THE CHALLENGE:
The homeowner wanted to maintain a contemporary design throughout his home while incorporating technology to simplify control. The lighting, shading, and AV systems needed to blend effortlessly into the fabric of the home, and only be noticed while in use.
THE SOLUTION:
AV integrator SmartTouch USA collaborated closely with the architect and lighting designer to create a cohesive design that would match convenience with style. Crestron Home® OS was the solution of choice to provide the homeowner and his family one simple user interface that ties all the home automation technology together.
THE TECHNOLOGY:
Crestron Home controls everything in the residence including the lighting, shading, and audio control from user interfaces such as the Crestron Home app from a tablet or Crestron touch screen. The home features a surround sound system within the family room and dedicated media room, bringing home entertainment to the next level. The home audio is a mix of small aperture speakers, ceiling speakers, and large speakers-all of which roll up to the Crestron Sonnex® audio distribution platform.
Crestron Home makes it simple to set lighting scenes and adjust multiple fixtures at once. Instead of going from switch to switch, the homeowner can control an entire zone in the house and turn everything on or off with one press of a button. For added control, nearly every inch of the home can be controlled with the press of a button using the wall-mounted Horizon® Keypads. Similar to the lighting control, Crestron Home adds another layer of convenience with shading control, allowing the homeowner to open or close multiple shades with a single touch.
The homeowner is able to combine lighting and shading levels to create customized scenes for any time of day or event.
Crestron Home was a new solution on the market at the outset of the project, but the SmartTouch USA team was confident they could effectively deploy the Crestron system - after all, they’ve had great success with Crestron solutions in the past. Crestron Home is a system that allows the team to take advantage of near-monthly updates and add features to the system to improve the experience within the home.
RESULTS:
The homeowner is extremely happy with the system and the ease of use that Crestron Home has brought to the family. Audio quality throughout the home is unmatched due to the strategic placement and consideration of the home’s unique features.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
