Circadian lighting, also known as human-centric lighting, is a solution to many of the hidden hazards of artificial lighting. It’s a system that mirrors natural light cycles and therefore helps promote a healthy and stable circadian rhythm. Circadian lighting systems change the light intensity and color temperature in fixtures throughout the day, minimizing the effects of unnatural light and promoting increased productivity, better sleep, and long-term health benefits.

There are three (3) approaches to implementing a circadian lighting system:

• Intensity tuning – The most cost-effective way to implement a circadian lighting system. Light fixtures have a fixed correlated color temperature (CCT), but the brightness, or intensity, can be adjusted through a control system to reflect the time of day. For example, in the morning and at night, lights are at a lower intensity, but during the day they are brighter, in tune with the sun’s rise and fall.
  
  
• Color tuning – Similar to intensity tuning, color tuning changes the brightness of lights but also changes the CCT to more closely reflect natural lighting. It does this by disabling white lights and color tuning lights by utilizing warmer and yellower colors in the morning and evening and cooler and bluer colors during the day, with the aim of promoting alertness and productivity.
  
  
• Stimulus tuning – Spectrally optimized LED lights create white light with high circadian stimulus without actually changing the color of the light throughout the day. Stimulus tuning reduces blue light during the evening to help promote melatonin production, which is our body’s natural sleep agent. During the day, it replaces “bad blue” lighting with “good blue,” or sky-blue lighting. This “good blue” helps our eyes send a signal to our brain to maintain a circadian rhythm. Stimulus tuning is the method of circadian lighting that most mimics the daylight spectrum.

Circadian lighting systems are proven to help maintain high energy levels and promote better sleep. The Lighting Research Center conducted a study that found people receiving high circadian stimulus throughout the day felt more energetic and alert, experienced better sleep, and felt less depressed than workers receiving low circadian stimulus.

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To learn more about how circadian lighting can benefit your life and find out which system is right for you, AV Design Consultants provides many options to cater to your needs. Contact us at AV Design Consultants to learn more about our products and services.

Some examples of IoT devices include smart home products such as light bulbs, security systems, doorbells, cameras, and speakers. By definition, it extends the power of the internet beyond typical electronic devices — to “things”; devices that are traditionally connected to the internet, such as smartphones or computers, are not considered IoT devices.

As the popularity of IoT devices increases and prices fall, the IoT network grows ever larger. It is predicted that by 2025, there will be 41 billion connected things. While at first IoT may seem vast and complicated, there are many simple ways you can integrate IoT devices into your home.

Before attempting a DIY IoT project, it’s helpful to understand the basics of what IoT is and how it works: through a combination of sensors and actuators to connect a physical device to the internet. Sensors measure physical properties. For example, a sensor might measure an environment’s temperature and then convert those external properties into a signal to send to an actuator, which uses this information to choose an action. If the temperature is above or below a certain number, it can adjust the thermostat to shift back towards what you want it to be.

It’s important to have the right infrastructure in place. Some IoT devices are Bluetooth-connected, which is straightforward and simple. Others may need more hardware and physical connectivity. When devices need to connect to the network, that’s when hiring a professional is important as these devices move a lot of information around on the network. This network “traffic” can affect your internet speed and ability to do things you might be used to such as streaming audio or video. Common DIY home installations include thermostats, security cameras, IoT alarm clocks, and smart garage doors.

A successful IoT project considers your day-to-day problems and uses a connected product to solve or make that problem much easier to handle. The following describes the two main use-case types in terms of IoT projects.

Method #1: In-Wall Storage Box

Occasionally, with smaller video sources like Apple TV or Roku media players, people might choose to attach these on the back of their TV or on the wall behind the TV. While this effectively hides devices from the front, it pushes the TV off the wall by a couple of inches, ruining the look from the side. An easy solution is to simply put them inside the wall!

Today’s in-wall enclosures are designed to fit between the wall studs. These come in different sizes (14” x 14” is most common) and give you a place to install one or more small components. These enclosures can easily accommodate small network switches or surge protectors. With your sources recessed into the wall, your TV can now mount right up against your wall surface for a true low-profile installation.

Method #2: HDMI Extenders

Standard HDMI cables are not intended for, or sometimes even capable of, sending 4K video and high-resolution audio signals very far. They are usually limited to about 20 to 30 feet before things get more complicated. That makes it difficult to hide a game system or Blu-ray player inside a cabinet or a closet that isn’t close by. HDMI Extenders give you the extra distance needed to make this happen.

HDMI Extenders, sometimes called “baluns,” are actually two boxes. One is a transmitter, and the other is a receiver. They are connected by a category cable like Cat5e or Cat6. A shielded category cable works best and is preferred when possible. The video source (Xbox, PS5, cable box, Blu-ray, etc.) plugs into the transmitter and sends the HDMI signal over the cable to the receiver where your TV is located. From there, the HDMI cable connects the receiver to your TV’s HDMI input, and you’re set! This inexpensive method allows you to achieve distances as far as 330 feet!

Method #3: Video Distribution

This option not only lets you hide all your video sources, but it also allows you to share them amongst every TV in the house. It’s like Method #2 but with multiple sources in a single location distributed to every TV in your home. You gain several benefits with a video distribution system:

With the holiday season quickly approaching, there is a decent chance that your mind is primarily focused on how you plan to decorate your home for the festive weeks that lie ahead. We agree that holiday decorating is much more jolly than most tasks around your home this time of year; however, we can’t stress enough the importance of keeping your place ultimately safe and secure. Not to mention thwarting off the thoughtless porch pirates attempting to swipe packages right in front of your doorstep. This holiday season (and for the remainder of the year), it’s time to take your home’s safety seriously and consider investing in a reliable home security system to give you the ultimate peace of mind. If you’re looking where to start for some security ideas for your modern home, we’ve put together a guide on how to secure your home with some of the latest and greatest home security solutions.

At a Glance:

How to Secure Your Home

Smart Locks

Optimize Your Lighting

Video Surveillance