Each year comes and goes so quickly, yet the length of it never changes. "Can you believe it's already . . . " Maybe our lives are just busier. That busyness can be stressful but also fulfilling. Between the two, it will depend on how we manage the busyness.

Corralling that activity with smart home technology in the 21st century can be easier than in years past. Today, it's possible to say, "Hey Alexa, please add lime juice for fajitas to my shopping list," just like that, it's in the calendar/reminders display projecting onto the mudroom wall.

Straightforward Features and Benefits of Smart Home Calendars

• Any place with a screen and an internet connection shows you everything in your family’s schedule
• Lots of adaptability features
• HDTV-sized projections of the family’s schedule on any wall 
• Android, iOS, and even Microsoft 365 calendar sync is available

Smart Home Calendars Help Keep the Family Organized

Keeping a homeful of people organized is hard. Smart home calendars are becoming a must-have tool for busy families. A smart calendar is a shared webpage or shared app for families. Members can add individual events, how long the events last, location, etc. 

Let's not kid ourselves; you or your spouse will be the ones entering your kids' schedules into the family calendar. ("You sent 104 texts yesterday, but you couldn't add your make-up exam after school to the calendar!?") But at least it will be in one place. And you'll be able to access it anywhere you have an internet connection.

Garages aren't just the breezeways of life. Apparently, at least in Dallas, they are historic! The National Register of Historic Places, in 2020, added the DalPark parking garage in downtown Dallas to its list. 

As the holiday season revs up, there will be more traveling. Even if your family takes an Uber to the airport for major holiday travel, there's still gift shopping, grocery shopping for Thanksgiving, Nativity plays, ballet recitals of the Nutcracker, office holiday parties, and more.  

The garage door openers will be busy.  

Can a garage be smart? Yes, you can have a smart garage. There are a host of smart garage door controllers, smart garage door openers, and other options. Evolve can design and create a smart garage experience that is way more than bicycles and a beer fridge.  

Smart garages are a thing, and Evolve Technology can make it your thing.  

As the days get shorter, more devices, like smart lighting, will be switched on earlier in the day. Less sunlight, more night time, more scheduling stuff in your phone or tablet, or through some dysfunctional scheduling plug-in that your daughter's ballet studio set up as a "free" option with their web designer.

More in and out of the house, then back in, then back out. Despite having less sunshine, there is still much hay to make.

Unplug and Make Home Automation an Easy Task: Weird Chatbots Not Included

Smart plugs can switch things on or off. They can do so automatically at scheduled times or via an app. They can also adjust specific devices based on your needs. Chomping your way through a dense roughly-translated manual, trying to find the answer in maze-like company website help forums, or being at the mercy of another freaking chatbot--forget about all that. Evolve has done all of that. You can be free of it.

The one-and-done convenience of smart outlets and smart plugs, integrated into your smart home technology suite installed and serviced by Evolve, really can make it easier.

You don't need to chat with a chatbot: you can just chat with the original chatbot, that is, Alexa or Google.

Embracing Smart Locks: A Look at Home Safety in the Modern World
Technology for the student has changed significantly in just thirty years. Computers were once blocky
monitors in the library. They required physical discs and a squat hard drive the size of a suitcase sat
nearby. Then, suddenly, it's all inside a liquid-crystal-display folding computer. Nowadays, can you
imagine wrapping your kid's laptop in a brown paper grocery bag like the old days with textbooks? 

Teachers today do not know the hassles of chalk-dusted hands, elbows, clothes, etc.
The same can be said for home security: it's changed enormously. When the kiddos leave school or their sports, clubs, or cello lessons and head home--to hopefully do their homework--getting into the house is
different. Like kids now having iPads and teachers using dry-erase markers, home security has shifted
significantly with the rise of "smart locks".

These advanced devices have moved the field forward dramatically changing our concept of safety
within our homes. Our front doors, traditionally the Facebook wall (and main line of defense or
drawbridge) of the house, have now been upgraded with the introduction of many smart locks made for
home - a game-changer in the industry.

Demystifying the Concept of Smart Locks
The term "smart lock" might sound technologically intricate, but at its core, it's a relatively simple concept. Essentially, a smart lock is an advanced electronic lock mechanism powered by smart home
devices. What separates smart locks from traditional lock systems is their ability to eliminate the need for
physical keys entirely.

Instead of conventional metal keys (or in addition to them), the smart lock operates using digital keys,
fingerprints, voice commands, or even a smartphone app. The result is a secure entry system that adds
an additional layer of convenience and safety to our homes.

AS REMOTE WORK BOOMS, THE DEMAND FOR SMART HOME GADGETS THAT ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY AND CONVENIENCE HAS GROWN WITH IT; LET’S LOOK AT TWO SMART HOME ITEMS THAT WILL BOOST YOUR AT-HOME PRODUCTIVITY AND PEACE OF MIND DURING THE KID-FILLED SUMMER MONTHS

In 2019, the digital conference company Zoom made $330 million. Not bad for a video call platform. However, just last year, they earned four billion US dollars. 

According to Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, 42% of the US workforce was working from home around the time of the red-hot quarantine month of June 2020. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, numbers cited in Fortune magazine, one-third (34%) of US workers were doing " 'some or all' " work in the home in 2022. 

The kids were at home for more than just the summer in 2020. And the next year. And most of the ones after that. 

Spring is here. The gnarly and unpredictable weather in northeast Texas will at least get warmer. Things will bloom and you'll be outside, minus the sweatshirt.

As for outside of your home, gardens are a pleasant decoration for any house, but they can be a lot more. Increasingly, suburban and rural families living a 21st-century American life are Instagramming the produce they grow in their backyards, involving their kids in the harvest, and even going whole hog—sort of—with a small hen-roost.

We'll be exploring some smart homesteading options for the next few months; the sowing season, as it were. But today, we'll talk chickens. Getting your own chickens is officially a thing in the 20s. (And has been for a few years.) We'll discuss backyard chickens and how Evolve Technologies can help you set up a home roost. 

|| Why Are People Suddenly Raising Chickens? || 

Eggs, mostly. Hens lay a good deal of fresh eggs. In season, a roost of three hens can yield egg production of well over one dozen eggs per week. That is, during the peak of summer daylight. The female chicken takes up to 26 hours to physically create and dispense an egg. But there's a catch: she may not start with another egg right after laying. Altogether though, one egg per day per chicken in the summer is a good schedule.

But, getting back to the why. Why get chickens?

Apple Homepod 2 is Official -- Price, Release Date, Design, and Features Revealed

The company that invented the modern smartphone released its second-generation Homepod on Feb 3. Apple Homekit, the smart home wi-fi, audio-video, and home automation software app, will soon undergo a relaunch to boot. To integrate existing smart home devices or systems into Homepod, there is Homebridge.

The second generation Homepod retail cost is $299.00.

Out of the gate, the Homepod 2 has dual powerhouse features. 1) The music-industry-changing commitment to sound quality and audio design that Apple is known for. 2) Updated and reinforced privacy features that are the modern hallmark of the company.

Apples to Apples, or Android, Evolve Can Swing It

From audio-video; UHD, 4k and 8k hi-fi; home security; lighting; home automation, and control; Evolve does much more than Home Theater systems.

Less than 25 smart home install and service firms in Texas are members of the Home Theater Association. And Evolve is one of them. Whether you run an Apple ecosystem, Google/Android (Nest), or other platforms, our Control4 standard install platform can play nicely with all of it.

"Blitzen," German for "flash," is a name first given to a reindeer in Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas (The Night Before Christmas). Unlike St. Nick, we can't travel the entire globe in one night with a flying sled and sturdy ruminants. But if we have relatives far away who aren't in the home this holiday season, we can still see and hear them. 

Evolve Technologies can set up your smart home to share some holiday cheer. See those smiling punims from afar using a quality smart home device like the Portal hooked up to enterprise-speed data. 

|| UNEMPTY NEST AND THE BIRDS NEED WIFI || 

Throughout a normal life, a human will spend nine years on their phone, according to PCMag. It's a TV trope that Gen Z and most Millennials are almost organically attached to their smartphones. And they’ll also be there for the holidays.

WhistleOut, cited in PCMag, stacked the generations side-by-side in their phone use. Millennials spend approximately 42 minutes more per day on their phone than Gen X just one generation back. You will definitely get some "audience insights" if younger ones have slow internet for their smartphones. 

Of course, some of it is frivolous social media use. But some of it is important in social media use. And work and academic demands can also be addressed via smartphone. 

Who on earth wants to stay at home for a vacation after the last year? Well, even if you're not monitoring the news, you can see that travel is dicey right now. “Staycation” is more than a made-up word. It can be a helpful "soft reset".

It's also a chance to see and support local businesses, parks, and attractions after the global glut of Netflixing and Amazoning from home.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

If you've only heard one punk-rock song in your life, it's probably the deceptively happy ditty by The Clash called "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" (You may remember it from season 1 of Stranger Things or from every DJ'd wedding you've ever been to).

The song title is instructive of the staycation dilemma. A staycation sounds one-off and a vacation sounds like work. No one disputes the peace of mind of a full detachment of everything behind the front door. But a full vacation, right now? There's a lot to control when going on vacation during normal times.

And with a staycation, smart children will know what's up. Yet it's still a solid option with a lot less hassle.

Texas smart home garage, foyer, and mudroom possibilities

Your garage can be your launching and landing pad for home. (Mudrooms have made a comeback, more on that in a minute.) But it's easy for the garage to become a dusty location for cars that's usually very hot or cold.

It's where tools, bikes, and sometimes refrigerators only used for drinks go. It's the outer boundary for wearing pajamas. But the garage can be more. 

The First Shall be Last: Garages as Arrival and Departure

The garage is the last thing you see leaving home and the first place you see getting back. It's a space that might need a plan.

There's a lot of design that can be added to the garage for a nicer look. Pulling into a tidy space when you're starting or ending the day adds a lot to the home itself.

The garage is also a major boundary for your home. Front doors still have style. They determine where your mail goes and can even add value to your home. But how often do you the front door? 

Curb Check

What's the curb appeal for your Dallas area home?

Smart devices and appliances are considered high-value indoor things. But the outside property of a house can harness the benefits of technology and look quite sharp.

Evolve Technologies installs and services premium smart home items, and will even run CAD, working pre-build or with the builders themselves.

Outdoor smart tech, with style. Some examples

• bright, but integrated, lighting
• discreet home monitoring
• a smart lock with a classic brass look
• wooden-slat or textured window treatments with motorized smart control
• a sleek, two-way audio-video smart doorbell

A study by the University of Texas Arlington and the University of Alabama said you can add 7% to your home value with the curb factor. (And this study was quoted in Sotheby's property firm. Yes, that Sotheby's). Any quick internet search will bring you expert tips on front door colors, window styles, and more to inch that home value even higher.

Everyday Speaker Sounds of Audio and Video

Live sports, to Pandora, to FM to on-demand DVR'd reality shows. Broadcast or recorded sound is a century old. 

On-demand sound evolution:

• Turntable records
• Car radio 
• Box-rocker portable stereos 
• Modern-day: stand-alone media room in our pocket or on our wrist 

One-way and two-way audio systems are a non-stop feature in the 21st century. Waking up, working, and falling asleep to a preferred sound, such as music, is a constant for many people. 

Circadian rhythms are the natural rise and fall in body temperature, sleepiness, bioenergy levels, and more. In addition, internal changes involving glucose, melatonin, and other substances help animate the body's system. These natural human systems keep us going and help us slow down.

A spot in the middle of the brain meets up with a nerve from the eyes and serves as this internal clock's gears. How much light we take in, natural or artificial, affects our clock: sleep and wakefulness. We're increasingly aware of the blue light frequency from screens that can wobble this 24-hour body health window. Light exposure from blue waves in a narrow spot on the light spectrum literally inhibits melatonin production.

But our sleep cycle--when we fall asleep and this daylight rhythm--can be gamed. Our eyes and brain don't want to negotiate with a clock on the wall, but they will negotiate with light and dark. There are even schools of thought and architecture about integrating natural light in large buildings to optimize peoples' productivity.
And who doesn't have a lot to do, anyway?

Motorized Shades
They're new on the home tech scene and already quite diverse. Pressing a button to see the morning light or go to sleep is just the start. And you might not even need a button. Motorized blinds are smooth, effortless up and down (side to side with curtains), but there's much more.
● Size of blinds
● Speed
● Fabric style and colors of the drape (there are some very tasteful wood-folding slat options)
● Transparency
● Power source
● Automatic, timed open and close
● Automatic, timed partial rise or lowering

Integrations and Smart Home adaptability
A premier company in specialty lighting and blinds is Lutron. With hundreds of patents, they were early developers of motorized blinds. Lutron can make it look good, from vertical curtain-style window treatments to rising wood panels and a wide palette-swatch of Romans.
What you don't see is also important: big, loud motors. These are blinds for your home, so the smooth, small quiet motor-action is ideal for residences. You can even go wire-free with a battery option. Batteries for shades are designed for long-term use and exposure to light and/or heat. Their lifespan is a matter of years versus months, and Lutron leads the industry.
Evolve Technologies is a Home Technology Association certified company. So we know more than just how to install. And we have clients with magazine-feature houses that they want to integrate as a smart home: we know it has to look good.

Post-pandemic summer: Patios, Backyards, Getting Outside

Last summer was mostly spent indoors (for health reasons). But there are many dimensions to your health: it's more than avoiding illness. Gatherings and community are essential for long-term emotional and mental health. Enjoying the post-pandemic outdoors with family and friends can happen in your own backyard. 

With two summers to pack into one, this will be more than a Sunday afternoon cookout, eating a single slider and heading home to stream something. Set the right mood for your vibrant summer get-together by setting your outdoor space to light and music with flair and convenience. Make it that Texas barbecue where your friends' toddlers fall asleep on them and they're still out there, catching up with each other. 

Usual Patio or Garden Party 

For that kind of celebration, there's more to do than setting the table and lighting the fire pit. Buying and preparing food to host something outback is a feat by itself. If you don't have to charge, set up, and manage the playlist with Bluetooth, that's more time (and energy) to chat it up. If there are kids, dogs (or both), then that's a no-go on the tiki-torches. Open flames in the back of your mind? But music and lighting are a big part of your gathering coming together. Those two parts Evolve can help with. 

Unseen, but Well-Heard

Even without audio wires, music is more enjoyable with a surrounding effect. Conversation is much better with a consistent volume from the pool to the driveway. 

As a Home Technology Association https://htacertified.org/ certified company, we know integrated and smart home technology, literally inside and out. The highest-quality, refined sounds can be a discrete, natural look that blends into the porch, patio, or landscape. 

Smart doorbells integrate a host of features to serve as a home security system as well as conventional doorbell features on-demand from where ever you are.

Now more than ever, Dallas homeowners are relying on smart doorbells for their home security benefits by providing piece of mind when they are away. Whether you need to check on a package that was recently delivered, let a family member in your home, or provide instructions to the delivery team, smart doorbell technology allows you to accomplish this.

HD Video 

Home or away, seeing who’s there with a video doorbell cam from a phone is more than a small convenience. Concentrating on a major work project or drawing a bath for a toddler are involved tasks. Hitting a button to see live video and confirm drop-off is sometimes essential.

Smart doorbells, including our main brands, Chime from Control4 and Ring, have clear video quality that can be accessed easily from your phone or smart home devices. With proper wifi and smart home setup, doorbell cameras can give a 150 to 180-degree field-of-vision view. Real-time, distinct video recordings of what’s right outside. IR specifications even enable night-vision and automatic security light tie-ins.

Imagine a world where you can control everything in your house with the command of your voice, a tablet, or a smartphone. That means answering the door without leaving the comfort of your couch, monitoring your entire house even when you’re at work, and locking up all entrances with just one tap before you hit the sack.

Now, what if we told you that such a world exists right now?

Welcome to the world of smart homes.

What Is a Smart Home

Smart home technology connects your appliances, thermostat, locks, and more, to one main centralized system. This system can be controlled with a device such as your mobile phone and allows you to manage your house--even when you’re far from the hustle and bustle of Dallas.

To paint you a better picture, here’s what it’s like to live in a smart home.

While spending the holiday season at home without the stress of traveling to the in-laws, weather delays, and packing may sound like the simplest option this year; hosting brings its own set of challenges. More family visiting, constant package deliveries, and a new set of food critics will be enough to need an extra hand around the house. While we can’t be there to take package inventory or whip up a gourmet meal for the family, we can upgrade your home’s automation system to ensure things run as smoothly as possible. 

OS3 Upgrade

As the host of this year’s holiday, you’ll want to make sure everyone feels comfortable in your home- and that means having the newest version of your home automation system to ensure everything is as seamless as possible. Whether that is to control the lights, televisions, speakers, or temperature, you’ll want everyone to be familiar with using your Control 4 automation system throughout the home. With the new Control 4 OS3 upgrade the 10” touchscreen display features the most intuitive interface yet, to ensure everyone in your home can easily and manage your home’s controls without your help. 

Get Cozy, Energize, and More With the Right Lighting in Your Texas Home

Lighting shapes our world, helping us feel specific ways. Think about the lighting in your University Park, TX home. It can provide guidance along hallways, illuminate areas where you need to complete tasks, and create the perfect ambiance for a romantic meal.

Ketra lighting has completely changed the game of tunable white lighting because it's found a way to offer homeowners a variety of lighting options to make their homes more welcoming, productive, engaging, or relaxing - really, whatever mood they desire. Ketra products go beyond the typical smart lighting product you can simply turn on and off without flipping a switch.

This LED lighting gives homeowners a dynamic spectrum of light to incorporate into their homes. From the company’s humble beginnings in Austin to the 2018 Lutron acquisition, Ketra’s mission has always been to make light an integral part of the human experience.

Read on further to learn about a few of the innovative lighting features Ketra offers in its products.