Whole-Home Technology Discovery Report
A clear plan for the home you just made yours.
This is a sample of the room-by-room discovery Smarter Homes completes before any installation across Austin, Lake Travis, and Lakeway. It shows how we assess the technology already in a home — and where we'd make it more reliable, more private, and simpler to live with — by replacing throwaway consumer gear with professionally managed systems we can support, update, and grow with you for years.
Built to be supported, not replaced.
Most of what's in the home today was designed to be bought off a shelf and thrown away in a few years. We design the opposite way. Four ideas guide every recommendation in this report.
Remotely supportable
We choose equipment we can monitor, adjust, and troubleshoot remotely — so most issues are solved before you ever notice them, often without a truck roll.
Improves over time
Professional-grade gear gets better through firmware and software updates. The system you install this year keeps gaining features and security long after install day.
A managed network foundation
Cameras, TVs, audio, security, the pool and outdoor controls all depend on the network. We treat it as the foundation of the home — designed, not improvised.
Security that does more
A Qolsys / Alarm.com platform isn't just an alarm. It becomes the home's "home & away" brain — able to talk to garage doors and locks now or later, and to run shortcuts for lighting, shades, music, and temperature as those systems are added.
Front & Exterior
Front Elevation & Soffit Lighting
- ·A solar-powered Ring camera mounted above the window between the garage doors.
- ·A Ring video doorbell at the entry.
- ·Roughly 11–12 soffit lights using warm, omnidirectional bulbs that wash light sideways rather than down.
- ·Handsome front stonework with no architectural lighting on it.
- ·ReplaceRemove the solar Ring camera and patch the holes. Solar/battery cameras aren't reliable enough for permanent security.
- ·AddA professionally integrated, always-powered camera or doorbell with better image quality, built for Texas heat, and supported long-term.
- ·AddDirectional, outdoor-rated soffit lamps with a narrower beam so light reaches the ground intentionally — part of a designed Lutron lighting approach.
- ·AddLow ground-level grazing to light the stonework and add depth at night.
Garage Exterior
- ·The same solar Ring camera above the garage-area window — visible, battery-dependent, and not part of a real surveillance design.
- ·ReplaceRemove the solar camera and patch the mounting holes.
- ·VerifyReassess whether a camera is truly needed here, and at what angle.
- ·AddIf coverage is wanted, a permanently powered, integrated camera with local recording.
Front Door & Entry
- ·A Ring doorbell (wiring behind it not yet confirmed).
- ·Aftermarket door sensors, likely tied to a consumer-grade Ring system.
- ·ReplaceSwap the Ring doorbell for a reliable, better-quality entry camera/doorbell.
- ·ReplaceReplace aftermarket sensors with professionally installed security contacts.
- ·AddMove to a Qolsys / Alarm.com platform — so "home" and "away" can later turn off lights, lock doors, and close garage doors automatically.
Front Landscape & Architectural Lighting
- ·No clearly visible landscape lighting in the front beds.
- ·Stonework that's a natural canvas for lighting.
- ·AddArchitectural landscape lighting, including wall-grazing across the stone.
- ·AddTie exterior lighting into a central lighting control system for schedules, scenes, and one-tap "all off."
- ·VerifyConfirm outdoor rating and the right fixtures during the site visit.
Pool & Outdoor Living
Pool Equipment Area
- ·A pool controller that talks over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
- ·Signal strength at the equipment pad is unknown — a common weak spot.
- ·AddA dedicated 2.4 GHz path so the controller has rock-solid connectivity.
- ·AddA wired or mesh access point near the equipment if coverage is weak, and "lock" the controller to it so it doesn't wander between access points.
- ·VerifyTest signal at the pad and keep this slower device from dragging down the rest of the network.
Pool Area Audio
- ·Outdoor speakers already mounted on brackets.
- ·Amplifier and control method unknown.
- ·AddBring the speakers into a modern, app-controlled audio system (Sonos or UniFi audio).
- ·AddMake pool audio its own zone that can play alone or group with the rest of the home.
- ·VerifyCheck speaker condition, wiring, and where the amplifier should live (hardwired when possible).
Outdoor Living Area
- ·A fire table and string lights, likely controlled manually or independently.
- ·AddCentralized control with outdoor scenes — "Evening Entertaining," "Pool Lighting," "Cleanup," and "Outdoor All-Off."
- ·VerifyConfirm the fire table can be integrated safely per the manufacturer, and how the string lights are powered.
Inside the Home
Living Room (off Kitchen)
- ·A modern TV with ARC and existing in-wall speakers.
- ·AddA Sonos Amp with ARC so the in-wall speakers automatically play TV audio when the TV turns on.
- ·AddSet up the living room as its own zone for both TV and music — groupable with the rest of the home.
Kitchen
- ·A pair of speakers.
- ·Undersized under-cabinet lights that leave shadows, plus a dark spot below the range hood.
- ·AddA dedicated Sonos Amp so the kitchen is its own music zone.
- ·ReplaceEdge-to-edge linear under-cabinet lighting, sized to each cabinet, for even task light.
- ·AddLinear lighting under the range hood to kill the dark cooking spot.
Breakfast Sitting / Media Room
- ·Prewired for sound and TV, but only a soundbar is in use.
- ·Appears to be missing a security door sensor.
- ·Attic crawl space above — handy for retrofits.
- ·AddInstall the missing door sensor.
- ·VerifyInvestigate the existing speaker and TV prewire for usability.
- ·AddUpgrade from the soundbar to integrated audio if wiring supports it; the attic gives us a clean path.
Primary Bedroom
- ·Wired for a TV, currently using a soundbar.
- ·Speaker prewire unknown — but likely, given how wired the rest of the house is.
- ·VerifyCheck behind the sheetrock for hidden speaker wiring.
- ·AddIf wiring exists, create a primary-suite audio zone for TV and music.
- ·VerifyConfirm strong Wi-Fi for streaming and control in the suite.
Primary Bathroom
- ·Basic wiring; possible hidden speaker prewire (unverified).
- ·VerifyCheck for speaker wiring; if present, add as its own zone or group with the bedroom.
- ·AddConfirm the suite access point reaches the bathroom (tile and mirrors can block signal).
Additional Bedrooms
- ·TVs that appear prewired, mostly relying on Wi-Fi for streaming.
- ·VerifyCheck each TV location for power, network, and wall-plate condition.
- ·AddCover bedroom clusters with shared, nearby access points — hardwiring TVs where paths exist, rather than leaning on a distant signal.
Upstairs Flex / Ping-Pong Room
- ·Existing speakers and likely full surround wiring, with a TV location.
- ·Tower speakers seen in the video — may or may not still be present.
- ·VerifyConfirm current layout, use, and whether the tower speakers remain.
- ·AddConvert to a Sonos TV/audio zone with ARC; add in-ceiling speakers if the towers are gone.
- ·AddTreat as a key network area with its own strong upstairs coverage — not served from downstairs.
How it all works together.
Beyond individual rooms, four systems tie the home together. Each is designed to be managed, supported, and expanded over time.
Network
- A whole-home Wi-Fi assessment, then access points placed for strong coverage without overbuilding.
- Wi-Fi 6 / Wi-Fi 7 in the areas that matter; a dedicated 2.4 GHz lane for the pool controller.
- Fixed devices locked to the right access point; hardwired connections wherever paths exist.
Security & Entry
- Replace Ring and consumer gear with a Qolsys / Alarm.com platform; add any missing sensors.
- Use "home & away" status to drive automations — lights off, doors locked, garage closed.
- Ready to talk to garage doors and locks now or in the future, plus shortcuts for shades, music, and temperature.
Audio
- Map and test every existing speaker, then bring them into one simple, app-based audio system.
- Separate zones for living room, kitchen, pool, and the upstairs flex space — play alone or grouped.
- ARC-capable amps where TV audio and music should share the same speakers.
Lighting & Control
- Fix the kitchen under-cabinet and range-hood lighting; correct the front soffit beam spread.
- Add architectural landscape and accent lighting at the stonework.
- Centralize outdoor and exterior lighting — and motorized shades — into scenes with one-tap "all off."
Where we'd start.
Everything can be phased. This is the sequence that builds the strongest foundation first, so each later step plugs into a system that's ready for it.
Network Foundation
Assess and upgrade Wi-Fi across the home — bedrooms, TVs, pool, outdoor areas, cameras, doorbell, audio, and controls. Dedicated 2.4 GHz for the pool controller, and hardwiring wherever possible. Everything else depends on this.
Security & Entry
Replace the Ring doorbell and consumer security with a Qolsys / Alarm.com platform, add missing sensors, and set up "home & away" automation logic.
Audio Integration
Bring existing speakers into one simple ecosystem with zones for the living room, kitchen, pool, and upstairs flex space. Verify all hidden wiring first.
Lighting Improvements
Upgrade kitchen and range-hood lighting, add landscape lighting at the stonework, correct the soffit lighting, and centralize outdoor control.
Outdoor Living Integration
Add control for the fire table and string lights, build outdoor entertaining scenes, and confirm outdoor coverage for everything that needs it.
What we'll confirm in person.
This report is based on the walkthrough video. Before final design and pricing, we'll verify the items below on site — wall conditions, hidden wiring, attic access, power, and signal can only be confirmed in person.
Wiring & Infrastructure
Network Discovery
System Design Choices
See what discovery looks like for your home
This is the level of detail Smarter Homes brings to every project across Austin, Lake Travis, and Lakeway — before a single device is installed. Let's start with a walkthrough of your home.