With the advent of tablet PC technology, such as the iPad, it has never been easier or cheaper to control the homes electronics from lighting to heating, security to music, you can now roam your home in freedom using your Tablet PC as a mobile touchscreen.

For years there has been a requirment for home automation systems to use in-wall keypads to allow for complete control over lighting scenes and music libraries etc. But now simple light switches and Tablet PC's can be used keeping cost down and allowing for flexibility while still offering the same level of controls.

An Italian lighting company called Vitrum have released a very stylish range of lighting keypads designed to replace single and double lights switches, they come in a wide range of glass finishes, and can be easily integrated with an affordable home control system to give you easy and inexpensive lighting control, again all easily controlled by your tablet.

Available in a variety of finishes, they come in a hard button or as a touchscreen version (pictured above). They come wireless in either Z-wave or Zigbee, allowing for easy connection to your current home control system.

You can assign PIN numbers for each member of your family. This way you can keep an eye on the times your teenager is entering or leaving the house. Assign a PIN number to the cleaner or tradesman, and you can deteremine the times the PIN number is able to open the door, and once the tradesman is finished, simply delete the PIN number from use, no more leaving a key out under the mat!

When integrated as part of a home control system, you can use PIN codes to activate various functions such as switch the lights and TV on as you come in the door.

Remote access allows you to remotley unlock and lock the door, using an app on your phone, you never have to miss a delivery again.

Contact FutureHomes now for further details and specification sheets.

Hard Button Version:                   €329.00 Inc VAT ex installation.

Touchscreen Version:                 €399.00 Inc VAT ex installation

Wouldn’t you love to be able to cut down on your energy bills?  With the way 

But Future Homes can help you cut down your energy bills by up to 40%. 

Our smart systems help you streamline the energy system in your home, (electricity, gas etc.) in a way that cuts out waste and helps you make the most of the energy in your home. Lights being left on and electrical devices left on standby are the biggest energy guzzlers. Our technology can sense when you’re not using energy and switch electrical devices off, so you’re not paying for electricity you don’t use. 

We’re not energy consultants, but we do know how to use technology to make better use of your energy. More and more of our customers were coming to us, asking for services that would help them reduce their everyday energy costs. 

Solar panels and geothermal units are great for reducing costs, but there wasn’t much else available on the market. So we decided to offer energy solutions that would help save energy, save money – and save the planet!

Our systems help you monitor the way you use light, heat and other electrical equipment, so you can keep track of your costs. You can change your settings if you feel that you’re still not using your energy as efficiently as you want. 

The main system that helps us to help you save energy is the Adhoco System, a new addition to the Future Homes Family. It’s an intelligent control system that analyses how you use energy. It uses remote sensors, which pick up information wirelessly from the various switches in your home. This means it knows when you’re not using the device or switch and issues commands to switch it off. 

For more information on how Future Homes can help you cut your electricity bills, visit :www.futurehomes.ie/services/green-living

Welcome to the Future Homes Blog.  We’ve created this blog so we can tell you more about how our business works and share tips with you about how technology can enhance the running of your home.

Technology is now a natural part of our everyday life. We’re always reaching for our iPads or iPhones, surfing the net and working on our computers. So we thought, why not make technology a natural part of your home? 

With the right technology mix, you can make it secure, get rid of clutter and enjoy entertainment in every room. Above all, we want to offer you control – we offer a keypad that lets you operate all the major facilities in your home with one touch of a button: lighting, security, entertainment, heating etc. 

We use a range of different products and systems to make this happen, but the most popular one is the Control4 system. It’s a universal remote With a touch of a button, you can be enjoying relaxing music in the bath, while your kids watch TV in the living room. 

The Control4 is one of the world’s leading automation systems and we were delighted to be made Platinum Dealers for Control4, thanks to our high sales and the quality of our installation. 

Best of all, our systems couldn’t be easier to use. We’ll explain everything from the bottom up, which is great if you’re not used to technology. And we design our systems so that they’re user friendly. We take all the hassle out of technology. 

Our systems can even save you money. For example, by automating heat and lighting, you’ll reduce your energy costs, because you won’t be leaving lights or heaters on when they’re not needed. And if you go away, you won’t have to pay for energy that you don’t use. 

We’ll be posting two blogs a month, so keep your eyes peeled for updates on how to make the most of technology in your home. 

New* Sonos Play 3

Only 299.00 Euro

The smaller, sexier, tuck-in-the-corner and blow-your-roof-off, all-in-one player.

• Stream your entire music library, music services, and radio stations

• Control wirelessly, easy to set up

• Start with one, expand everywhere

• Versatile enough to put anywhere — horizontal or vertical

• 3 driver HiFi speaker system

• Crystal-clear, room-filling sound

  3 speakers powered by 3 dedicated digital amplifiers

  The PLAY:3 uses 3 state-of the-art digital amplifiers individually coupled with 3 speakers to deliver great sound to any room. The wireless music system delivers a pure, clean sound that is perfect for bringing room-filling music to your kitchen, bedroom, office, or any room in your home. A bass radiator produces powerful low notes while two mid-range drivers and one tweeter fills out the sound.

  Class-D amplifiers

  State of the art, great sounding amplifiers that are light weight, powerful and very energy efficient in standby and use.

  Tweeter

  1 tweeter creates a crisp and accurate high-frequency response.

  Mid-range drivers

  2 dedicated mid-range drivers ensure the faithful reproduction of mid-range frequencies crucial for accurate playback of vocals and instruments.

  Bass radiator

  A bass radiator is tuned to use the energized air volume inside of PLAY:3 to provide deep, clean and surprisingly powerful bass from such a small package.

  All-digital sound architecture

  From the recording studio to your home the music is reproduced as the artist intended. All filter settings, active equalization, and time-alignment are done in the digital domain through state-of-the-art DSP circuitry so there’s absolutely no loss of audio quality or energy.

  Adjustable bass and treble controls

  Optimize sound performance using zone-specific bass, treble, balance, and loudness controls. Adjust volume by individual zone or by groups of zones.

• Access all the music on Earth

  Pre-loaded Internet radio stations — free of charge

  Get over 100,000 free radio stations, shows, and podcasts — all for free. And you can tune in without turning on your computer. Browse for stations or type in specific call letters or a radio host you love.

  Endless music from the most popular online music services

  Sonos works seamlessly with Anubis.fm, AUPEO!, Deezer, iheartradio, Last.fm, MOG, Napster®, Pandora®, Rdio®, Rhapsody®, SiriusXM™ Internet Radio, Spotify®, Stitcher SmartRadio(tm), TuneIn, Wolfgang’s Vault®, and downloads from any service offering DRM-free tracks. (Service availability varies by region.)

  Computer-free music playback

  Get instant access to millions of songs and thousands of radio stations — without ripping, downloading or turning on a computer. Sonos connects directly to these services over the Internet and then streams the music to the rooms of your choice.

  Play the music on your computer in any room

  Play music stored on up to 16 PCs, Macs or NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices on your home network, supporting the most popular audio formats, from iTunes® to MP3.

  Listen to music that’s stored on an iPod or iPhone

  Dock, charge and wirelessly play the music from an iPod or iPhone with the Sonos DOCK (sold separately).

• Other cool features

  Easy Internet connectivity for other products in your house

  When wirelessly connected to a BRIDGE or another Player, you can use the Ethernet port on the back of your PLAY:3 to bring standard Internet connectivity to your set-top box, DVR, PC, game console or network hard drive.

  Top-panel volume and mute controls

  Provides quick access to volume and mute controls when you don't have a Controller in hand.

  Multiple orientations

  Position the PLAY:3 in a horizontal or vertical orientation to make a perfect fit into tight spots around your home, such as bookshelves, bedside tables, corners, or almost anywhere else. The EQ automatically adjusts so that the sound you hear is always great, no matter what orientation you use.

  Rubber feet

  Place the PLAY:3 on any kind of surface in your home without having to worry about scratches or scrapes.

• Control it all with your smartphone, tablet and more

  Control all your music and rooms with your Android™ smartphone, iPhone®, iPod touch®, and iPad™

  Free Sonos Controller apps for Android, iPhone and iPad let you control your zone players, music on the Internet and your computer right from the palm of your hand. Download the apps for free on the iTunes App Store or Android Market™.

  Integrated, multi-room control

  If you have multiple players, you can control what music is playing in every room in your house, from anywhere in your house. Sonos Controllers aren’t tied to a specific player, so you can use any Controller to control the music and the volume in all your rooms.

  Find and play your favorite songs in an instant

  Browse or search for songs and stations, choose the music, and control the volume from anywhere in the home.

  Wireless connectivity

  The Android smartphone, iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad connect to your Sonos system through your home WiFi network.

  Includes Sonos Controller for Mac or PC

  Turn any Mac or PC desktop or laptop computer in your home into a Controller. The software is included for free with every ZonePlayer.

  Dedicated Sonos CONTROL (sold separately)

  Increase your control with a dedicated touch screen Sonos CONTROL featuring instant-on, dedicated buttons and long battery life.

• Wireless multi-room music with SonosNet 2.0

  Built-in wireless capability

  The PLAY:3 can go anywhere, delivering music to any room in your home wirelessly. Players and Controllers establish their own secure wireless mesh network that delivers the extensive range and superior performance you need to get music all over your home.

  NOTE: To get started, you need to wire either one player or BRIDGE to your home network using a standard Ethernet cable.

  SonosNet 2.0 wireless mesh network technology

  Provides whole-house coverage, ensures synchronous music playback, and avoids sources of wireless interference. Incorporating sophisticated MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) technology, SonosNet uses multiple antennas and radios together to boost signal strength and reach remote locations.

  • Works with any mix of ZonePlayers

  • Compatible with all previous generations of Sonos ZonePlayers, CONTROL, and BRIDGE

  Play a different song in every room, at the same time

  Tune in to an Internet radio station in the bedroom, stream a music service in the kitchen and play a song from your music library in the living room — simultaneously.

  Listen to the same song in every room, in perfect synchronization

  Play the same song in different rooms, simultaneously, without echoes or delays. Add or drop rooms from your zone grouping and still be in sync.

• Simple setup and expandable design

  Simple setup

  No technical or wireless expertise required. Put a PLAY:3 in any room where you want music, plug it in and enjoy. Wire one PLAY:3 or BRIDGE (sold separately) to your router to access a world of music on the Internet. The Sonos System Setup software provides simple on-screen prompts on any Sonos CONTROL. At the touch of a few buttons, you’ll be playing music all over your home in minutes.

  Expandable wireless system

  Expand your wireless music system room by room. Wirelessly add more PLAY:3s to your home and enjoy true multi-room music.

  Simple to move

  The PLAY:3 is so small that you can easily move it to your back garden, decking or any other room. Simply pick it up, plug it in, and enjoy the music

As you may already be aware, the terrestrial television of old is on the way out. Saorview was launched last month, and has brought Irish free to air in to the 21st century at last.

With the RTE channels, now in HD as well as the added RTE+1 and RTEjnr(kids), there are also the TV3 channels available.

The new launch means more channels can be easily added over time, allowing for more HD channels to be delivered to our homes without the cost of a monthly subscription.

All that is required to pick up the signal is either a MPEG4 television, or if you do not have one, you can buy a MPEG4 decoder box from an authorised retailer.

If you already have home control system or video distribution system this can be easily integrated, just contact our office for details and prices.

With an electric curtain track, it is always recommended to consult with the supplier in regards to the material specified for the interior of your home, to ensure the rail can accomodate the weight of the material.

With electric blinds there are various types: Roller, Roman, Venetian and Vertical blinds. The blind material is generally supplied by the blind manufacturer, and a consultation would be necessary to ensure you chose the material to suit your home or office.

We at Futurehomes have integrated many various brands of electric curtains and blinds, with home control systems. We are however partners with Silent Gliss, so we can install the complete curtain or blind system within your home, as well as look after the control element.

It is vital that you consult with your supplier and home control company before pre-wiring for either electric curtains or blinds, aseach brand and model can vary in wiring specifications.

A question we are often asked by clients and people within our industry is, can I do without a rack? Our answer is simply no!

You may feel in the short term that by excluding a rack you will save a few euro(and believe me there is nothing wrong with saving a few euro). But in the long run you will end up spending more! The results of not having a rack is overheated equipment because of lack of ventilation, and stuffing equipment in a cupboard and because of no access to the rear of equipment, angry installers wil end up charging you more for maintenance.

You should look upon a rack as the essential part of any install, as it in itself gives you the luxury to create the clean finish design you are looking for. With all AV equipment neatly stored and installed within your rack system, you can be left with just an elegant TV or touchscreen to give you access to your video libraries, eliminating unsightly cabsles in the process.

So in essence Future Homes top 5 reason for installing a storage rack are:

1. Eliminates clutter and unsightly cables in rooms throughout your home.
2. Eliminates the need for multiple Sat boxes, Blu-Ray players etc. as they can be centrally distributed from the rack to all rooms.
3. With in built fans and ventilated shelves, your AV equipment will last longer and is less likely to overheat.
4. Allows you to manage the energy of your AV equipment by controlling the racks' power supply.
5. Reduces on going maintenace costs as installer will spend less time at each service.

Have a look at this rack we installed in a project in Baltimore

So if you are looking for more information about installing a centralised system please contact us

When we were approached by this client last year explaining that they were renovating an 1850's Victorian house and that they wanted to integrate a technology, our eyes lit up. The client had many requests but the main concern of theirs and that of the interior designer, was that the old features of the house were not to be compromised or disturbed. This led to a few challenges as a full re-wiring of the house was out of the question. We decided that the best option was to go with a wireless system allowing the customer complete control using their iPhone's and iPad's. While keeping with the old traditions of the house the clients also wanted to give a sophisticated cutting edge feel to the home. We felt the best way to do this was to keep all of the equipment out of sight in the office room while leaving each room with clean finish with only a wall mounted screen for vision and discrete in-ceiling speakers for audio in each of the chosen rooms. The clients are big movie fans but decided they wanted to embrace downloading so we centrally distributed an Apple TV allowing them to view and download their favorite movies throughout the home. For music they went with the Sonos music system which they felt would give them great flexibility and enjoyment especially when having one of their so called famous dinner parties.

When it came to lighting design they were very clear on how they wanted to control and set their lighting system. We integrated a Dynalite 8 circuit dimmer downstairs giving them complete control and flexibility. They said they have already noticed energy savings they are making as they now no longer leave lights on or the fact they dim the lights to efficient levels.

Now we are finished we can look back on this project with a certain degree of satisfaction. Although not our biggest job we are certainly pleased we kept within the design specification of the client and were able to enhance this beautiful Victorian house and add another happy customer to our books

We are delighted to announce that FutureHomes are now installers of Adhoco products.

Adhoco are a Swiss company, who have created a lighting and heating control system designed specifically to reduce energy use. Their products are specifcally aimed at the exisiting home/office market. With products deisgned to fit directly on to exisiting radiator valves, and connect to exisiting lighting circuits. Installation is quick and easy, and does not require cutting through existing walls or ceilings.

The main control unit is intelligent, and follows paterns of your heating and lighting use about your home, and adjusts the temperature and light levels when rooms are not in use. Wireless thermostats and motion sensors can be added to give extra programming ability. All of the programming can be easily changed by the homeowner or office manager, to ensure that energy saving and comfort is optomised at all times. The system also comes with remote controls allowing the ability to control your lights from the comfort of you couch or bed.

Due to the limited amount of installation time required, these systems are extremely cost effective, and can save up to 40% on your energy bills, leading to a quick return on investment.

For more information and prices contact info@futurehomes.ie or call us on 021-4355870.