Connected Design

 Next Level Distribution , a supply chain management provider and distributor consumer electronics today announced the launch of  Arlo Technologies   to its channel partners and resellers in the United States. Arlo is an award-winning, industry leader in wireless   smart home   connectivity, cloud infrastructure and cutting-edge AI capabilities that will provide Next Level with another respected partner to its portfolio. “This is a very popular category and products that bring new dealers and incremental sales from various channel segments,” said Mark Garijanian, Marketing Director of Next Level Distribution. “Our growth and expansion as a company over the recent years give us the ability to forge new relationships in order to stay fresh and current.” “Arlo is excited to launch our partnership with Next Level Distribution.” Says Mark Kuta, Director Distribution North America for Arlo Technologies. “This new distribution relationship expands Arlo’s reach into the...

Following its debut on the global stage at   AVIXA’s InfoComm 2022 , newly rebranded   Exertis Almo , the largest, most specialized Pro   AV distributor , has announced a vast expansion to its service offering, thanks to a distribution partnership with   Spectrio . A customer engagement and content creation industry leader, Spectrio offers a Digital Signage content creation product suite that is easy-to-use, scalable and reliable. The new partnership allows Exertis Almo to offer its partners yet another opportunity to amplify and augment their business offering by earning recurring revenue without adding operational costs and in-house experience. As a result of the partnership, Exertis Almo is now able to provide a dramatically expanded content offering that includes everything from turnkey CMS platforms to fully customizable content creation services. Logo design, video (including drone footage), montage, animation and general photography are also included. Spectrio...

Orro   calls itself human centric lighting. This is not the first time a lighting company has tried to encompass this concept, but Orro has done it in a way that actually feels practical. The light detects motion, sound and the ambient lighting, meaning that it will turn on when it detects your presence, stay on if it “hears” you in the room but only at a level that makes sense with the natural light and the time of day. It will turn off after a certain period of time as well.  So if you walk into the kitchen in the middle of the night, the light will automatically be bright enough to illuminate your surroundings but soft enough not to jar you awake. In the morning after sunrise but before the sun is fully up, it’s bright to help wake you up but not in an obtrusive way.  In the middle of the day, it typically goes into an “Eco” mode, where it detects your presence but doesn’t turn on if the natural lighting is bright enough.  You can also manually configure  Orr...

Your business was founded in 2006. What is the origin of your business name? What did you do before were you in  custom integration ? Talk about how you got interested in doing this work – and as you gained experience, what it was that you felt you were able to offer clients that was unique in the field. Lee Travis: The name stands for “wireless appliance.” Years before I had the company, I felt that in future we’d have so many more wireless devices. And we’re not in the white goods business, but if you take the word “appliances” and drop off the app and put a “wi” there, that’s how you get the name. I got into the car audio business first. I attend the Consumer Electronics Shows and at my 33rd CES this year, we won the Integrator of the Year Award. I loved car audio, but that industry began to change, and it was becoming a little more homogenized. OEM was developing better systems and cell phones were getting down into the free range – when we used to pay five grand for a cell pho...

“We launched the Best of Houzz awards program over a decade ago to highlight the work of the most talented and customer-focused professionals in our industry,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of Industry Marketing at Houzz. “When homeowners come to Houzz to find professionals to complete their projects, the Best of Houzz badges offer a marker of credibility, supporting their decision to move forward. We are extremely proud of this year’s winners, many of whom have won multiple times, and we’re pleased to give them this recognition and a platform on which to showcase their expertise.” Best of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Design awards honor professionals whose work was the most popular among the Houzz community. Customer Service honors are based on several factors, including a professional’s overall rating on Houzz and client reviews for projects completed in 2021. Photography badges are awarded to architecture and interior ...

In luxury condo communities where high rents are the price tag for superb locations, fantastic views and high-end accoutrements, residents expect the amenities and community areas to be easy to use and up to date. Scottsdale Waterfront Residences in Scottsdale, Ariz., recognized this need, and recently upgraded its common areas with the latest   ELAN   entertainment and   control system   to make the audio and video options accessible and easy to use for residents of all ages. According to the Residences’ chief engineer, Patrick Bernardi, it was a welcome change that also resulted in residents having a better appreciation for control technology and how it can improve home living. “We have residents ranging in age from 20 to 90,” Bernardi said, “and we work hard to make sure every resident can use the beautiful community facilities in the towers. That’s one reason we decided to upgrade our control systems to ELAN; it’s so easy to use. In our popular Club Rooms and roo...

 Houzz   Inc.   today introduced a new Augmented Reality (AR) feature for 3D Floor Plans in   Houzz   Pro , the all-in-one business management and marketing solution for residential construction and   design   professionals. Now, pros can walk homeowners through a virtual tour of their finished project against the backdrop of the current home, using the Houzz Pro app.  “At Houzz, we’re focused on building technologies that make the home renovation and design experience more productive and enjoyable for industry professionals and their clients,” said Alon Cohen, Houzz co-founder and president. “In the past year, the number of 3D Floor Plans created using Houzz Pro has more than tripled, signifying the important role that visual tools play in client communication. Now, we’ve created a true AR-enabled experience for residential construction and design pros to immerse their clients in a proposed renovation or redesign and better visualize how their sp...

There is no question that homeowners prefer hidden technology these days. Add sustainability to the mix and you’ve got a winning combination consumers are eager to buy. Global research conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) last year (commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund) shows a staggering 71 percent rise in popularity of searches for sustainable goods over the previous five years, with continuing growth during the pandemic. Consumers are paying attention to the choices that they make that impact the planet and are making better ones. So which   home technology   products, companies, and categories get gold stars for being easy on the earth and the eyes? Here are a few favorites from the field. Screen Innovations (SI) Lithium-Ion Powered Shades “In manufacturing, we often see the worst of the worst in terms of waste and disregard for the environment, and it can be tempting to cut corners to increase margin or for some other benefit, but at SI, we will simply ne...

Airthings , creators of the best-selling indoor air quality and radon monitors for homeowners, businesses and professionals, announces two new additions to its flagship View series product range at CES 2022. The Airthings View series will now feature three total products: the brand-new monitor to-date, which launched in March 2021. All View Series devices have a calm-tech screen, are wireless and offer access to your data anytime, anywhere through the Airthings app and online dashboard – making it easier than ever to transform indoor air quality from an invisible threat to a visible, understandable, and controllable aspect of your life. View Plus and View Pollution have a battery life of up to two years and View Radon extends it even further to three years, even with WiFi connectivity. Airthings has also released View Plus and View CO2 for its Business solution, which are specifically designed for schools, offices, restaurants, or other commercial buildings...

  Panasonic  has   announced the new WhisperAir Repair spot air purifier. The device is a compact ceiling-mount air purifier that is maintenance-free and easy to install with no ductwork required. The WhisperAir Repair is lightweight and designed to keep indoor air clean and fresh. Whether updating old ventilation fans, remodeling entire spaces or building new construction, the new air purification technology increases ventilation efficiencies for a variety of spaces. The device is ideal for light commercial applications such as in hotels, educational facilities, elevators, subways, restaurants and other public spaces, as well asresidential applications such as bedrooms, walk in closets, powder rooms, mud rooms and pet areas. The WhisperAir Repair air purifier utilizes Panasonic’s patented nanoeX technology, previously available only in Panasonic’s heating and cooling systems. nanoeX technology helps to improve occupant health through the use of reactive molecules th...

 Sun Valley Lighting , a leading American brand of traditional area and street lighting from U.S. Pole Company, introduces its Mission Revival Bell luminaire that embodies the Mission Revival architectural style with the latest   LED technology   and the unsurpassed PLED engineered lighting control for area lighting. Mission Revival Bell is designed to offer simple, solid and austere architectural elements for downtown main streets, historical districts, Spanish styling planned developments, commercial campuses and live-work-play communities.  Featuring a PLED high value optical system with field replaceable and field rotatable optics for flexible long-term performance and a dark sky friendly BUG rating of U0, Mission Revival Bell is available in two luminaire sizes (MRL20 and MRL25), 10 PLED distribution types, seven mounting configurations and seven finishes. The luminaire is available with a variety of high-power white LEDs driven between 350mA and 1050mA. Th...

Designer Ebony Stephenson, CLIPP, CAPS is known for making her homes not only beautiful, but also safe and accessible for her clients through life’s ups and downs of life. Along with being a Certified Living in Place Professional (CLIPP), as well as a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS), Stephenson was an NKBA 30 Under 30 member and currently serves as the president of the VA State Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association.   Connected Design   spoke with young designer to find out more. How did you get your start in interior design? “I got my start in interior design as a child. I loved building doll houses and my very own Barbie Dream Homes from scratch, and I also loved rearranging and decorating my room all the time. My parents and art teacher both saw my love for architecture and design, so in elementary school they enrolled me in a special art school for gifted and talented children in Virginia Beach, Va. I continued to attend there through middle schoo...

 SoundTube , an   MSE Audio   brand and creator of The Original Pendant Speaker, announces the release of the SM1001 Surface-Mount Subwoofer. The new subwoofer will begin shipping this month. The SM1001 is a 10” subwoofer with a passive radiator to generate deep, high output bass response. The SM1001 uses a proprietary 10-inch high-excursion, ultra-long throw mica-graphite polypropylene driver and a downward-firing bass radiator. The efficient long throw designs are superbly linear, making the SM1001 an ideal complement to any music system. The driver is attached to a 1.5-inch MDF baffle to eliminate cabinet distortion The SM1001 is a great addition to background and foreground audio installations where high-quality, true bass response and rapid installation are critical. Aerobic rooms, retail stores, restaurants, nightclubs, bars, theme parks, arenas, ballrooms, churches, and residential applications are all ideal fits for this subwoofer. Here You can see usefu...