Planning

The Top 5 Essentials for Summer Adventures

June 12, 2018 10 Eric Murrell

Ah, Summer. It’s the time of year when the weather is unpredictable, you can finally ride a real bike instead of a spin bike, and every day has the potential to look different than the last. For us, it’s the…

Automation

10 Cheap Ways to Upgrade Your Home

July 26, 2016 0 Eric Murrell

Big changes with small money One of the most common objections to building a smart home is a lack of funds; thankfully, there are quite a few upgrades you can make to your home that won’t cost you an arm…

Automation

6 Reasons Apple Shouldn’t Run Your Smart Home (Yet)

July 14, 2016 7 Eric Murrell

Not quite magical. I’m an Apple guy. I was raised on a Power Mac in the 90s and our home currently houses 2 MacBook Pros, 3 iPads, 2 iPhones, 2 Apple Watches, and 2 Apple TVs. It’s safe to say…

Automation

Is it Dumb to Build a Smart Home?

June 23, 2016 7 Eric Murrell

If you enjoy reading tech journalism or watching HGTV, you probably know there’s a bit of a renaissance and a backlash occurring at the same time in the smart home/IoT (internet of things) world right now. The renaissance is coming…

News

Our Home Building Horror Story

June 22, 2016 8 Eric Murrell

“You haven’t moved in yet?!” Hi; remember us? I know, it’s been a while. You’ve probably noticed that updates have been sparse around here; now that the worst months of our living nightmare seem to be drawing to a (thankfully)…

Audio/Video

How I Made My Internet Connection 10x Faster

April 28, 2015 9 Eric Murrell

Get what you’re paying for. Netflix was dropping out constantly, and that was the final straw. Like many of you, Netflix has become the focal point of entertainment in our house. It’s what the kids watch when they need a…

Gadgets

Apple Watch and the Smart Home

April 6, 2015 0 Eric Murrell

Yes, I’m getting an Apple Watch. It may not be the first “wearable” computer on the market, but it’s probably the first one that matters. The Apple II made computers accessible. The iPhone made them a constant companion. The Apple…

Audio/Video

Rethinking Your Home Audio System

December 10, 2014 4 Eric Murrell

Music to your ears. Our family listens to music. Constantly. I don’t know if it’s because of our industry (we work from home a lot), but we normally have one room in the house cranked up at least once a…

Planning

Building a House: Getting Started

December 8, 2014 5 Eric Murrell

This December is a big milestone for us, as we break ground on the home we started planning for over 3 years ago (and started saving for 7 years ago!). This is our first time building a home from scratch,…

Automation

Smart Bulbs vs Smart Switches

November 17, 2014 3 Eric Murrell

The Great Lighting Debate Lighting your smart home can be confusing. A decision that used to revolve around a handful of bulbs must now account for dozens of variables… How important is power consumption? Do I need colored light? Do…