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How to pre-wire your home for the future

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What is the best way to pre-wire my  new construction or or remodel home project?

This question is one that is asked us of on a daily basis and we thought we would write a short, brief and simple article outlining what has worked for our current clients that we have had the privilege to pre-wire their new construction and remodel home theater sound systems, their home networks, their internet of things, such as Lighting, Thermostat, Camera control, as well as their consumer electronics home surround sound installations in the past 17 years. We will touch upon these things in this article.

Pre-wire nightmareWhether you are remodeling your existing home, or going through the new construction pre-wire phase building a new home from scratch, we find that most people are relying on their contractor, or electrician to guide them through this process. Most of the times, this does not work out very well and this is the end result seen on this picture to the left of the screen. It is a rats nest.

Unfortunately, we get that call when there has to be changes to what was originally planned and the drywall is up. So what do you do? Call us today at 858-764-2648 to resolve it for you.

 

pre-wiring solutionSpace planning, a good structured cable management system and a little organization will go a long way when it comes to the efficiency and longevity of your audio video home sound systems for your consumer electronics. This is critical when it comes to your home network. Especially when it comes to your WiFi and the streaming of your Netflix, or movies from the internet.

As one of best pre-wire specialist in retrofit wiring companies in Southern California and San Diego County we are your one phone call solution that can future proof your home.

What about my home surround sound system?

in wall speaker installationOver the past 17 years we have been able to seamlessly upgrade our clients house sound system without having to tear up any drywall by the use of our pre-wire conduit system. Since you are here for the first time, looking for answers on how to…… (fill in the blank) we can assist you with this as well.

Good planning and proper prewiring is essential in your remodel and new construction process. Every month technology is changing, so we strive to give you the best house sound system without breaking the bank. Along with that, we can guide you to the best way to wiring a home theater, or whats the best in wall speaker sound system for a tv.

in wall speakerBut most importantly, simplicity in using. Lets face it, you can spend all the money in the world, but if you can’t control it, and need instructions we have failed as a company. Why not take a chance and give us a call for a complimentary consultation at 858-764-2648

So how does your pre-wiring future proof my home?

Our highly skilled design team has spent many years in other construction fields that is revolutionizing the way pre-wiring audio should be. Since 4k video is knocking at your door, what other content for your home stereo systems will be here in a few years? Well, not to let out too much information, but we are working on 16k overseas so that when the time comes here in the United States, we can give you a leg up. And here is how.pre-wire conduit

If you notice in this picture, we have an organized conduit system that weaves throughout your home so that whatever technology that comes down the road, you will be able to remove the old and replace it with the newest and latest widget.

And that my friends will save you thousands of dollars especially on your structured cable, and audio sound systems during the remodel, and new construction pre-wire phase of your projects.  Want to know more? Just give us a call. Or if you are looking for more in-depth information, click on the link below.

too many wiresHow a home network can simplify your life!

So if you have this look like the illustration, or questions about new construction residential wiring, what low voltage wire to use, how many structured wiring panels to avoid the clutter, home wiring basics, or how to on audio sound systems we have a simple, concise answer. Call us today at 858-764-2648 or shoot us a text.

Want more proof? Check out our testimonials by clicking on this link below.

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS

 

8_rocker_switch_plate_decoraOne more thing, we also have solutions to your pre-wire home automation systems, as well as your residental electrical wiring needs that can avoid having so much wall acne with the numerous electrical switches that electricians love to clutter your home with.

 

 

 

5 button wall keypadIf you are about to dig into the residential electrical wiring for dummies, it will make your head spin and become overwhelmed. Please, let us help you to keep things as simple as possible.

Organization is everything when it comes to your existing remodel, and new construction of your home audio sound systems, home theater, home automation systems, home networking, distributed music systems and surveillance. So why not pick up the phone and give us a call at 858-764-2648 to assist you in un-cluttering your life, and begin simplifying your pre-wiring instead. We are just a phone call away.

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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

Is Crestron really worth it?

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 Crestron does it again!

Crestron cheat sheet

So this client calls us up and she begins to explain, how the only way to watch television is by following this Crestron cheat sheet.

Really? after spending thousands of dollars on a sophisticated Crestron system this is as good as it gets?

Now I don’t know about you, but I would not put up with this kind of programming that requires a cheat sheet. That is just plain wrong on so many levels.

Nor is this fair to this housewife that if she gets one thing out of sync all you see is snow on the TV.

I mean really? Can you imagine the humiliation that one has to go through each day with this monkey on your back that you are rolling the dice each and every-time you pick the remote.

I gotta say that if your spending $250.00 an hour for a crestron system and some so called programmer, and he hands you this cheat sheet?

I don’t think there would be a whole lot of nice things to do except rip that system out and start from scratch.

And that is exactly what we are going to do to simplify the system.

Is there an alternative to Crestron?

With the introduction of Google home, now being called Nest home, your voice is in control of all your devices as illustrated in this picture. As you can see there are limitless possibilities, but like with any project, we like to take small steps to create a solid foundation for all the devices to play well with each other.

Now that the construction of Race communication that has installed their fiber optic lines in Rancho Santa Fe, gigabit speed is a reality. Some areas in the Time Warner now Spectrum area, and Cox are providing a new wifi service of 1.3 Gigabits not Megabits per second in your area. AT&T has also jumped on the bandwagon of installing their Fiber optic wiring offering faster speeds as well.

Since you are here for the first time we thank you for taking a moment of your time to see if we are a good fit to assist you in the installation of the best Crestron alternative home automation system for your home network without breaking the bank.

What we do is replace that clunky remote control touch screen with their iPad, kindle fire HD, iPad mini and iPhones to be their remote control. Now everyone has a remote control in their pocket using the Leviton bitwise system, that keeps track of what is on, what off and what you want to do. Simple as that.

Leviton Bitwise iPadsThe layout will be simplified with large icons and legible size text so that you don’t need a pair of 3.0 reading glasses.

In addition, you don’t even need to be in the same room, or point it at the television.

But the best part about your new alternative to crestron is that it requires very little to no instructions at all.

apple tv remoteOh! by the way, we also include a great little gadget called Apple TV from the makers of Apple.

This little gem replaces the bulky 300 CD carousel. So no more cataloging and trying to remember what slot the cd belongs in. No more yelling at anyone about who took the CD out of the tray.

Lets face it, we all have a certain way to accomplish what we want to hear and watch. So why is it too much to ask for having it your way!

If Burger King can, then guess what? We can too. We promise to let you have it your way! In a language that you understand and simple to use.

How can I get rid of my Crestron system?


For more information on how we can simplify your life. Rid yourself of ever having to make that dreaded phone call to your husband on what input is the TV supposed to be. And have the best home automation system that we will cover in a different article in the palm of your hand then….

What are you waiting for? Pick up the phone and give us a call at 858-764-2648 to resolve these issues once and for all.

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admin

Hotmail is dead, now what?

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Hotmail is no more as of today, May 2nd 2013

hotmaillike most of the other familiar names that we have grown up with, like email.com, AOL, me.com, Richochet wireless services and most importantly Dial-up internet, Hotmail is dead. Just like a floppy drive.

Microsoft announced that your hotmail account is now on their outlook.com server and state that you will now have some newer features like SMTP and Skydrive.

But for most of us that have been faithful to Microsoft since the 1990’s that just want a simple email account, we now face a new challenge of this merger.

Here is what Micrsoft stated about Hotmail:

“Today, we’re excited to announce that we’ve completed upgrading all Hotmail customers to Outlook.com. Coupled with the growing organic excitement for Outlook.com, this has pushed us to over 400 million active Outlook.com accounts, including 125 million that are accessing email, calendar and contacts on a mobile device using Exchange ActiveSync.”

The last time Microsoft did cut us off at the knees was with Microsoft Money. This accounting software had all the bells and whistles you needed with a great dose of simplicity. For those of you that have made the journey to transfer your date to Quicken, you will need a third party application to make it work correctly.

What happens next now that hotmail is dead?

For those of you that have configured your email accounts to hotmail and are having a difficult time with the integration of outlook.com you can pick up the phone and give us a call, or send us a text message to 858-764-2648 and one of our technicians can re-configure your computers to simplify this process.

Remote Services available for hotmail

If you are out of our service area and require assistance we now have remote services available to assist you with your computer without having to be physically there on-site. Now there is a solution for every situation that may arise on your PC, or Laptop. One more thing i forgot to mention that we work on Machintosh computer as well.

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admin

keyboard symbols

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HOW TO MAKE SYMBOLS WITH KEYBOARD

If you ever had to make a legal document, or every try to find one of those special keyboard symbols, here is a short cut that has been created to assist you with your windows keyboard. keyboard symbols

By holding down the “Alt” button, then entering the number that is located on the right hand side of the keyboard, it will create that special symbol.

 

Keyword symbol list

Alt + 0153….. ™… trademark symbol
Alt + 0169…. ©…. copyright symbol
Alt + 0174….. ®….registered ­ trademark symbol
Alt + 0176 …°……degree symbol
Alt + 0177 …±….plus-or ­-minus sign
Alt + 0182 …¶…..paragr­aph mark
Alt + 0190 …¾….fractio­n, three-fourths
Alt + 0215 ….×…..multi­plication sign
Alt + 0162…¢….the ­ cent sign
Alt + 0161…..¡….. ­.upside down exclamation point
Alt + 0191…..¿….. ­upside down question mark
Alt + 1…….☺….smiley face
Alt + 2 ……☻…..black smiley face
Alt + 15…..☼…..sun
Alt + 12……♀…..female sign
Alt + 11…..♂……m­ale sign
Alt + 6…….♠…..spade
Alt + 5…….♣…… ­Club
Alt + 3…….♥…… ­Heart
Alt + 4…….♦…… ­Diamond
Alt + 13……♪…..e­ighth note
Alt + 14……♫…… ­beamed eighth note
Alt + 8721…. ∑…. N-ary summation (auto sum)
Alt + 251…..√…..square root check mark
Alt + 8236…..∞….. ­infinity
Alt + 24…….↑….. ­up arrow
Alt + 25……↓…… ­down arrow
Alt + 26…..→…..r­ght arrow
Alt + 27……←…..l­eft arrow
Alt + 18…..↕……u­p/down arrow
Alt + 29……↔…lef­t right arrow

For more good stuff that you are looking for regarding your keyboard symbols, home computer issues, pick up the phone and call us or send us a text message at 858-764-2648.

Or your wireless internet just is not reaching outside on your patio, garage, or 2nd story, we are here to assist you. Stay tuned for more How to tutorials.

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admin

Love, Hate relationship with you new TV

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Love, Hate my new TV

You love the new TV’s that gives you a beautiful picture of the shows you love. As well as offer you netflix and other widgets that you may or may not use.

On the other hand you can’t stand the crummy, tin can speakers that come with the TV. That is where you have 2 options of getting great sound without creating more clutter.

Solution for poor TV sound quality

Quixel, a national consumer research firm recently reported soundbars have captured the consumers imagination because, “they fulfill a need”.  Consumers are struggling to hear dialog from their new thin TV with equally thin sounding internal speakers.  The second reason is it’s easy for the consumer to understand the installation process of a soundbar.

Option 1, the thought of someone cutting holes in their ceilings or rectangles in their walls is a bit scary. They also probably conclude all that cutting and wiring will be expensive.

Option 2 which is our preference is to install a soundbar from Leon Speakers that matches the color, and exact width of your new TV. You just cant get this TV soundbarkind if quality from picking something up at Best Buy.

The bottom line is when it comes to the sound quality for your new TV. Front staged speakers leave 3 in the ceiling speakers in the dust. There is just no comparison at any price point.

Here is an example of one of your neighbors bedroom TV we installed. At Rancho Santa Fe Home Theater we have a completely customizable product line that delivers immersive, theater-like experiences to any environment. With limitless custom options and premium sound quality, Leon makes audio integration a fine art.

Call us Today, or shoot us a Text Message at 858-764-2648

So why not pick up the phone today for a complimentary visit to review how we may be of assistance in completing your investment of your TV so that you no longer have a Love, Hate relationship.

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admin

Netflix on your LG Bluray

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Netflix imageHow to get to the Netflix menu on a LG Bluray

As part of Rancho Santa Fe Home Theater’s commitment to customer service, we have created a short video on how to get to the Netflix feature that is on the LG Bluray player.

How big is this TV?

Our creativity never ends. Here is a bedroom installation where the client was having a difficult time reading the ticker symbols from his bed. So our solution is a bigger flat screen TV along with a soundbar. How big you ask? Well how about 90-inches on a tilting swing arm. check it out.

What kind of remote is this?

Part of our keeping things as simple as possible, we programmed an iPad so that the client could clearly see the buttons to control everything in the bedroom.

For more information, or a demonstration of this remote, please pick up the phone or send us a Text at 858-764-2648

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admin

Mirror Your iPad On Apple TV

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How To Enable Your iPad To Mirror Your Apple TV On Your Flat Screen

Here are some simplified instructions on using the feature called Mirroring on your iPad along with the use of the Apple TV. As part of our commitment to customer service at Rancho Santa Fe Home Theater. We will post frequently asked questions about our products and services that we have installed, serviced, or programmed. So lets get started….

1. On your iPhone or iPad, if you DO NOT HAVE iOs 7, then double-click the Home Button which is the round one that is on the lower front of your display. This will bring up all of the Apps you just used on your iPad and will shift your entire display up and grey it out for a moment. This is normal and everything will resume back to normal once we are finished mirroring.

If you have the latest iOs7 operating system, then using your finger swipe up from the bottom of your screen to access the Control Center like the image here.

Airplay image

2. Now you will see the AirPlay icon as shown below in grey.

iPad Airplay icon

3. Tap the AirPlay icon to display a list of available AirPlay devices. Upon doing this, the icon will turn to a blue color instead of the grey color. The change in color will indicate that the Airplay is active.

4. Enable AirPlay Mirroring* from this menu by tapping the name of your Apple TV, then toggle the on/off slider to ON. Some of you may have multiple Apple TV’s in different rooms. So pick the one that you are in front of.iPad airplay display

5. AirPlay menu with Mirroring option ON and the icon has turned blue in color indicates that you should see an exact mirror of whatever is happening on your iPhone, or iPad.

6. Now Tap on the Home button and select the Apple App that you want to see on your television. For example if you want to surf the internet, Tap on the Safari icon to enable this.Safari iconIf you are still having issues enabling it, then why not give us a call at 858-764-2648 to ensure that your WiFi system may not have the range it should to enable this powerful, yet easy system.

Many times, we find that the current WiFi system that the cable companies, AT&T just does not have the distance to travel to every room that you live. Therefore, it reduces the practical use of this feature.

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admin

Welcome to our blog

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Welcome to our blog at Rancho Santa Fe Home Theater and design center.

Rancho Santa Fe Home Theater Logo

Logo

We are an innovative one stop design center in Rancho Santa Fe dedicated to providing you with state-of-the-art home theater. In addition, we can help you with your slow computer, laptop, pesky virus, and wireless home network issues.  Our home automation, security, intercom, and whole home audio system are second to none.

Our experienced professionals tailor each system to meet your individual needs while seamlessly integrating the system into your new or existing home. We take our one of kind systems very serious. Retrofitting our systems in your existing home is our specialty. Of course we welcome those that are in the middle of a remodel project, or new construction.

We make the design and installation process of your system as simple as possible while offering uncompromising service to ensure complete client satisfaction. Most of our competition have the capacity to complete the 99 percent. But we complete the entire process. So the done, actually gets done, done.

So if you are looking for a system that gives you high performance, excellent quality, but the most important feature is that it is easy to use, please pick up the phone and schedule an appointment today by calling 858-764-2648.Or you can email us at support@ranchosantafehometheater.com

Serving communities in the Southern California area like Rancho Santa Fe, The Bridges, Fairbanks Ranch, Santaluz, Cielo, The Crosby, Rancho Santa Fe Farms, The Grand Del Mar, Del Mar Country Club, Solana Beach, San Diego, Encinitas, and La Jolla.

In addition, if you are going to be relocating to another part of the country, or consolidating your home to a more manageable size residence, we can take care of your needs with our new concierge service that we will be posting soon on our website. So stay tuned for this new feature. At Rancho Santa Fe Home Theater, we are always looking for the best way to enjoy the latest technology, without breaking the bank, Honest.

Concierge Services are available now!

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