Managing a large estate is never easy. Tack on 2 acres of property and keeping track of the comings and goings of family and visitors becomes nearly impossible. Needless to say, the new owner of a $10 million spec home in Florida was eager for a simple way to monitor and manage his 15,000-square-foot residence, 2,800-square-foot clubhouse and expansive outdoor areas.
Having worked with Stephen Muenstermann and the rest of the systems integration team at Cloudbusters, Inc. on a tech integration project at their previous home in the Midwest, they called on them once again to integrate a complete package of custom technology in their newly purchased abode. The scope of the project was much larger, yet Cloudbusters was confident they could find everything they needed from Snap One to optimize daily conveniences, comforts and safety for the owners just as they had years ago in their last residence.
Stepping into the project right after the home had been prewired, there was ample opportunity to install a wide range of technology. The distance standing between the Cloudbusters headquarters in Crown Point, Indiana to the Florida residence wouldn’t deter the delivery and integration of best-in-class technology solutions.
“This was our first remote project of this scale, but it went without a hitch due to incredible service and support from Snap One,” Muenstermann says. “We were able to order and have products shipped right to the residence, which kept us on schedule and the customer happy. He was able to move into the house and immediately enjoy the technology.”
Still, it’s rare to work on a home this large and so extensively without running into a few hiccups. After living with their new technology for a few weeks, the homeowners felt somewhat disappointed with the third-party surveillance system. “The standard stationary dome cameras we had installed weren’t able to provide the coverage the homeowners wanted. They weren’t able to pan and zoom them to gain a better look at movement in the yard and front gate,” Muenstermann explains. “Bottom line, they wanted to see more and control more.”
Coincidentally, Snap One had just announced the availability of an updated version of its Luma surveillance cameras. The new x20 models had all the features and capabilities coveted by the owner. “Naturally, we offered to swap the original cameras for the new Luma x20 cameras and add a few extras to ensure every square inch of the property would be covered,” Muenstermann continues. “We found the coverage provided by the sophisticated tracking and notification technology of three Luma x20 cameras comparable to the coverage of nine stationary cameras. We could do more with less.”
The Smart Tracking capabilities of the x20 cameras pan and tilt automatically to follow detected people and vehicles, zooming in and out based on the changing target distance. “The homeowner was floored when he discovered he could now make out the details of a person’s face and read the lettering on their shirt,” Muenstermann says. Plus, the owners didn’t need to continually check on the cameras to see what was happening as the Luma x20 cameras send push notifications to the owners’ smartphones when they detect motion. This PTZ camera can also be programmed to follow a certain schedule, for example watching and recording the driveway in the morning as kids are being picked up, or following a designated property patrol route for the rest of the day.
Cloudbusters modified the surveillance system to accommodate the expanded coverage, and within a day or two presented the homeowners with a new-and-improved solution comprising a combination of the original third-party cameras and the more advanced Luma x20 cameras. “The Control4 system made it easy to integrate old and new and have them operate as one unified system,” says Muenstermann. They also tacked on a new Luma NVR, which further enhanced the user experience by recording captured images on all cameras and flagging moments in the video when motion was detected to streamline the review of the recorded footage.
For the most part, however, the owners utilize the advanced analytics of the x20 cameras and Control-4-enabled surveillance applications to keep close tabs on the property. The owners can view camera images in real-time and pan, tilt and zoom them for a better look from the Luma View app, any of the home’s 10 Control4 touchpanels, or the screen of any TV. What’s more, they can choose to view the scene captured by an individual camera or all 32 in a thumbnail format.
The Luma x20 surveillance system has also streamlined setup and configuration for Cloudbusters. Located hundreds of miles from the project, having a way to remotely access the cameras, as well as other technology in the home, was crucial. “In addition to minimizing time and labor to set up the system initially, the integration with Snap One’s OvrC cloud-based remote management and monitoring platform allows us to modify settings and initiate updates from afar,” Muenstermann explains. “NDAA compliance of the x20 products is just the icing on the cake. We and our clients can rest assured that their surveillance system and their privacy are protected against cybersecurity breaches.”
