Smart home control technology keeps moving forward rapidly, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up with it. What's driving this rapid change? The same advances that have inspired so much innovation in our mobile devices — inexpensive, powerful processors, cloud-based software applications and artificial intelligence — are bringing more intelligence to home functionality than ever before.

With the huge CES consumer technology show in January, we are bound to see more new innovative devices and systems for home control and automation that everyone will be talking about for the next few months. We can expect to see more intelligent coffee makers, refrigerators, sprinkler controllers, and washing machines — as well as many other devices that may leave you scratching your head. More importantly, though, many of this year's advances will come with devices and technology that are already available, but their functionality and ease of use will get so much better that we will ultimately depend on them as much as our smartphones and computers. If smart home control and automation weren't already mainstream, we think that 2019 is the year that it becomes so.

At the start of the new year, we’re going to highlight the smart home control developments you’re likely to see in 2019. As you plan your projects for 2019 in Lake Oswego, keep an eye out for these — your clients will likely be asking you about building them into their homes.

You have amassed quite a CD collection over the years. Unfortunately, those 500 CDs do take up a bit of space. And finding the one you want is sometimes a challenge unless you have them all exquisitely organized. While you enjoy the full uncompressed sound quality of CDs, you will admit that the convenience of calling up almost any track on Spotify or Apple Music and streaming it to a wireless speaker is just easier — even if it’s not the last word in audio quality.

Perhaps you are wondering if there is a way to have the convenience of streaming and digital files along with the pleasure of playing that live concert or jazz CD that is difficult to find on Spotify. And you are picky about audio quality, not wanting to sacrifice the aural experience for convenience.

Well, you are in luck. There are such products that combine the convenience of digital sources with superb sound quality. One such product comes from Marantz, a storied audio brand that is perhaps best known these days for their exemplary AV receivers, which we recommend for home theater installations. But Marantz has also continued to make audiophile-grade two-channel stereo components, from affordable lines to the Reference line that competes with the best in high-end audio.

One of Marantz’s best all-around products is the ND8006 music player. If you need a complete digital upgrade to your two-channel audio rig in Portland, this unit does it all. Read on to learn more.

Professional photographers obsess about optimizing the lighting in their pictures. If a photo shoot is outdoors in natural light, the amount, the shadows, and the exposure are all critical to getting great shots. Indoors, photographers use different types of flashes, or they use specific lighting for posed pictures. 

Think of your home as a photo shoot.  With the right lighting, you can set just the ambiance you want—for cooking, eating, relaxing, entertaining, sleeping or any other endeavor. But beyond making it bright or dark enough for an activity, the right lighting can highlight the aesthetic appeal of your living space. 

What’s the best way to do that?  A Control4 lighting system can set just the right scene, deftly blending light and shadow just like a professional photographer. Read on for ways to make your home look like a perfect lit composition, day or night.

When you order a sandwich, you’re probably very specific about what goes on it. You take care to select whichever protein, veggies, cheese, and condiments fulfill your taste, lifestyle, and health goals. When your order is wrong, it’s disappointing and can be a mess to fix.

The same can be said about customizing your home, except the stakes are higher. And when it comes to the technology in your home, choosing a system that suits your tastes, lifestyle, and, yes, even your health goals can make all the difference when it comes to your quality of life.

Simplify and enhance your life at home with a platform that is completely designed around your needs and takes personalization and control to the next level. In a Control4 smart home, all your home technology works in harmony to create safe, convenient, and entertaining environments are all-encompassing. The press of a button, or a simple phrase, can set in motion an entire scene orchestrating and automating all the technology in your home.

What exactly can Control4 do for you? Keep reading to find out.