The Integrated Home

In the UK, the home technology industry is facing tough recruitment times. Too much work, not enough staff is a familiar cry. So, what can be done about it? Well, apprentices could be one part of that solution. The theme for National Apprenticeship Week which begins on 7 th February 2022 is ‘Build The Future’. In this episode, we find out how that theme relates to our own sector and look at practi...

This industry began life in the US. It's still the biggest, single territory for professional home integration so what can we learn from what's going on there? We talk to John Sciacca a respected industry journalist and influencer, as well as a Principal at home integration company, Custom Theater And Audio in South Carolina, to find out about the trends driving his business.  We're grateful to ou...

The Camellias is a project completed by Indian integrator, Macbee, which swept the board at the CEDIA EMEA Awards 2021, winning Best Home Cinema Level III, Best Documentation and Best Dressed Rack categories. It was also adjudged the 'best of the best' in the world as it scooped the Global Best Home Cinema prize which included entrants from CEDIA's Americas and Asia Pacific regions. In this show,...

How can integrators improve the audio experience in home cinemas? Ben Goff from Cinema Lusso talks us through the areas that get under his skin with advice on how we, as an industry, can do it better.  We're grateful to our series partners AWE Europe, Sony and Distributed by Meridian for their backing. We support Together For Cinema. 

In this episode, we talk human-centric lighting with Hugo Fitzjohn, industry consultant at Filbert Square, and Mark Illingworth, Managing Director at Robinsons Integrated Systems.   What is human-centric lighting? How relevant is it in the home technology space and how far is it a realistic business opportunity for integrators? We're grateful to our series partners AWE Europe, Sony and Distributed...

We take a deeper look at how integrators are showcasing the smart home experience to potential clients in this episode.   We spend time with Tony Edwards from JOOCED and Alan Matthews from Automated Spaces as we learn about two very different approaches to the challenge of how integrators sell what our industry provides. Join us at the JOOCED Experience Centre in Rugby and then at the Automated Sp...

For this show, we're talking to Peter Warren from EAB Homes, Vanessa Leyland from Vanessa Leyland Interiors and David Field from TFF Architects to find out what developers, designers and architects think of our industry.  What do they understand about home integration and the services we provide and what would they like us to do differently or better?  This talk was produced by CEDIA and first bro...

The twin crises of climate breakdown and biodiversity loss are the most serious issues of our time. So, what can, or should, home technology companies be doing to be more sustainable and what steps can be taken to address the climate emergency? In this discussion we're joined by Alex Josling from Seven Integration, Tas Kyriacou from IDS, Chris Turner from Faradite and April Sotomayor from Investor...

In the wake of the pandemic, are we seeing, and will we see, more outdoor AV installations? What are the challenges for integrators? And, how can these best be resolved? We're joined by Greg Howarth from Glo AV and Shaun Hawkins from Smart Synergy to find out more about what's needed when taking high quality audio-visual experiences into the great outdoors for clients. Thanks to our supporters, AW...

In this episode we take a look at window treatments, an area of the home integration industry that continues to see rapid expansion. How do you get started? What are the challenges? And how important can window treatments be to your integration business? To answer these questions, we're joined by two integrators at the top of their game in this sector - Andy Lloyd from Webstract and Agus Murray fr...

We're joined by Stephen Nevison from award-winning integrator, Intuitive Homes, and Jon Schaffer of Lighthouse to take a look at the sometimes thorny subject of design and documentation. How daunting is the design and documentation process for a fully integrated home? What should you include and how does it affect costing, delivering and successfully maintaining a project following an installation...

In Big Cinema, Small Space, Jools Browning from CEDIA Member of Excellence, BrownHen Solutions, and Barry Sheldrick, Sales Director of Meridian Audio, take us on a deep technical dive into a very special project - the conversion of a compact downstairs room into a knockout, ten-seater cinema. What design and engineering skills are needed? How should the room be treated? And how does Meridian Room...

What's involved in designing and building a rack? How should you approach cable and thermal management? And, why does taking the time in rack building pay dividends for your installation and for your business? To answer these and many other questions, we're joined by two rack building experts - Nick Pidgeon of Visualization and Simon Fulstow, Director of multi CEDIA award-winning integration firm...

How big an opportunity is home security for technology integrators? A home burglary happens in the UK every 106 seconds. The Office for National Statistics puts the average cost of a residential burglary in the UK at £3,030, and more than one-third of that is the emotional cost to victims. Experts also agree that we are likely heading for an increase in property crime, driven by economic desperati...

Home integration can be an incredibly rewarding industry but also a pretty stressful one. Many integrators work on their own or in small businesses where it’s difficult to find a work-life balance, especially with work on-site often demanding long hours away from home and meeting high client expectations. Uncertainties arising from the pandemic have made things worse. At least half a million more...

In this show, we’re talking about doing business overseas with Phil Cotton, Commercial Director of Ideaworks, and Rory Hackett, Managing Director of Communitec. How do you manage international projects from the UK? How difficult is it to do that in the current situation? And, what advice is there for integrators challenged with working in another country? The Integrated Home Podcast is supported b...

For this show, we’re talking home technology integrators and electrical contractors. Where are the overlaps and what are the points of difference? Where and why are there conflicts? And, how can the two professions both succeed in the connected home space and benefit each other? We're joined by Gabi Hughes, a home technology integrator and CEDIA member who started out as a qualified electrician, a...

In this episode, presented first as an Integrated Home podcast webinar back in June 2020, we invite four integrators, Andy Bell of Trusted Technology, Naim Cohen of NGC Systems, Adam Raymond of PRZM and Inspire AV’s, Ben Davies to share their thoughts and ideas on how home technology professionals can broaden their appeal to consumers in a post-COVID-19 world. How do integrators engage customers,...

In this episode, we’re joined by Katie Sparrevohn, Managing Director of London and Surrey AV Solutions, and Durgesh Sinh, top man at Nucleus, to talk about clients. How do you deal with them and the voices that have influence over them? What are the challenges integrators face? And, how can professional home technology firms manage budgets, projects and clients to get the best results? We're suppo...

We take an in-depth look at Mulberry House, a luxury six-bedroom, new-build home in Buckinghamshire and winner of a Best Residential Property Award in the 2019 International Property Awards. Co-presenters, Shereen Russell and Jeff Hayward are joined by Peter Warren, Director of EAB Homes, the developer behind this amazing project, and Rob Garrett from integration firm, ARP Smart Homes, to help us...

For this episode, we're talking collaboration. How should home integrators work with developers, clients and other trades? What are the challenges of working collaboratively? What happens when it goes well, and what's wrong when it doesn’t? In the company of Joe Carri, Commercial Director at Prestige Audio and Chris Thorne, Director of residential control and integration specialists, Imperium Buil...

In this episode, we're joined by Stuart Tickle, MD of AWE Europe and Barry Sheldrick, Sales Director of Meridian Audio. We find out the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on suppliers, look at how they're supporting customers during the current crisis and ask how they see the post-pandemic world for home technology integration. What will be the learnings, the challenges and the opportunities? This epis...

In this emergency episode, we look at the financial choices for integrators who are dealing with projects on pause, a vanishing pipeline and bills to pay. Luke Desmond, CEO of Crisp Accountancy, is our special guest to talk us through the grants and loans available and the practical steps businesses should take to access to them. Crisp Accountancy specialise in the provision of advice to SMEs in t...

We're joined by Simon Gregory of integration firm, Cinema Rooms, and Rik Henderson, all-round gaming fanatic and Senior Editor at technology website, Pocket-Lint, to talk about how gaming might change the home technology business in a post-COVID-19 world. The UK is the 6th largest video game market in terms of consumer revenues, after China, USA, Japan and Germany. Approximately 37.3m people in th...

In the second of our COVID-19 special episodes, we talk to Inspire AV's Ben Davies, also the man behind the Smarthomee Group on Facebook, to find out about the impact of the lockdown on integrators and their business. What should be the integrator's mindset? What steps can be taken to help you survive the current situation? And how can you spend your time productively to make sure you're in the be...