Putting you in control℠
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an integration company?
I'm building a new home; at what stage should I meet with an integration company?
What is distributed audio?
What is distributed video?
Can't I just have my electrician wire my house?
What can I control with a system installed by Access Point Designs?
Is it possible to upgrade my home's wiring without tearing the house apart?
What ever happened to the days of plugging the cable straight into the TV?
What is an integration company? Answer: Many modern homes have various individual “systems”, things like personal computer networks, heating and air conditioning, lighting, a telephone system, cable or satellite television or a home security system to name a few. An integration company’s job is to enhance and simplify the operation of these systems. To accomplish this we at Access Point Designs rely on professional training, experience, and creativity. In the end our goal as an integration company is “Putting You in Control.”
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I'm building a new home; at what stage should I meet with an integration company? Answer: At Access Point Designs we like to be involved in the project as early as possible. We take pride in our ability to design, plan and manage any home integration project large or small. It’s our job to make all of the electronic systems in your home work well together, and we’ve found that it’s possible to prevent most problems by getting involved early in the design process. Like the old saying goes, measure twice, cut once.
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What is distributed audio? Answer: “Distributed audio” and “house audio” are terms we use to describe a system that consists of three main components; speakers throughout the home, a number of shared sources in a central location and a means of control over both the sources and the level of the speakers at selected locations. With a distributed audio system you can easily have your favorite playlist queued up to play throughout the house for your next party, or listen to the morning news in different rooms as you go about your morning routine. Access Point Designs can smoothly integrate any audio source into your system, whether you like am/fm radio, satellite radio, your CD collection, an iPod, iTunes or all of the above.
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What is distributed video? Answer: Nowadays there are usually televisions in many different locations throughout the home. With a “distributed video” system all of those TVs can share the same video sources. For those of us who are in love with our DVRs and TiVos this has become a necessity. For instance, it used to be when I would record the newest episode of my favorite series in the Family Room, I’d be stuck watching it in the Family Room. Now with my distributed video system any recording I make follows me anywhere in the house, I can start that new episode in the Family Room, press pause, and play it from where I left off later in the Bedroom.
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Can't I just have my electrician wire my house? Answer: There’s no doubt your electrician is good at what he does, however, what he does has little in common with the service Access Point Designs provides. Basically we both pull wires through the walls… and the similarity ends there. We put great effort into assuring that our structured wiring procedure will provide you with system design flexibility while preparing your home for the future. We will also spend time with you or your architect or designer to determine where the wires will be terminated.
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What can I control with a system installed by Access Point Designs? Answer: There are so many possibilities it would be easier to list the things you can’t control! Basically anything in your home that lights up or moves can be easily controlled by our systems. The most common candidates are TVs, music, lights, burglar alarms, telephone systems, surveillance systems, window coverings, heat and air conditioning systems and pool/spa systems. The list goes on as we’ve given customers control of things like gas fireplaces, gate or door locks, intercoms and video conferencing systems. And the cool part is all of this can be controlled or monitored remotely via the internet or automated to conform to your schedule.
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Is it possible to upgrade my home's wiring without tearing the house apart? Answer: Absolutely, the install team here at Access Point Designs has had years of experience in what we call “retrofit installation”. With any retrofit installation our team of experienced professionals will come to your home to investigate the situation and inform you of all the options. We take great care to leave as small a “footprint” as possible whenever we’re working in a client’s home. We understand that having work done to your home can be stressful, but you can be assured that Access Point Designs will get the job done right.
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What ever happened to the days of plugging the cable straight into the TV? Answer: A lot has changed in the way we entertain ourselves at home the last few years. Digital technology has completely transformed the way we expect television, music and movie content to be delivered to our homes. At Access Point Designs we anticipate many more changes in the coming years. That’s why we are always keeping up with the newest technologies and the latest gadgets. Admittedly, we’d be into this stuff even if it wasn’t our job, but that’s why we love what we do. At APD we try to keep our clients just close enough to the cutting edge not to need stitches!
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