Distributed Entertainment System | La Quinta, CA

Whole Home Entertainment System, Network, Security, Access Control.

Starting with a pre-wired developer home, my client wished to avoid the expensive and problematic central control systems offered by the related subcontractors. Not wishing to be beholden to a single vendor, or central control system like Elan or Control4, we proposed a heterogeneous solution for the client that running on an iPad could grow and change over time with minimal expense.

The most challenging aspect of the project was zone control for the whole home speaker system that was easy to manage. We needed speakers in every room along with an exterior patio zone. We settled on a hybrid solution enabled by the Sonos system, using a combination of stand alone soundbars, amplified sources, and [critically] un-amplified sources in order to cover the house efficiently and without an overwhelming number of zones or expense. We were able to isolate the in ceiling speakers in the media room so that they would seamlessly switch to surround sound when the T.V. became active. The Parasound amplifier is triggered by the Sonos source so that it remains off when not in use, and though careful design its A bank drives the interior speakers and switched B bank drives the exterior speakers to simplify moving the party inside.

In the background, we covered the house with a mesh network and wireless security system where the base station, modem, and alarm bridge run on an independent battery backup. Similarly all entrances in the home including the garage are covered by cameras with hardwired power.