Basic Electrical Safety

Before you make any electrical upgrades, you want to make sure that you are well aware of basic electrical safety

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Electrical Upgrades: What You Must Know First

Electricity is very much a convenience of modern living; however, if you're not careful instead of being a convenience, it could harm you or someone who love as well as cause damage to your home. Electricity is either dynamic or static. Static energy is usually found on surfaces or generated by contact. Think when a cat rubs against your legs, that is an example of static electricity. Except in extreme and very rare cases, static electricity doesn't pose any serious risks. Dynamic energy, however, can be dangerous if not handled correctly. Dynamic energy is the energy that is present in the wiring of your home.

Any electrical upgrades should be made with the help of an electrician. Why? Well, all forms of electricity have potential for accidents. Almost every form of metal can conduct electricity, and it doesn't have to be in the form of wiring. That includes rings and other jewelry, some eyeglass frames, even things that you wouldn't think of such as your car or house keys. It isn't just metal that conducts electricity, though.

Water and Electricity Don't Mix

One place that a lot of people don't think about where electrical safety is concerned is a swimming pool. If you have a cracked light, you could end up having a severe electrical injury and it could even be fatal. Why? Well, Another excellent conductor of electricity is the human body, probably because the human body is mostly water. Without a continuous path to and from the conductor, electric current can't exist. An electrical circuit is the the two way path from the conductor back to the power source. If you become part of an electrical circuit, you have a good chance of being injured. And it isn't a matter of letting go. Someone trapped in an electrical circuit is literally locked until someone that's grounded properly removes the victim to safety. Our next article will cover electrical injury, for now though, be aware that electricity can be dangerous without an electrician to help.

So remember, safety always starts with you. Make sure you know what you're doing before you try to do any sort of electrical upgrades, or call in an electrician early on.

More information on this topic can be found here.  

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033
http://www.dodgeelectric.com

Why Install a Home Network Part 3

Part three of our series on home network installation explores it's importance where a smart home is concerned.

Home Automation Can Turn on Your Lights from your Mobile Phone | (480) 926-1033

What is a Smart Home?

What is a smart home?  According to this article excerpt from WIKIPEDIA.ORG, a smart home or home automation is: Home automation is the residential extension of building automation. It is automation of the home, housework or household activity. Home automation may include centralized control of lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), appliances, security locks of gates and doors and other systems, to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and security. Home automation for the elderly and disabled can provide increased quality of life for persons who might otherwise require caregivers or institutional care. The popularity of home automation has been increasing greatly in recent years due to much higher affordability and simplicity through smartphone and tablet connectivity. The concept of the "Internet of Things" has tied in closely with the popularization of home automation. A home automation system integrates electrical devices in a house with each other. The techniques employed in home automation include those in building automation as well as the control of domestic activities, such as home entertainment systems, houseplant and yard watering, pet feeding, changing the ambiance "scenes" for different events (such as dinners or parties), and the use of domestic robots. Devices may be connected through a home network to allow control by a personal computer, and may allow remote access from the internet. Through the integration of information technologies with the home environment, systems and appliances are able to communicate in an integrated manner which results in convenience, energy efficiency, and safety benefits." [READ MORE]

Without home network installation, however, it is a lot harder and far more expensive where home automation is concerned, and there is a lot to be said for home automation.

Home Automation in the 21st Century

You're on vacation in the South Pacific. Your home is in Chandler. However, you have a laptop or a tablet PC, so you can check on your home remotely to see that it is okay, from 5000 miles away. Or maybe it is dark, and you want to feel safe when you get home, so how would you like your lights to turn on for you when you get within a block of your home, and the security system to disarm so you don't have to make two trips to get your groceries out of the car. All of this is possible with home automation.

Sounds good so far. But you need to take some steps. First off, you're going to need Internet enabled devices. Next you're going to make sure that everything that's connected has an IP address. And most importantly of all, you need to schedule home network installation today.

For more information on installing a home network, be sure to read part one and part two as well.

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033

Why Install a Home Network Part 2

Part two of our series on home network installation explores the concept of resource sharing.

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Why Installing a Home Network Makes Sense

In our last article we covered some of the benefits of a network.  Improved signal for your mobile phones and handheld devices such as tablet PCs is one big benefit.  However, the benefit that is even more useful is the concept of resource sharing.  Computer networks developed in the business world and public sector because it helps to keep costs down.  Instead of everyone having a printer, have people share printers as resources on the network.  It also allows for sharing of a resource such as high speed Internet connection.

Take a fairly big family for example: a mother, father, and four kids.  All of the kids need access to the Internet for homework, Facebook, and every other thing out there from social media to email.  The mother works from home with her web design company, and the father sometimes telecommutes.  If the Internet connection is only on one computer, however, there are only two options available to them. One option is to spend an exhausting amount of time preparing a schedule that sooner or later someone is going to go over their time on.  There will be bickering and fighting as a result.  The other option is to share the internet connection.  And the best way to do this is to install a home network.  As long as your connection is fairly high-capacity, you wouldn't even need to worry about crimping your bandwidth.  However, an Internet connection is just one resource to be shared.

Home Networks and Printing

Using the example we provided above, buying everyone in the house a printer is expensive. Even if you go cheap and get low-end inkjets, buying that many printers will cause you to lose money in the long run. Why? Well, every single one of them is going to need paper and print cartridges. However, if you have a printer for the home office, and a printer for the kids, then you can share the resources throughout the home. There is another benefit that is not tied to resource sharing for installing a home network, which we will cover in the next article: having a smart home.

So remember, you want to make your home tech-savvy.  It will help you get the latest streaming media such as your favorite TV shows, and allow you to access the Internet.  And to have a tech-savvy home, you need to arrange for home network installation today.

Fore more information on installing a home network, be sure to read part one of this series too.

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033
dodgeelectric.com

Why Install a Home Network Part 1

Part one of our series on home network installation explores the reasoning behind this change in the information technology world.

Install a Home Network Today | (480) 926-1033

Home Network Installation

It used to be that computer networks were things found outside of the homes.  The public sector had them as well as the private sector.  Even twenty years ago, a lot of homes didn't have a computer, much less an Internet connection.  However, nowadays, a connection to the Internet is pretty much required and the purpose that the Internet serves in the home has changed significantly.  Now, an Internet connection is necessary to improve the signal on your smartphones and internet devices, deliver streaming media, as well as the original uses of the Internet, to share information.  But what does this have to do with home networks and home network installation?

Well according to this article excerpt from WIKIPEDIA.ORG: "A home network or home area network (HAN) is a type of local area network that develops from the need to facilitate communication and interoperability among digital devices present inside or within the close vicinity of a home. Devices capable of participating in this network–smart devices such as network printers and handheld mobile computers–often gain enhanced emergent capabilities through their ability to interact. These additional capabilities can then be used to increase the quality of life inside the home in a variety of ways, such as automation of repetitious tasks, increased personal productivity, enhanced home security, and easier access to entertainment. One of the primary drivers behind the establishment of this kind of network is the need to distribute residential Internet access to all internet capable devices in the home. Due to the effect of IPv4 address exhaustion, most Internet Service Providers provide only one WAN-facing IP address for each residential subscription. Therefore most homes require a device capable of network address translation (NAT) that can route packets between the public address visible to the WAN and private addresses of individual devices that share that public address. This router defines the boundary at which the service provider's network stops and the home's network begins. While it is possible for home networks to exist without connectivity to the outside world via a router, such topologies would have limited utility considering the bulk of current home network usage comes from home devices communicating with the WAN rather than with other home devices. [READ SOURCE ARTICLE]

Home Networks

One benefit of installing a home network as covered above is improved signal on a mobile device. This alone makes installing a home network worth it. If you're like most people you probably have areas of your home that don't have the strongest signal strength. Which means you have a good chance of either dropping a call or sounding like your underwater.

So, remember, that a home network is a very good way to share resources, just like its big brothers in the business world. So call a professional for home network installation.

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033
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Your Residential Electrician: Wired For Sound

In our last article, we covered home theater installation.  This article will explore some things to know regarding sound and how you should wire your home for it.

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Speaker Installation and Noise Criteria Levels

Noise Criteria Levels exist for a reason, so you can get your home theater's sound system up to the next level.  When you're installing home theater, be aware of the NC level.  Here is a handy guide, courtesy of WIKIPEDIA.ORG: "

Noise Criteria (NC) are noise-level guidelines applicable to cinema and home cinema. For this application, it is a measure of a room's ambient noise level at various frequencies. For example, in order for a theater to be THX certified, it must have an ambient sound level of NC-30 or less. This helps to retain the dynamic range of the system.^[3] Some NC levels are:

• NC 40: Significant but not a dooming level of ambient noise; the highest "acceptable" ambient noise level. 40 decibels is the lower sound pressure level of normal talking; 60 being the highest.
• NC 30: A good NC level; necessary for THX certification in cinemas.
• NC 20: An excellent NC level; difficult to attain in large rooms and sought after for dedicated home cinema systems. For example, for a home cinema to be THX certified, it has to have a rating of NC 22.^[4]
• NC 10: Virtually impossible noise criteria to attain; 10 decibels is associated with the sound level of calm breathing."  [READ MORE]

One thing you also have to realize is that if you are wiring speakers, you don't want cheap speaker wire.  You may save a bit of money, but  you'll get annoyed when you hear a lot of noise on your speakers that has nothing to do with what you're watching.  You know what we mean, popping, hissing, cracking sounds.

Installing a Sound System for Home Theater: Don't Do It Yourself

A lot of people come to us after they've tried to install their speakers themselves, and they're usually not happy with their sound.  See, it isn't just the wiring, it is the mixer.  If you have low quality speakers connected to a high tech mixer, you're going to have an issue, just as if you have a low end mixer connected to high end speakers.

So remember, get professional help with your home theater.  Call your electrician contractor today.

Read more about home theater installation.

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033

Home Theater Wiring Part 3

Part three of our series on home theater installation explores some final points.  

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Video and Home Theater Installation

There are a lot of choices out there for the video component of your home theater.  So many in fact, it can be more than a bit confusing.  Do you want to get HD, or non-HD?  1080P, or do you want to go lower to save money?  Do you want to get a Smart TV and an Internet enabled device, or just cable and satellite?  Your residential electrician can help you regardless of what choices you opt for, however, to clear up some confusion, here is some information.  

HD is nice, however, be aware that some movies look bizarre when you try to play them in HD.  For example, if you want to watch an old black and white movie, you could find yourself wondering why your movie looks like an old time soap opera from the 1950's?  Next, be aware that your pixel count will determine your picture.  The higher the picture count, the better quality picture you are going to have.  One thing you also have to consider nowadays is whether or not to go with cable/satellite, or go for a high-speed Internet connection and an Internet enabled device such as a high-end Blu-Ray, game console, or internet device such as a Roku.  A lot of customers are cutting the cable nowadays to save money, and it makes good financial sense.  Sometimes cable bills can easily top $300 a month.  A lot of times, people like to watch one show on each of the premium channels.  Nowadays, a lot of people do what is called binge-watching, which means they rent or buy an entire season of a show and watch it usually over a period of a day or two.  The next thing you want to know is where you're going to put your television screen.

Installing Video in Home Theater

First off, you never want to install your television anywhere that glare from lights or windows can fall on it.  For one thing, if the light is too strong, you can conceivably damage your screen.  On a more mundane level, if it is too bright, you're going to have light reflections on your screen.  Ideally, you want your television either recessed into the wall, or shaded from light sources.  

So as you see, there is a bit more to home theater installation than you might think.  

For more information on home theater installation, be sure to read part one and  part two of this series, or one of our earlier articles here.

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033

Home Theater Wiring Part 2

Part two of our three part article series on home theater design explores sound design and soundproofing.

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Home Theater Surround Sound

Surround sound is a home theater innovation.  It immerses the viewer in the film or television show that they're watching.  It is more than just sound, it's also an experience.  However, what a lot of people don't realize about installing it, it isn't just the number of speakers that make the sound come alive, it is also some other factors that contribute to the overall experience.  For one thing, where you place your speakers.

A lot of people that go for a theater in a box solution often don't realize that their sound quality will depend a lot on how and where they place their speakers.  One of our clients, by way of example, installed his home theater and was getting a weird reverberation effect on his sound system.  The reason for this is that he had two opposing speakers facing each other that were only a few feet apart.   We helped him to move his speakers and get them wired into his mixer so he could control the sound level and quality.  Another thing that you have to realize about home theater sound is the room that it is in.

Installing Home Theater:  Location Matters

One thing that a lot of people don't realize is that it isn't just the number of speakers or where they're put that determines the quality of your surround sound, it is also what room the home theater is in.  People that have a lot of room are smart and usually make one room of their home a dedicated home theater.  With the right budget, the walls can be soundproofed which significantly improves the sound level as well as how good it sounds.  If you can't soundproof a room, get an electrician to help you wire it properly, even with a theater in a box.  Why?  Well, if you have wireless speakers and you put them out of range your sound will not work properly.  Inversely, if you put them too close together, the sound quality will go down because of feedback and echo.

So remember, when you want to get home theater, you want to make sure you get not only the right equipment, but the right personnel to help you install it.  So get advice from your residential electrician in Gilbert, AZ.

For more information on home theater installation, be sure to read part one and part three of this series, or one of our earlier articles here.

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033