The square footage of the house is used to determine the average length of the wires and the number of wireless access points necessary (WiFi antennas). BlueVision uses commercial-grade wireless technology that will provide a uniform high-speed WiFi signal across the entire house.

Architectural speakers are installed in the ceilings or walls. The visible part is a grille that can be painted to match the ceiling or wall color. Wall speakers typically have rectangular grilles and ceiling speakers have round grilles. Ceiling speakers can also come with square grilles to match square lighting fixtures.

In your total, include speakers installed in outdoor ceilings such as covered porches.

The better speakers will typically be larger to provide a fuller as well as more articulate sound. However, discrete opening speakers and invisible speakers are also a solution if you want a less obtrusive option.

The price includes the speakers, the wiring, the amplifier, the streaming and the installation labor for each room.

Outdoor speakers are typically installed on the outside walls or in the landscape. Most people now prefer installing them in the landscape, facing the listening area and the house. When using performance or high-performance landscape speakers you can achieve deep, full and clear sound in a large area.

The price includes the speakers, the wiring, the amplifier, the streaming and the installation labor for each area.

For a same size TV the price can vary a lot based on the quality of the picture. Different technology, such as LED dimming arrays or OLED, will offer better brightness, better contrast and better color rendition at different levels. For areas of casual watching (news, sports, etc.), an entry level TV is appropriate. For areas where you will be watching movies, we recommend a better quality TV, mostly for a better rendition of black levels and colors.

All TVs are flats screen 4k models. The price includes the TV, the wall mount, the wiring and the installation of a client provided cable box or satellite receiver at the TV. A lift will allow us to hide the TV inside a piece of furniture or in the ceiling.

This is called “video distribution” and reduces the amount of audio/video equipment located at each TV location / room. You can use video distribution for the whole house, or you can use it only in the areas where you want a clean look with just a TV on the wall and sound coming out of your in-ceiling or in-wall speakers, or from a sound bar. It’s also a great solution if you want to have access to many different types of sources from many different places.

The price includes a network switch, an encoder box for each sources and a decoder box for each TV. Using video distribution will require using a central control system and a universal remote or a smart phone or tablet to control the TVs and the sources. See question 17.

A home theater is typically a dedicated room that is used to watch TV or movies on a large screen with surround sound to create a movie theater-type experience. We offer 5 standard packages to choose from, although the size of the screen and the number of speakers will have to be adjusted from the size of your room. With a performance or above package, we can offer picture and sound quality that equals or surpasses the one of a commercial movie theater.

The price includes a screen, a projector, a projector mount, a surround sound processor and amplifier, surround sound speakers, wiring and installation labor. The price does not include seating or room built-out costs.

A surround sound system creates an immersive sound experience, much like a dedicated home theater room, though in a dual-purpose room such as a Family Room, Master Bedroom, etc.

The packages offered include a surround sound receiver or processor and in-wall or in-ceiling speakers, including a subwoofer. They do not include the TV which must be selected at question 4 before. In addition to the surround sound equipment, the price includes wiring and installation labor.

The security system will include door sensors, window sensors, motion detectors, glass break detectors, fire and heat detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. It can be monitored through a landline, an Internet connection or a cellular phone connection.

The entry level package will include 2 keypads (garage entry and master bedroom), door sensors, motion detectors to cover the entry points, a smoke detector monitoring device and an indoor siren. The higher-level packages will include window sensors or glass break detectors, more motion detectors, heat and CO detectors.

The price includes the sensors and detectors, the wiring, the security panel, the keypads and the installation labor.

Typically, homeowners want to see the following areas: front of house, front door, driveway / gate, sides of house, and pool. If you are more concerned about security, you may want to add cameras for the perimeter of your property. Good-quality cameras see about 75 feet of distance on average.

The price can vary and includes the cameras, the wiring, the recorder and the installation labor.

Wired network connections might be preferable to WiFi for some devices such as desktop computers or printers. Typically homeowners will have some in their office areas.

A phone system will allow the homeowners to answer outside phone calls, calls from the door or gate intercoms, and to call from room to room, similar to a business environment. We can use corded or cordless phones.

The consumer-grade system will include Ring or Google doorstations that can be answered from a smart phone or tablet and record in the cloud. They don’t typically offer a solution for gate intercoms.

The commercial-grade system will include DoorBird or 2N doorstations which offer a variety of custom faceplates and gate call boxes. In addition to smart phones and tablets, they can also be answered from a home phone system and the video can be recorded to a home camera recorder.

The price includes the doorstations, the wiring and the installation labor.

If your HVAC system is compatible, we can replace the thermostats provided by the HVAC contractor with smart thermostats. Those can be controlled from a smart phone or tablet inside the house or anywhere on the Internet.

The price includes the smart thermostats and the installation labor.

Since the thermostat can be controlled remotely, remote temperature sensors are used in rooms where the homeowner doesn’t not want to have a thermostat on the wall. Sensors can typically be painted on to match the wall color. Remote sensors can also be used to measure the temperature in multiple rooms to give the thermostat an average over multiple rooms.

Lighting control systems reduce wall clutter, allow preset lighting scenes at the push of a button, increase security, and add convenience.

A local system will use smart dimmers or switches that replace standard wall dimmers or switches but can be controlled wirelessly to create scenes (all off, all on, entertain, evening, etc.) Some of the wall switches can be replaced with a keypad offering multiple buttons for multiple scenes. This type of system does not reduce wall clutter since it uses the same number of devices than manual switches.

A central system will use central dimming panels where all the lights connect. To control the lights we use keypads in the walls where typically standards switches are located. A single keypad can be used instead of a large multi-gang switch location, reducing the wall clutter. Central and local lighting control devices can be used in the same home.

The price includes the local dimmers and switches, the dimming modules, the keypads, the central controllers and the installation labor.

Motorized shades add beauty, convenience, address privacy concerns, and can be used to save energy. If desired, provide your best guess on how many windows/shades you want to motorize. The higher-end of the budget range includes higher-end fabrics, and dual-roller shades (both sheer and privacy shades on one window).

The price includes the shades, the controller, the wiring and the installation labor.

Each system addressed before comes with a control app that will run on a smart phone or tablet. The app can be different for each system, for example a house music app, an app to operate your TV, an app for lights, an app for locks, an app for cameras, an app to open close garage doors & gates, an app to arm and disarm the security system etc.

An integrated control system will offer one app that allows the homeowner to control everything from the same interface. It will also allow the systems to interact with each other. For example arming your security system will turn off the lights, the music, the TVs and change the settings on the thermostats. You will also be able to create scenes that include entertainment systems, lights, shades, locks, etc.

Selecting multiple apps doesn’t add any cost. Selecting single app will include the installation of an integrated system and the programming of basic house scenes.

In-wall touch screens allow you to control all the electronic systems in the house and decluttering your walls from audio control keypads or knobs, security keypads, thermostats, intercom controllers and other devices. Unlike a smart phone or a tablet that can be roaming around and require to start an app before accessing the controls, an in-wall touch screen is always there and gives quick access to the house or room functions. If you have house cameras, they can be viewed on the touch screens as well.

Homeowners will typically have a larger in-wall touch screen in the kitchen, the master suite and the main entertainment area, such as a basement. Smaller touch screens can be used in any room if desired.

The price includes the touch screen, the wiring and the installation labor.

Remotes provided by set top boxes manufacturers will only allow you to turn your TV on and off and control the volume. However, if you have multiple sources or if you have a surround sound system, a universal remote control is a lot more convenient than using multiple remotes.