It’s been a long, cold and miserably wet Winter for many of us. However, everything is blooming again, Summer is approaching rapidly and homeowners and their families can’t wait to be back outdoors enjoying their garden spaces to the max.
So, what can installers do to tap into this wave of optimism and positivity? Well, now is a great time to connect with new and existing clients and feed into this yearning for getting outside as smart home integrators can provide the services and innovative solutions that will help enhance their outdoor experience.
After all, outdoor entertainment continues to be a major growth category for integrators. According to the latest Professional Smart Home Market Analysis 2023 report by CEDIA, 81% of integrators participating in the study said they now install outdoor entertainment, with the sector highlighted as a significant area for expansion in the year ahead. Those surveyed expected the category to grow by 34% in 2024.
The consumer appetite for inside-outside living that was boosted by various lockdowns during the pandemic years is set to continue. By spending more time in their gardens, people rediscovered their beauty and also appreciated more the benefits that they could provide. This has fuelled an interest in more thoughtfully designed outside spaces, where garden areas can function as additional rooms: versatile, attractive spaces for socialising, entertaining and even partying.
OUTSIDE INVESTMENT
In recent times, clients have shown a willingness to invest in a whole range of features to help them extend hours of use and the enjoyment that an outdoor space can provide. Quick-drying, comfortable outdoor furniture, fire pits, lighting and waterproof pergola roofs and canopies are all now potentially realistic investments. Integrators are well placed to help transform these spaces even more, with a sensory experience that can breathe new life into garden entertainment for their customers, whilst at the same time boosting well-being and mental health.
Primarily, integrators have a growing range of technology options to enhance the outdoor experience. At Snap One, we already offer an extensive selection of outdoor audio products across two speaker brands: Triad and Episode.
The Triad Garden Array is a family of premium, all-weather landscape speakers that are the perfect combination of elegance, sound, and durability. This family includes the unique GA4 Satellite and powerful GA10 Subwoofer speakers, designed to be placed throughout flowerbeds or around the garden, blanketing outdoor spaces with rich, beautiful audio.
Meanwhile, Episode outdoor speakers include a broad selection of landscape, mounted and rock speakers, all-weather soundbars and burial or hardscape subwoofers for great sound and installation flexibility across 8Ohm, 70V or hybrid systems.
At Snap One, we recognise that it’s important to stay ahead of outdoor trends and invest to make sure that our Partners can meet their customer’s expectations and maximise the business opportunity. For this reason, we recently launched Episode Radiance, a completely new outdoor bollard-style solution that combines audio and lighting on a single wire, opening up new possibilities in landscape installation and control.
There is nothing else available quite like Radiance. It’s designed and engineered to enhance not only the entertainment value for customers, but also improve safety, security, and the overall aesthetics of the property.
The range is built on our exclusive, patent-pending technology which combines both an audio signal and a low-voltage lighting signal on a single, easy-to-install two-conductor burial wire. The design of the bollard speaker will allow for a 360-degree radiating sound signature, compared with the more focused directional sound signature of today’s landscape product offerings. Perfect for small to medium-size outdoor environments (<3,000 sq ft) but scalable to suit any size space, Radiance is a modular solution where the lighting can be added to speakers or speaker blanks for flexible placement and usage.
To simplify installation, the full range of bollards within Radiance are designed for 70V amplification. Selectable 70V tap settings allow for detailed tuning and balancing of the sound at each bollard, which means the individual volume can be set while the entire system is adjusted as a whole. The subwoofer utilises a 10inch long-throw woofer mounted in a completely sealed cabinet, allowing for both above-ground (hardscape) and in-ground (burial) installation. The line-up is offered in either black or white finishes to complement a wide variety of tastes and designs. And, for a lifetime of dependable entertainment, each model is finished in a UV-protected finish and IP66 certified.
The lighting installation is just as simple as the speaker. Power for the lighting can be supplied from any off-the-shelf low-voltage transformer, delivered over the same 2-conductor wire used for the audio signal. The patented technology supplies distortion-free audio signals while delivering ample power for the lighting modules. Multiple LEDs in the light module will output up to 300 lumens depending on the setting (path, spot, or both). From wall wash to direct path lighting, the options offer a wide variety of lighting solutions with the simple, classy shape of the speaker working well in any landscape lighting design.
As an additional benefit, the Radiance System does not require any special control programming to operate. Each feature, lighting and audio, are separate functions that can be operated independently without a dedicated control system, or integrated and managed through a control platform, such as Control4, which is a Snap One brand.
GAME CHANGING
By combining audio and lighting into a single, quick and easy-to-install and control solution, Radiance is a game-changer for outdoor spaces. It also gives a great opportunity for every integrator to reconnect with their clients and talk about a new type of solution that can genuinely enhance the outdoor experience. Radiance is available now to Snap One and Control4 Partners in EMEA, so now is the time to act. Existing Partners can learn more at the Control4 Dealer Portal.
For integrators keen to access Radiance and boost their outdoor entertainment options, then become a Snap One Partner today by visiting New Partner Application.
