inside the living room, the bar, the office, the bedroom, the bathrooms and the outside pool area to adjust the volume.

Next, you will try to get one of your devices to play your music. Hopefully, if you press enough buttons then you might get some music playing around the house, then you have to go to each of the rooms to make sure the music is not too loud, or too soft.

Is there an easier way to play my music in my house?

Good question. The answer is there is. From our perspective, if you have to press more than two buttons to get your music playing where you want to, that is simply too complicated.

iPad music choicesWith our iPad system, you can control each of the rooms with the press of two buttons. The first button you press is where you want your music to play. On the picture to the right, you can clearly choose one, or more areas without having to walk around the house.

swimming pool music choicesThe second button you press is the choice of what device, or different devices you would like to play around the house.

It really does not get any easier than this. You can actually choose what you want to hear in each individual room and area, and adjust the volume with the slider located on the right hand side without having to walk into that room, or area. Now that’s simple.

How can I get my system simplified, so I can play my music everywhere?

With one phone call to us to schedule an appointment, we can assess what your needs are to simplify your life. So pick up the phone and give us a call today at 858-764-2648, or shoot us a text to have this completed in time for you next pool party, or special event.

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admin

How to create a restore point

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What happens when you get a virus? Hopefully you have created a restore point.

The old saying is that an ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of cure. Well in this posting, we hope to give you more than just an ounce. We say this because creating a restore point is worth its weight in gold bullion.

A restore point is a snap shot in time that is captured when your computer is happy and working great doing what a laptop and computers do.

Viruses come in all shape, sizes and forms. The most common is through your email that have been hijacked from one of your friends and family. But you just don’t know it yet.

How can I get rid of this pesky virus?

This form of using your restore point is only useful if you have a PC using the windows 7 operating system. So if any of you are still using Windows XP the principle of getting to the root of the problem is the same.

Creating a restore point

Believe it, or not windows is smarter than the average bear. Whenever you install, or remove a program, windows creates a restore point, or a snapshot in time that remembers to freeze everything. Just in case something goes south and you have to go back.

A restore point is similar to a do over. This way, you have a second chance to recover whatever happened at this point in time. For those of you that are in the mac world, it is similar to time capsule.

So how do I get to the menu to restore it back?

Here are some instruction on how to create a restore point from our friends at dummies.com

  1. Choose Start→Control Panel→System and Security. Click the System link.You can also get to the System page by typing “System” in the Start menu’s Search box and selecting System from the results list.
  2. Click the System Protection link in the left panel.
  3. In the System Properties dialog box that appears, click the System Protection tab and then click the Create button.restore point window
    1. The Create a Restore Point dialog box appears.
    2. Name the restore point, and click Create.restore point dateChoose a name that you’ll be able to recognize again, such as the current date or the name of a program you’re about to install.
    3. Windows alerts you when the restore point is created. Click Close until each of the boxes is closed.restore point completed

What if I want a restore point to be automated?

Then you give us a call and we can have a technician write a custom script for your computer. this way it ensures that a restore point is executed, either on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. So if you would like to schedule an appointment, please pick up the phone and send us a text message, or call us at 858-764-2648 to assist you with your computer needs.

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admin

Is you cell service in the DEAD Zone?

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Have you ever walked into someones home and your cell service has disappeared?

That chill that runs down your spine when you notice no cell service. That means you cannot be in contact with your kids. What if something happens and they can’t reach you, then what?

You just bought your dream home and you close escrow, and you find out that you have to go outside your dream home just to get a call out because you have no cell service inside? You have just entered the DEAD ZONE!

Believe it, or not. This is an all too common scenario we see each day. To make matters worse, this is almost like a dirty little secret. You have no cell service, unless you go outside, or you have to hang your cell phone close to a certain window, just to get a single bar of cell service.

Is there a solution to poor cell service?

single story cell service coverageYou are in luck. We at Rancho Santa Fe Home Theater are one of Southern California’s top experts in the field of restoring your cell service inside your home.

Our field technicians can asses, and pinpoint where to boost your cell service bars, and actually enhance your 3g, and 4g Data internet service on your iPhone, Blackberry, and Android cell phones.

In addition with more cell service bars, it will reduce you battery usage on your electronic devices.

What kind of coverage does it have?

2 story cell service coverageWe have several models that cover from a single story application from a 1000 square feet to multiple story homes and offices up to 40,000 square feet.

Using a dual band technology of 800 and 1900MHZ, it does not interfere with your existing WiFi internet of 2.4GHZ and 5GHZ.

Schedule an appointment TODAY!

So pick up the phone, send us a text at 858-764-2648 or if your cell service does not work at your home, then send us an email at support@ranchosantafehometheater.com to schedule an appointment to solve this dirty little secret, once and for all.

 

 

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admin

Interactive TV! Get into it.

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Don’t just watch TV. Get up, become interactive with it.

With the newer SMART flat screens that come with these new bells and whistles, it’s time to get off that couch and literally play with your TV.

Samsung now has flat screens that have a built in camera. That means you can be interactive using SKYPE with friends and interact over Facebook, and Twitter to keep connected within your Social Media Network Friends and Family.

Interactive mount

TV MOVES DOWN TO THE PERFECT VIEWING LEVEL

Here is a perfect example of what we can do with your flat screen that eliminates those neck aches of the past. We bring the flat screen down to the perfect viewing angle so that you can watch TV a whole lot more comfortably than ever before. CLICK ON THE PICTURE FOR A CLOSER LOOK.

How much effort does it take to move it?

With this new flexible arm that only requires an effortless  touch to have a full range of movement with your flat screen that now allows you to be interactive with your TV when watching movies, gaming, exercising and more. Here is a video clip example.

The ActionMount series made by Omnimount brings you closer and more interactive with your TV like never before. The design is from Ergotron’s patented Constant Force technology. I don’t really know what this means, all I know is when I was moving the flat screen, it very little effort to move it around.

Here are just a few of the benefits with this new interactive mount.

Raise and lower your TV with only a light touch

Great for standing activities like gaming and exercising

Pan screen left and Reposition the TV smoothly in all directions

Perfect viewing to reach multiple areas

Ideal for overhead applications

Wide frame offers installation flexibility for centering TV

Arm folds to the wall for a discreet profile

Post installation leveling ensures level screen

What size mount is available for my TV?

We’ve got you covered from the traditional 13-inch for those kitchen nook areas to the 70-inch ones above your fireplace.

Just imagine your TV is in the family room and be able to swing that big TV to view it from the kitchen within seconds.

Call today!

So why not make the most of your flat screen TV investment with a mount that’s designed to be as interactive as the TV itself. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Then pick up the phone and give a call today at 858-764-2648 to get one of these mounts installed today. Your neck will thank you.

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admin

How to improve your cooking.

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How to improve your cooking.

family cooking

Are you tired of the same old meals that you serve your family when you are cooking and would like to put a little pizazz into the your routine?

Being raised with 4 older sisters and a father who was the Chef of the U.S. Grant hotel, in our household there was never a dull moment. Cooking was part of our daily routine where we gathered to share stories about what happened that day. We shared the good the bad and the ugly.

Each of us was taught about cooking with feeling. Our father said it was one of his secret ingredients that united a family, as well as a staff of sous chefs, assistants and dishwashers in the kitchen.

This secret ingredient that created the unity in the kitchen when cooking was a special concoction that has been taught from generation, to generation.

So what is this secret ingredient to improve my cooking?

Unfortunately, this ingredient is something that has been lost in translation for a number of years. I feel very fortunate to pass this on to you and your family so that it may bring your family closer as it has in our household.

A number of years ago, I happened to be at a training seminar. And the guest speaker had a personal cook. As a curious individual that I am, I ventured into the kitchen. There was this little man cooking a meal in this huge kitchen at this hotel. At the time, I was not a fan of Indian food. But what caught my curiosity was that, as he was cooking, he was singing these wonderful songs. Keep in mind, I could not understand a stitch of what he was singing. But when he came up to me and offered me a taste, I said no, no, no, I don’t like Indian food.

It was the most delicious taste I ever had.

He insisted, and I wanted to be polite, so I took a bite and tried it. WOW! I loved it. Then it hit me like a lightning bolt. I am convinced. That the quality of food was great and he knew how to spice it up. But the most important “secret” ingredient was the singing that I forgot about that occurred in my own home growing up.

How does this apply in my kitchen?

Cooking with music affects our body, our mind and our emotions. The quality of his emotion, and the quality of feeling, was the secret ingredient that made that meal from, let’s say a bronze medal, to a gold medal if we were to use this analogy.

For most us, we can’t carry a tune to save our skin. Fortunately, Apple has created an iPhone, iTunes, and iPad that can help us with this dilemma. Then the final ingredient to improve your cooking is to have the joy of music in the kitchen at your fingertips.

This is possible with the installation of a pair of speaker in the kitchen. If for some reason, we cannot get the wiring to the kitchen, we have our wireless speakers from Sonos that will do a great job as well.

It beats the alternative of having to crank up the family room stereo, just to be able to hear it in the kitchen. then you end up yelling at each other. That is just wrong on so many levels.

With Memorial Day just around the corner, let Rancho Santa Fe Home Theater give you that richness, that connection, the gift of music to bring you and your family closer than before.

Bring back the fun, engaging and enjoyable experience that you have been missing. So pick up the phone and give us a call at 858-764-2648 to schedule a complimentary assessment to get that secret ingredient into your cooking lifestyle.

Because at the end of the day, creating that bond of love within the family is what its all about.

 

 

 

 

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admin

Top 5 Mistakes in Wireless Networking

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Top 5 Mistakes in Wireless NetworkingWireless networking router

Let’s face it. Wireless networking is a part of our everyday life whether we like it, or not. Now that we have that out of the way, let us get into some of the mistakes we uncover when a client invites us to their home to unravel some of their problems with their existing wireless and why it doesn’t work as promised.

1. Don’t ever use the router that your internet provider issued you.

More times than not, we discover that this is one to be a common issue. Think of it to having multiple meetings going on in the same board room. The problem is that the router can only pay attention to one meeting at time. The minute you have more than one device requesting access to the internet, guess what? Your internet quality goes down. Unfortunately, the internet providers never tell you this because they just don’t want to. We will leave it at that. In most households what is required is a router that can multi-task. So look for a router with the MU-MIMO stamped on it. It simply means that it is a multi user router for mulitiple devices. Here is a link if you would like more info from Amazon

2. Why is the antenna lying flat?

Too often we see a router, or wireless access point that has 2 antennas laying flat in a one-floor home. If we can visualize the antenna holding on to the center of a delicious glazed donut that just came out of the oven. And the smell of that donut has a radiating smell of the sweet glazing trying to reach you nose. Since the antenna is laying flat, the smell is only going up to the ceiling and down to the ground. Its never going to reach your nose.

But if you stand the antenna straight up, then the glazing smell with permeate from side to side. Therefore, covering a lot more distance of an area.

3. Don’t put a router, or wireless access point on the back of a TV

This one is a doosey. There are times where we cant find the router, or access point. So we end up doing a site survey to find it. Since the invention of Smart TV’s the convenience of accessing Netflix, Pandora and other streaming services, we are finding the wireless networking routers and wireless access points stuck behind the TV. Guess what? Not a good place.

You want to avoid lighting fixtures, power lines, A/C units, elevators, fish tanks, and anything else that with lots of metal or water. The reason is that these items will block your signal from getting through.

Ideally we end up relocating the router, or wireless access points at least a couple of meters away from any possible RF interference and in line of sight what they’re to be connected to. What this does, is it give the signal the clearest path possible. So we want to mount them as high as possible.

4. Don’t use your name, or last name as your SSID

This is like broadcasting to the world, “Hey! Come hack me because this is my wireless network.” There is no realistic reason on earth to do this. Also avoid using WEP encryption at all costs, since it can be hacked within a few minutes these days. If for some strange reason a device requires WEP encryption, because it can’t handle anything else, then we go to Plan “B”

In plan “B” we use the MAC address filtering and put it on a secure VLAN that allows routing only to the device it needs to talk to.

5. Don’t use just one device to test the signal strength

Do yourself a favor. Use the actual devices that you are going to use everyday to make sure you have adequate coverage. Believe it or not, each device has its own power requirements, antennas and other nuances I won’t bore you with. One of the best tests is to use an iPhone to connect. Apple hand-held devices are notorious for having extremely poor signal strength. This is the reason why Apple removed all of the wireless signal strength meters from their app store.

We hope this article was informative and useful to you in the case that you are struggling with your wireless networking around the house.

On the other hand, if you feel that you just don’t want to mess with your wireless network anymore and would like someone to simply take care of it, then pick up the phone and give us a call today, or send us a text message at 858-764-2648 to rid yourself of this thorn at your side.

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admin

How to create a text emoticon

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Got next generation text messaging?

For most of us 160 characters is plenty to get your message across. But one day someone decided that words are just not enough. That is where the text emoticon came to life.

Now your text can express yourself in such a way like no other way to get your point across. Your message now has your own personality with a certain jen ne sais qua, that your message could not express itself in any other way.

So without further a due here is how to create these little beauties.

Text messaging emoticon dictionarytext message emoticon

 What if 160 characters is not enough for my text?

We live in a multi generational society where enough just does not work for everyone. That is where a new type of text messaging service comes in. Apple rolled out iMessage to give us the ability to include pictures and expand our horizons. but now there is new kid on the block and his name is WhatsApp.

Who is WhatsApp?

WhatsApp is a new platform of text messaging where you are not limited by 160 characters. With this service you can include pictures and videos as well. Now you can send the most elaborate messages to your friends and family without using any of your text messaging data plan. This is because this app uses the internet data network, not the cellular data network.

Can you hook me up?

We sure can! To learn more about how we can assist you in setting up your smartphone with this App or other useful tools that will simplify your life, pick up the phone and give us a call, or shoot us a text message to (858) 764-2648 to make life a little bit simpler.

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