The Sound of Sonos

Want to listen to your music anywhere at home? And control it from your smartphone at the touch of a button? Leading-edge wireless Sonos system may be just what you need. It’s products are designed to fill every room of your home with music, and it’s flexibility has made the company a household name. Here’s a few things you may not know about this incredible sound solution:

#1 Sonos was founded in California in 2002 with one aim: to transform your home sound system for the digital age. They’ve waved goodbye to the days when your music or hi-fi system was restricted to one room in the house and tethered there by a mass of complicated cables.

#2 The Sonos wireless sound system works by first connecting one single speaker to your home wifi network, then you can add more Sonos units (up to a maximum of 32, placed around the house) using a dedicated secure wireless mesh network known as Sonosnet.

Sonos Smart Home Solution

Sonos wireless speakers and components

#3 Key to the whole system is the the Sonos Controller app (both Android and iOS) which walks you through the set-up. It’s really simple and actually involves not much more than just pressing the speaker’s sync button (to link it to your network and any other Sonos speakers), finding the connected speaker on the app and then entering your wi-fi password. The Controller app then makes actually managing and playing your music really easy.

 

Sonos Smart Home Solution

Sonos Playbar

#4 In the Controller app, you can assign each speaker to a particular room of your house, and add your favourite streaming services such as Spotify, as well as play any tracks, playlists and albums stored on your smartphone. The Controller intelligently recognises which speaker you’re using, and which room you’re using it in. Adding other speakers is via a tap in the app to add, press the sync button on the back of the speaker and  – it’s done. You can also pair single speakers in one room to work as a group in stereo together.

#5 The current Sonos products include the Play:1, Play:3 and Play:5 speakers, the Playbar, Playbase and Sub, the Sonos One smart speaker with Alexa voice control and the new Sonos Beam soundbar, all perfect additions to any smart home.

Contact us to find out more about Sonos and how we can get it working for you and have your music flowing from every room in your house!

The Nest Thermostat: Your Smart Home Solution

Your life is about to get a whole lot easier! If you haven’t embraced the smart home revolution maybe it’s time to dip your toe in the world of home automation.

With gadgets like the Roomba (robot hoover) celebrating over 16 years on the market, home technology is advancing faster than ever, devices such as Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri are introducing us to a whole new world of automation.

Founded in 2010, Nest was the brainchild of two former Apple engineers, Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers. Fadell, one of the creators of the first iPod was frustrated about the limitations of thermostats as he built his energy-efficient home in California. In May 2010 Fadell and Rogers co-founded Nest Labs and began prototyping the first smart thermostats.

By 25th October 2011 Nest had launched to the public and the first Nest thermostat hit the market. Over the last seven years three generations of thermostat have been released, growing smarter with every evolution.

Nest Thermostat

Nest Thermostat: A ‘Learning’ Thermostat

Whereas most thermostats rely on you to set the temperature, the Nest Learning Thermostat aims to set it for you. This device goes beyond simple temperature detection and learns your behaviour patterns and desired settings. Nest starts learning from you straightaway using sensors and advanced algorithms to create a custom temperature schedule that saves energy and keep you comfortable. Built around an operating system that is very similar to the Apple products we all know and love Nest allows interactions with the Nest thermostat via spinning and clicking of its control wheel. Users can also access the Nest thermostat controls via the app when you don’t want to leave the sofa. To date Nest has allowed users to save over 8 billion kWh in electricity across 190 countries, averaging a 10% saving on customers heating bills.

Smart Home Installation: Opulous

Nest Protect carbon monoxide and smoke detector

In October 2013 Nest launched its second product the Nest Protect – a smoke and carbon monoxide detector. Available in both black and white, this product can be both mains and battery powered. The Nest Protect features a multi-coloured light ring which is colour coded to indicate each operation. For example, yellow would indicate an early warning whereas it would flash red if the alarm was sounding. The ring also comes with motion detection to provide illumination should someone pass underneath. It is the first smoke alarm to bring Split-Spectrum Sensor in to the home. This commercial grade photoelectric sensor uses two wavelengths of light to spot different types of smoke and therefore catching slow and fast burning fires. A feature called App Silence allows you to silence the alarm in the event of a false alarm or some burnt toast. Another clever feature is the ‘self test’, the smoke detector will use a built in microphone to test itself when you’re out of the house.

Other Nest products include the camera range and the Nest Hello – a hardwired smart video doorbell with facial recognition and with 300 patents to the company’s name we’re excited to see what Nest comes up with next. Contact us to find out more about Nest and how we can get it working for you.

7 vehicles leading the electric charge

Electric cars are booming and with Opulous’s expertise in installing an electric car charger at home or work, we’re better placed than most to tell you what’s hot and what’s not in electric cars. Here’s our round-up of seven of the best

Electric car charger: Renault Zoe

Renault Zoe

1. Renault Zoe continues to rule the roost as Europe’s number 1 selling EV in 2017. This year Renault have launched a new model with an updated motor, improved
performance and android compatibility. This five door car can achieve 160 miles on a full charge and costs less to buy than most other electric cars. If buying from a
dealership the price will also include a wall mounted 7kW electric car charger to be installed at
your home.

2. The British built Nissan Leaf hit the market in 2010 and has sold over 300,000 cars
worldwide, beating the Renault Zoe for the title of most popular EV worldwide. Far
from a milk float, this electric car can do 0-60mph in 8 seconds out sprinting the VW
e-Golf. The Leaf has undergone a remodel this year, giving it a sportier feel.

3. With Zipcar introducing over 300 all electric VW e-golf to its users across London, it’s easy to see why placing an order for one is difficult. Unlike most EV’s, the e-Golf is
based on the much-loved standard fuel chassis, with the only difference being the
engine. It is easy to see how this car will become a popular family EV.

4. The BMW i3 is available in an all-electric form or as a range extended petrol/electric version, falling back on a 2-cylinder petrol engine when the battery is depleted.
BMW has rolled out the ChargeNow services offering 5000+ public EV charging
stations and for charging at home customers can have the BMWi wallbox installed.

5. Of course the big boys in the EV market are Tesla and the Tesla Model S leads the
luxury electric car market. By far one of the most expensive EV’s on the market, the Model S does offer significantly most miles per charge than any other electric car.
Owning a Tesla puts you in an exclusive club, allowing you free use of Tesla’s own electric car charger – the Supercharger, a high speed charging infrastructure, charging your car to full in
30 mins.

Electric car charger

Nissan e-NV200

6. One of the biggest players in the electric vehicle industry are stepping up its game,
introducing the Nissan e-NV200 pop top. Far from just a concept, Nissan showcased this smart new camper as the Madrid Motor Show in May 2018. This revolutionary
vehicle leads the pack as competitors such as VW are yet to bring their electric I.D
Buzz to market.

7. Another vehicle type being electrified is HGV’s, Tesla will launch the Tesla Semi in
2019. Currently being tested on the road, the Tesla Semi will be capable of travelling up to 600 miles on a single electric car charger charge – even when fully loaded. With supermarket giants such as Walmart placing orders, it is very clear that will we be seeing many of these electric lorries on the road in the next decade.

To find out more about installing an electric car charger point for any of these models, or for any electric car of your choice, get in touch!

Why install CCTV cameras at home?

With more and more homeowners becoming concerned with neighbourhood security, domestic CCTV systems are becoming a more common site across housing estates in the UK. CCTV cameras play an active role in discouraging crime and anti-social behaviour as they act as both a deterrent and an apprehension aid. A trustworthy system can be a pivotal part of your overall home security system, protecting your family from danger.

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A beginner’s guide to Electric Car Charging

Just like any electrical device, an electric car requires an electric car charger, but you can’t just park it up in your bedroom and plug it into the trusty bedside table socket. These clever cars require a special external plug point, preferably close to where you regularly park. Unlike a traditional engine which can be driven until the fuel run out, electric cars work on a top-upbasis. This requires the battery to be regularly topped up at various point of the day or week depending on how far you drive. The three main options for electric car charging are at home, at work or public charging, so it’s important to ensure you have the correct cable.

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To rewire or not to rewire that is the residential question?

Buying a new house can be a daunting task on its own, but then working out whether your new home requires a rewire, and a visit from a local electrician, is not always easy to spot. Cabling in homes has changed significantly over the past decades, from cable colour to consumer units, so there’s a lot to keep up with. We’ve put together this simple guide to break down some of the myths about rewiring and to help you spot some of the tell-talesigns that a rewire might be needed.

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7 things you didn’t know about Christmas lights

  • The very first fairy lights in the UK were developed for the Savoy Theatre in 1882. Sir Joseph Swan, the pioneer of incandescent light bulbs, supplied the theatre for the opening night of Gilbert and Sullivan’s opera Iolanthe. They have been a common sight in the UK ever since.

  • The first Christmas tree decorated with electric lights was commissioned by Edward H Johnson, Vice President of the Edison Electric Light Company in 1882. His tree consisted of 80 hand-wired red, white and blue incandescent bulbs and was proudly displayed at his home on Fifth Avenue, New York. Johnson is widely known as the ‘Father of Christmas Tree Lights’.

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LED, what a bright idea!

It’s 2017 and LED is affordable for all, with both financial and environmental gains there is no excuse.

It is easy to see the appeal of halogen bulbs, as they give off a warm, natural light and are cheap and easily available to buy. But against its more energy efficient younger cousin LED, the halogen is being slowly replaced across the retail world.

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Turning your residential dream into reality

As programmes like Grand Designs and Homes under the Hammer inspire people to renovate old properties and build their own, residential electricians have never been busier. The UK housing crisis means that those looking to buy are looking at alternative methods to capture their perfect property, keeping contractors on their toes with new requests and designs.

Our residential team is always working on new and exciting projects, meeting client requirements with the latest techniques and services. From smart lighting such as Rako to home sound systems such as Sonos, our team is on hand to guide home owners through their design.

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