Home automation allows homeowners throughout the country to live with far more conveniences than ever before. In addition to being able to remotely control the comfort of your home, you can also make your home safer with security automation. Smart home security automation has numerous benefits and can incorporate a number of options into its design.

However, if you don’t understand how to utilize these features you may not be using your system safely or at least to the best of its ability. To ensure that you are getting the most from your home automation security system, be sure to consider the following tips.

Are you going on vacation and leaving a pet behind? Naturally, you want a pet sitter you can rely on. However, what if an emergency occurs or they are late? Be alerted by setting up a no-show alert so that you’ll be notified by phone or mobile device if they don’t show up. This is also a good idea to set up if you are home and there is a solicitor or sales person at your door that did not have a previous appointment.

As the weather begins to warm up, it’s easy to forget that you’ve left a window open. With contact sensors added to your window, paired up with the Sensor Left Open alert, you’ll be notified if they are left ajar at night or when your home is unoccupied.

With the integrated Amazon Echo, you can arm your system and manage all connected devices simply by stating a command aloud. You just need to invest in the Amazon Echo, and then download the Alarm.com Skill Alexa app on your mobile phone to start using this excellent feature.

This is the final post in our four-part series, "The Secret Guide for Super Moms” — tips, tricks and hacks for busy moms who need to know everything that’s happening in their house.

If you believe Pinterest, every home repair or improvement project can be a do-it-yourself job. Apparently, if every blog is to be believed, moms and dads around the country are remodeling bathrooms, rebuilding old houses and refurbishing vintage furniture -- and they do it all the time! And they look great doing it! And they have plenty of time to take lots of photos!

Maybe some people really are able to do it all (and write about it, too). Most of us are too busy and simply don’t have the training to do more than the basics around the house. When it comes to potentially dangerous repairs, a super mom knows that she needs a professional. When the time comes to fix, rewire or repair her home’s electrical needs, she knows she needs an electrician.

Electrical wiring is complicated and can be dangerous -- and it's tough to spot signs you need an electrician. An amateur electrical job may cause poor wire connections, overloaded circuits or faulty grounding. These situations are hazardous to you, your family and your property. While it may be tempting to try saving money by doing it yourself, or trusting your spouse or a friend to help, you're better off spending the money to have the job done right.

Let's take a fairly common scenario: your fuses keep blowing, or your circuit breakers keep tripping. Yes, you can keep replacing the fuses, but do you know whether they're the right type? Screwing in a 20- or 30-amp fuse as a replacement for a 15 is tempting—no electricians needed, right?—but now you've created a fire hazard by overloading your wiring. The smarter move: call a professional, certified electrician to wire a new circuit.

Like fuses, circuit breakers are meant to prevent circuit overload and the risk of fire, but we use much more electricity than people of our parents' or grandparents' generation. As you upgrade and add appliances and gadgets, you may need to upgrade your circuit breaker panels to adequately supply your home with power. Hire an electrician to do the job, not your brother-in-law who swears he did the same kind of work in the navy. The work is extremely complicated and should not be attempted by an amateur.

Looking to jazz up your yard for this season’s summer festivities? A little outdoor lighting can go a long way! From fancy patios to tree-lined country yards, the right outdoor lighting can help you meet an array of needs, including illumination that makes tasks easier, sets the mood, and keeps your family and guests safe.

Cooking and entertaining festivities held outside after dark need lighting that is convenient and safe. Practical and economical, wall mounted lights can meet an array of needs, providing focused task lighting for…

Carriage lanterns can help define patio and walkway edges, lighting the path to doors and entryways and illuminating obstacles such as stairs and garden beds.

Parameter lights offer form and function, adding a decorative element, but more importantly, when properly placed at key points in your yard, add guidance to entry and exit points on your property.

Mixed lighting can create a truly magical effect throughout your property. Professional installation can save you time and money, conveniently planning and tapping into preexisting electrical lines.

To easily control brightness levels according to time or mood, you may wish to consider adding dimmers to newly installed or existing outdoor lighting.

Make plants and landscaping pop with LED illuminated planting pots. Far from the average run-of-the-mill flower pot, these amazing lights not only make plants pop, but radiate high level outdoor light, making them an excellent choice for walkways.

Not just for holiday lighting anymore, string lights can add sparkle and mood to any outdoor setting, such as trees, pergolas, arbors, posts, and furniture. They are also very effective when used to line railings, guiding guests along walkways.

From classic outdoor camping lanterns to fun craft finds, suspending lanterns from trees with fishing line can bring romance and magic to outdoor entertaining spaces. Battery operated or real tea lights make illumination a breeze, just be sure to keep candles a safe distance from leaves.

When choosing fixtures and bulbs for outdoor lighting options, consider energy saving LED options, which use up to 85 percent less energy than incandescents and up to 50 percent less energy than fluorescents. Hate changing outdoor bulbs? LEDs last more than 10 years on average - that's 25 times longer than incandescents and 2-5 times longer than fluorescents.

Solar lighting options are also an excellent choice, converting and storing the sun’s energy and coming in a variety of types and uses, including wall-mounted, lamppost, security lights, and lanterns. Be sure to check “nightly run times” on product labeling to ensure you have enough sunlight for operating solar lights in your area. Feeling crafty? Make a few solar decorative lights of your own.

Adding outdoor lighting to your property can be fun if it’s done properly and safely. Some installations may require running underground electrical cables, additional wiring within the walls of your home, the installation of fixtures, proper GFCI outlets, and more. Ensure all outdoor home electrical work is installed properly and safely by a licensed professional, using UL listed, weatherproof, safety compatible materials and devices.

Transform your space and take full advantage of your time outdoors. Contact Mr. Electric® and brighten up your yard with the latest in outdoor lighting today.

You may be getting tired of having to unplug this to plug in that or walking around trying to find an extension cord long enough to use your laptop in your favorite chair when it is dead. Everything we do somehow involves electricity and when the electricity isn’t dependable or easily accessed, things can be difficult. For some, the problem is their home was build 30 years or more ago and back then, builders didn’t have to worry about putting six outlets in the kitchen or several outlets in one spot in the living room to accommodate all of today’s gadgets. Today, when you try to run the microwave and coffee maker at the same time, you get a tripped breaker. Your electrician in Beverly Hills can help you with that. You only need to call The Electric Connection.

The reason you can’t use several appliances at the same time is because the way the outlets were wired to the same breaker. The breaker cannot support the electrical demand. When you look at the basic number of outlets in the living room or your bedroom, it is the same story. A Beverly Hills electrician explains each of those outlets and the light fixture in the room tend to be on one breaker. Trying to add more outlets or a powerstrip to create more outlets is going to overload the breaker and it will trip.

Regular tripping breakers weaken overtime and will eventually not work altogether. You can solve all of these problems by having your electric panel upgraded by an electrician. Beverly Hills homeowners will love the freedom more electricity brings. Charging devices, running appliances with the lights on and living life in the 21st century is possible with an upgrade. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your appointment.

At Expert Electric we often get calls from our customers requesting chandelier installation. A chandelier is a great lighting option. Adding a new chandelier can do a lot to change the look and feel of a room. It adds style to your home while lighting effectively. A chandelier is basically a beautiful piece of illuminated art. The installation of a new chandelier will vary with the type and size you choose and the location it is to be installed in. Choosing the right chandelier is a very personal choice. But whatever chandelier you choose, your electrician, in almost all cases, can install it for you.

Ceiling Heights and Chandeliers