Check Out These Smart Solutions to Benefit Your Health & Wellbeing
Right now, health and wellness seem to be all that occupy everyone’s mind daily. It can be hard to find ways to protect yourself and give your physical and mental health a boost – even within your own home. But as you’re finding yourself staying indoors more lately, your home is the perfect place to start.
In this blog, we’ll explore various smart home solutions you can bring to your Kailua-Kona, HI living space in order to elevate its overall wellness and environment. Work with a trusted home automation company like Pacific Audio & Communications for every installation.
If you’re a concerned homeowner or property manager, keep reading below to find out more about why integrating these smart components into the home is a necessity for wellness.
No matter where you are – in your office or at your home in Hawaii – you need video conferencing solutions that work well. The problem is they usually don’t. Pixelated video, poor audio, and frustrating lag times create problems as you try to meet with colleagues, clients, or potential customers. Since teleconferencing technology has become the cornerstone of business nowadays, it’s vital to have a robust video conferencing system in place.
In this blog, we outline three ways to improve the video experience in your conference room and at your home office. Read more to see how these powerful yet easy-to-use technologies can turn a problematic video conference into a productive meeting.
The Right Setup Delivers Optimum Sound Performance
Your backyard entertainment shouldn’t suffer simply because it’s located outdoors. Luckily, the difference between your indoor audio and your outdoor sound system is that you’ll feel a fresh breeze with the latter.
But to optimize your outdoor audio design, you’ll need to take your entire setup into consideration. With the right outdoor living solutions and professional installation from our team, you can start enjoying music and media in your Oahu, HI yard today.
Want to find out more about outdoor audio and sound? Keep reading on below.
Give Your Guests Complete Control in Their Rooms with a Robust Hospitality Interface by Crestron.
Your guests want more than merely a place to lay their heads. They want to be treated like royalty. Think about it. Where would you rather stay: a hotel suite that meets your basic needs (a bed, TV, and bathroom) or one that caters to your every need? A standard TV with remote is par for the course. Every hotel room has that. And keyless entry has become standard now.
Go above and beyond to make your hotel stand out. Install a state-of-the-art hotel room control system at your hotel in Oahu, HI. An advanced smart automation system by Crestron elevates a guest’s experience to a new level. And why wouldn’t it? With hospitality interface controls in their suite, you put everything at their fingertips. Read more to see how hotel smart controls can improve your brand image and the experience of your guests.
Are you giving your guests an excellent first impression? Smart automation does it from the moment they step in their rooms: automated lighting and shades, seamless control of the AC and heat, touchscreen interfaces, and much, much more. In fact, you’ll impress them so much, they may never want to leave! With Crestron automation technology, your guests are sure to enjoy the ultimate in relaxation and pampering.
For instance, they’ll have complete and customizable control over the audio-visual system: 4K TVs, streaming video, and high-definition speakers. They’ll have a cinematic theater experience in their own suites. Or, if your guests are having a gathering in their rooms, it’s the perfect place for a dance party or spending time with friends. Hotel room automation not only improves the experience of your guests, but it’s smart business sense because it makes your hotel much more appealing.
Why Tunable Lighting is So Important for Your Next Project
As an architect, you know that how a home looks and feels has everything to do with what potential buyers see in it. A home’s appearance can be a make or break factor – and you make it your goal to create a space that is both inviting and aesthetically pleasing.
Lighting can play an important role in a home’s design and architecture. One fixture can change the entire mood of a room or exterior! So it’s imperative that you bring only the best home lighting solutions to your Honolulu, HI home projects. But what about lighting that goes beyond creating a bright and beautiful atmosphere?
Circadian lighting aims to bolster homeowners’ physical and mental health, while still illuminating your space’s décor. In this blog, we’ll dive into what this circadian lighting is exactly – and how it can benefit your next project by setting up a space any homeowner would like to call their own.
What is Circadian Lighting?
Circadian lighting’s definition starts in its name! The purpose of circadian lighting is to help balance the homeowner’s circadian rhythm day in and day out. Your circadian rhythm keeps you feeling good and ready to face the day, both mentally and physically. When it’s thrown off balance, you’ll notice that you start to feel sluggish and run down.
How Commercial Lighting Control Is an Eco-Friendly & Eye-Catching Choice
Upgrade your lights and save money. It is one of the most effective ways to reduce energy consumption. By installing an energy-efficient commercial lighting control system at your business in Honolulu, HI, you improve the appearance of your property – inside and out – and give your budget a boost.
Want to discover all the benefits of integrating new lighting with a commercial automation system? Read more to learn how a controlled lighting system offers many options, including the ability to manually and automatically adjust any number of lights throughout your building.
Money-Saving and Energy-Saving
How would you like to reduce your company’s energy usage by 20%? With a state-of-the-art commercial lighting system, you control every aspect of the lighting on your property. This helps you remotely adjust lights in areas that aren’t in use. In fact, it can be done automatically by programming scenes or using motion sensor lights. Also, LED lights are 80% more energy efficient compared to incandescent bulbs. That means big savings for your business.
That’s what Pacific Audio & Communications achieved after installing a building automation and commercial lighting control system for Del Dotto Winery. We received the CEDIA award for “Best Innovative System or Solution” for the project. From integrated security to smart lighting, we brought every technology together under one centralized system for Del Dotto Winery.
Lights That Are Easy to Operate
You may think that an innovative lighting system is complicated to use, but it’s just the opposite.
Create the Ultimate Outdoor Living Setup with Lighting
Lighting has a way of transforming our surroundings completely, both indoors and outside. As you find yourself at home these days, you shouldn’t have to stay cooped up inside. With incredible outdoor living solutions for your Hawaii backyard and patio area, you can elevate your outside spaces in new and aesthetically pleasing ways.
In this blog, we’ll take you through the outdoor lighting basics and what they can do to brighten up your home’s exteriors. Want to find out more?
If you want to catch up on a book on the patio, enjoy a movie night with family, or splash around in the pool in the evening, your lighting has a significant impact on the atmosphere of it all. And in the future, when you once again host parties and events – lighting can make or break the mood!
Ensure that Your Network Connection Stays Well-Protected Today
Now that more and more people are working from home these days in light of COVID-19, network systems both in the home and at the offices are at risk. Hackers and privacy-violations are threats you don’t want to have to deal with, but you might not be considering these issues until they’re right in front of you.
But you can avoid these security risks by having robust networking solutions at your Hawaii residential and commercial spaces. Whether it’s in your living space or your company that might not be operating as usual, you can use a professional network installation.
In this blog, we’ll dive into how this upgrade can keep your home or business safe. Read on below to learn more!
Spending more time at home can get chaotic once your technologies start to fail you. With more people inside, your home network is more likely to become overcrowded as its bandwidth simply cannot take so many connected devices running and using the internet at once.
PAC will stay open as a federally mandated essential business
As businesses close throughout the country to aid in social distancing and halting the spread of COVID-19, we have been designated by the government as an essential business that may remain open to support our community during this time. That being said, we’re not conducting business as usual. Your safety is greatly important to us, which is why we’ve implemented special steps to protect clients and staff during the COVID-19 outbreak in the US. You can explore the steps we’ve taken here.
Technology integrators have been labeled an essential business by the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) in large part since we’re vital to homeowners setting up home offices and learning environments. Integrators are also recognized for their role in keeping a strong networking infrastructure throughout the country as other essential organizations also need support during this challenging time.
During this critical period, we are committed to helping our clients stay connected, support remote learning for the nation’s children, and protect our clients’ properties and families.
Though networking and communications infrastructure are the primary reasons for our essential business designation, we will also be available for any service, support, and installation of vital home technology systems including security, surveillance, lighting control, entertainment, and more. A strong network is essential for much of the country right now, and we are here to support your needs.
PAC is following and exceeding CDC and WHO guidelines to the point that we are wiping phones down. We are still going into homes but are calling prior to doing so, in order to make sure no one has been sick or quarantined. Our team wants to ensure social distancing is practiced in the house, and we will clean as we go through the house and before we leave it.
In today’s complex and interconnected world virtually no major event occurs without an associated cyber threat. The COVID-19 pandemic is exception. As all of us work to mitigate this threat, we should be aware of how cybersecurity impacts us in doing so.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warns individuals to remain vigilant for scams related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Cyber actors may send emails with malicious attachments or links to fraudulent websites to trick victims into revealing sensitive information or donating to fraudulent charities or causes. Exercise caution in handling any email with a COVID-19-related subject line, attachment or hyperlink, and be wary of social media pleas, texts or calls related to COVID-19.
CISA encourages individuals to remain vigilant and take the following precautions.
In addition, threats may take on the form of websites providing critical information to the public. For example, according to both CISA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a malicious website pretending to be Johns Hopkins University’s live map for Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases is circulating on the internet waiting for unwitting internet users to visit the website.
Visiting the website infects the user with the AZORult trojan, an information-stealing program that can exfiltrate a variety of sensitive data. It is likely being spread via infected email attachments, malicious online advertisements and social engineering. Furthermore, anyone searching the internet for a coronavirus map could unwittingly navigate to this malicious website.
While dedicated attacks to interfere with or slow response to this crisis remain a concern at federal and state levels, the primary cyber-related concerns for most of us related to COVID-19 include:
The team at PAC is keeping an eye on all the latest news about the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States and around the world, and we are taking all necessary precautions to keep our employees, clients and community safe during this time. Health precautions and protocols in line with WHO and CDC directives are taking place throughout our organization to reduce the spread of disease. Every day our team reviews up-to-date recommendations to ensure we’re doing everything to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Though these may change over time, here are the current steps we are taking to reduce the risks associated with this novel coronavirus:
Every technician is equipped with hand-sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol to clean their hands. It is also readily available at our showrooms, offices and work sites to be used by all of our employees. In addition, all employees must wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Employees who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness are recommended to stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever (100.4° F [37.8° C] or greater using an oral thermometer), signs of a fever, and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants). Employees are instructed to notify their supervisor and their healthcare provider immediately upon experiencing any symptoms.
Measures are in place to address employees who have recently traveled or have family members who have tested positive for COVID-19. They will go through a CDC-directed risk assessment for potential exposure and be directed to stay home if necessary.
Disinfectant wipes are readily available throughout our job sites and permanent locations to wipe down frequently touched surfaces including workstations, countertops, doorknobs, remotes, and touchpanels. In the field, our installers also have wipes handy to wipe down tools and equipment before and after each use.
Our installers are following strict on-site health and safety guidelines including the use of disposable gloves and sterilization products.
We will refrain from shaking hands with clients, and will maintain recommended distances while in your home or business.
Our technicians are willing to wear N95 masks in your home or business upon request, and are performing necessary sterilization methods before, during and after being on the job-site. Necessary supplies will be on them and in the vans.
Employees have flexible sick leave policies that offer them the ability to care for themselves and family when needed.
We appreciate your trust during these unprecedented times, and we take the health and wellbeing of our clients and employees very seriously. To protect our staff, we also ask that our clients communicate if anyone in your home or business is experiencing symptoms or has been exposed to the virus. We also ask that you follow the CDC's guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19 while we are on-site. If you have any questions about these precautions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
As business owners, sometimes we inordinately focus on external factors when determining both current business success and scalability. For example, we might count the number of clients we have and how much they bring in, or how many business partners you might nab on your next trip. While these are all critical factors, it often pays to look at internal elements when you’re ready to scale.
An internal focus means ensuring that your employees have everything they need to succeed and grow your business. Is your conference room automation speedy or intuitive enough for your junior salesperson’s first video-conference presentation? Does your peer leader have a small, quiet area to start a breakout coaching session? Let’s look at three rooms that every Kailua Kona, HI, business needs to thrive in the new decade.
Of course, we can’t fail to mention that we design and install conference room automation. That’s where you bring in large groups of clients to discuss important matters, host conference lunches or impress prospects. Your largest meeting spaces should handle all of your needs, and those shifting requirements might involve many moving parts. For example, you might need beamforming microphones to pick up more voices around the room, motorized shades to block ambient light from a projector screen or in-wall speakers to distribute your audio. PAC’s conference room installations have you covered when you need a room that impresses every time.
Conference rooms have their uses, but too many business owners overuse them for a lack of more suitable options. Below you’ll find a more efficient way to manage smaller groups.
Pacific Audio & Communications Takes AV Installations to Breweries, Wineries and Beyond
If you own a business in Kaiula Kona, HI, or are interested in how other people operate theirs, we know you’ve heard about some of the benefits of commercial audio video installation. We’ve installed many corporate, restaurant and retail AV systems that have clients excited about boosting their customer base, upselling products, engaging employees and more.
But maybe you didn’t know how we could serve three markets that were untapped by AV updates for too long. Keep reading to find out some unexpected verticals we’ve reached, including the project that won us a CEDIA award.
We recently crossed the ocean to help a Napa Valley winery reach its full potential with AV systems and automation. We brought smart security, climate control, audio, video, lighting and more together as we modernized Del Dotto’s sprawling, architectural space. We’re very proud to say that our ambitious Del Dotto Winery project earned us CEDIA’s “Best Innovative System or Solution” in 2019.
As you might expect, PAC automated Del Dotto’s famous winery with tasting room AV. Wineries also allow us to help behind the scenes, too. By automating the wine caves’ temperature controls, we can ensure wines are at the perfect settings during fermentation. And if there is any change in temperature or an issue that arises, the system immediately lets the employees know so that they can tend to the wine immediately.
The B&W Formation Suite Has the Design and Performance to Wow Your Favorite Audiophile
When it comes to getting the perfect gift for an audiophile, sometimes it gets a little challenging. Audiophiles love excellent sound quality wherever they listen – in their car, from their headphones, from a portable speaker, and certainly from their home audio system.
Sometimes audiophile gear is not the most aesthetically pleasing. It can be imposing and bulky. There’s quite a bit of so-called lifestyle audio equipment available now, but much of it doesn’t meet audiophile performance standards.
One company set out to change that. Bowers and Wilkins is well known in audio circles for its superb speakers. Recently it introduced the Formation Suite, a fresh take on home audio, deftly blending the latest wireless technology, beautiful design, and high performance into one stylish line of audio equipment.
Is the Formation Suite the perfect home audio gift for your picky audiophile in Kailua Kona, Hawaii? Read on to find out.
Check Out the Winning Project of CEDIA’s “Best Innovative System or Solution” Award
Here at Pacific Audio and Communications, we’re beyond proud to announce that a full automation project we brought to life for a Napa Valley winery has received the CEDIA award for “Best Innovative System or Solution.” Our goal for this installation was to ensure that every guest who visits the Del Dotto Winery and Vineyard will feel the detailed and luxurious atmosphere of the space, while now being able to benefit from the new smart features and solutions.
From integrated security and climate control to smart lighting and sound system installations, we brought every technology together under one centralized system – making it easy for employees to manage the place and to have it set for every guest and patron in every location.
We’ve brought these smart solutions to residences and buildings in Maui, HI and surrounding areas, and now all the way to the Napa Valley. Keep reading below to see how we incorporated these features into this full automation installation.
Lighting has a significant impact on both the appearance and feel of an entire space. So with the winery, we aimed to bring in both comfort and elegance. This was done by installing both interior and exterior lighting throughout the landscape, from paths and walkways to patio and tree lighting. Inside, tasting rooms, kitchens, touring caves, and event or dining rooms had fixtures put into place as well.
Pacific Audio & Communications Is Well-Equipped to Help. Here’s How.
If you’re an architect working in the Kauai, HI, area, you know that today’s client has changing needs and sometimes an extensive list of demands. The modern customer consumes an influx of media every day, and chances are, they’ve heard of tunable lighting and its various perks.
Studies show that it offers significant benefits for a homeowner’s health, both physical and mental. It’s been cited to improve sleep, help people wind down after work and increase daytime productivity – even work performance. The industry usually calls it “human-centric lighting,” but “tunable” and “circadian” lighting were once common terms for it as well. Few would argue that restful sleep, productive days and a positive mindset are just a luxury, so you might not want to miss this opportunity to provide these residential lighting design features for your clients.
No matter what you call it, your homeowners are most likely looking for lighting that suits their design tastes and syncs effortlessly with the rest of their homes. By partnering with Pacific Audio & Communications, you’ll be just the resource valuable clients need. Keep reading below to see where we can bridge the gap!
Our bodies were designed to rise and sleep according to a natural pattern determined by the sun. The sun emits more energetic light during the noon and early afternoon hours, which appears to us as a bright, cool white. This light, in turn, stimulates productivity and energy to tackle mid-afternoon tasks. During sunset hours, we notice a warmer, amber glow. This lower-energy lighting produces more melatonin, giving us a relaxed, sleepy feeling that encourages mellow evenings and better sleep.
Why Automated Window Treatments Are Superior to Manual Ones
Are you considering bringing motorized shades to your Kauai, HI living space? You might not be certain of what makes this integrated solution so appealing to other homeowners. How much more beneficial could automated shades be, compared to manual ones?
We’re here to tell you that motorized window treatments are far superior to standard drapery and shading. There is so much more that automated shades bring to the table; in this blog, we’ll show you how this smart feature from Lutron can elevate your lifestyle and whole home.
With just a press of a button, you can have your shades raise or lower at your convenience. There won’t be any need to get out stools or chairs to stand on in order to reach high-up blinds or shades. If you have large, beautiful bay windows, you can simply use your device to adjust the shades with no hassle at all.
Improve Your Home’s Style, Security and Efficiency with Solutions from Lutron
Few home automation systems offer as many benefits as quickly as automated lighting and shades. With these systems in place, you get one-touch control over all your home’s fixtures and shades, letting you customize your lighting in new, exciting ways while also improving your energy efficiency.
If you’re unfamiliar with the nuances of lighting control and motorized shades, it may be difficult to know where to start. As a Lutron dealer, Pacific Audio and Communications has the perfect system for the lights and shades in your Kailua-Kona, HI home. In this blog, we’ll walk you through some of Lutron’s premier automation solutions.
Lutron lighting control systems offer many aesthetic and convenience benefits. For example, your system can automatically turn off all your lights when you leave for work every morning and then turn them back on once it detects you near your front door. You can also simplify your daily routines with automated schedules. Your lights will gradually get brighter in the morning when it’s time to wake up and then slowly dim in the evening when it’s time for bed. Finally, you can design lighting scenes for different occasions, using dimmers to create striking new combinations of color and shadow.
Lutron’s wireless solutions make centralized control over all your fixtures simple. Their RadioRA 2 system can support up to 200 devices, so you can start small and build out or jump right in if you’re feeling bold. For larger projects, the HomeWorksQS system supports up to 10,000 devices and gives you integrated control with Lutron smart thermostats.
Work with PAC Hawaii on your next residential lighting design project in Maui for a better, cheaper, and faster installation
It’s no secret that homeowners increasingly view home automation systems as must-have features instead of nice extras. If you’re a developer or interior designer and you aren’t including smart security systems, whole home audio/video and similar elements in your work, you’re missing out on a substantial source of revenue.
One automation system many homeowners request is lighting control. It’s easy to see why: the convenience, aesthetic benefits and efficiency gains offered by lighting control systems make them extremely attractive. But these systems can be difficult to set up, as they often require specialized knowledge and a unique blend of skills your standard electrician doesn’t have.
That’s why you want an experienced technology integrator like Pacific Audio & Communications by your side on your next project. Today we’ll walk you through all the benefits of hiring PAC Hawaii for your upcoming residential lighting design projects in Maui, HI, whether you’re building a new home or doing a renovation.
Time is money in any industry, and it’s particularly true in the home-building business. Whether you’re on a new construction project or a retrofit, you want to avoid costly last-minute changes. You don’t want to be ripping out drywall in a nearly finished home because a design element wasn’t accounted for, a fixture was installed incorrectly or something is off with the wiring.
Have More Fun This Summer with a Home Outdoor Audio System
The warm, spectacular weather of the Hawaiian summer is the ideal environment for outdoor fun in your yard, from hanging by the pool to backyard barbecues. It’s even warm enough at night that you can enjoy many of those same activities without worrying about being uncomfortable.
But what if there was a way to get even more enjoyment from your favorite backyard activities? It’s easy with an outdoor audio system for your Kailua Kona, HI, home. Music makes almost everything better by helping to set the mood and keep you and your guests entertained. So why not bring your favorite tunes outside? Here are three summer activities that are improved with outdoor audio.
We have gorgeous beaches in Hawaii, but sometimes you want to avoid the crowds and the hassle, which makes your backyard pool an attractive option. The next time you, your family or your friends are hanging out poolside, create ambiance and keep everyone’s energy levels high by adding music to the mix.
If you want to relax or you’ve just finished swimming some laps, you can put on some light classical music or other mellow favorites and drift off as you enjoy the warm breeze. If you’re looking for something more upbeat or you have guests over for a party, get people moving with some rock ‘n’ roll or hip-hop classics.
