With today’s influx of home technology innovations, there’s plenty that a home can do, but for Mattera AV Design, an AV specialist and smart building consultant in New York, it’s how a home does those tasks that makes all the difference. On a recent project, the firm’s clients were owners of a breathtaking Lexington Avenue penthouse in New York who love to entertain and didn’t want a plethora of apps on their smart devices.
“They questioned if a smart home is truly smart if there’s an endless array of apps for which you have to constantly change the settings,” says Joe Mattera, owner of Mattera AV Design. “They were frustrated by that experience in a previous home. It wasn’t at all what they envisioned when they pictured their home as smart. We immediately showed them how intelligent and responsive a home can be with the right system — RTI.”
In this home, “smart” means being able to hit a one-button scene from a touchpanel or smart device and have everything in the room change accordingly, from adjusting the lighting, shades, and temperature to turning on the music or selecting the gaming source. The company installed Lutron HomeWorks lighting, Lutron Palladiom motorized shades, and an eight-zone, whole-home audio distribution system featuring a Sonos music streamer and Sonance VP68R ceiling speakers. Audio extends to the outdoor terrace, playing over eight KEF Ventura all-weather outdoor speakers over four audio zones.
The media and game room is an entertainer’s paradise, complete with an Apple TV, cable box, and two of each gaming system: PlayStation5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch — one for each of the two displays in the room, which are a 65-inch LG model and a 55-inch Samsung Frame display. The sound system includes an Episode 550 Series soundbar and Triple Series subwoofer and a Denon AVR-X2700H. Likewise, the primary bedroom was outfitted with a 65-inch LG OLED display with Episode 550 Series Soundbar, Episode Triple Series Passive Radiator Subwoofer, and a Denon AVR-X2700H AV receiver. Sources include an Apple TV, cable box, PlayStation5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. In both rooms, video and audio can be controlled from an RTI T2x remote control.
As entertaining is a key aspect in the homeowners’ lifestyles, it was important for the system to require as little manually activated control as possible. Knowing that the owners did not want to be constantly adjusting settings, Mattera AV Design created scenes to automate the “moments” — from outdoor entertainment, to gametime, dinnertime, and more.
“They became big fans of scenes,” continues Mattera, “pressing one button to do it all.”
The RTI system manages and automates every part of the smart home to bring the homeowners the very best experience. An RTI XP-8v control processor is at the heart of the system with a dedicated RTI KA8 on-wall touchpanel placed in the kitchen/dining room for a centralized and convenient control, especially important when entertaining.
Two RTI AD-8x audio distribution systems deliver audio throughout the home while an RTI CP-16i audio amplifier further boosts the audio signal to the outdoor zones. For networking, the home relies on an Araknis Networks 310-Series gigabit VPN router, 310 Series L2 managed gigabit switches, four 510 Series indoor wireless access points, and two 700 Series outdoor wireless access points.
The homeowners can effortlessly control their home using the RTI touchpad or from their iPhone or iPad via the RTI Control app. They particularly appreciate the Lutron HomeWorks integration into the RTI system. Should they adjust a lighting or shades setting directly from the Lutron Connect app, RTI automatically recognizes the change and recalls the new levels into their scenes accordingly, eliminating the need to call Mattera AV Design when changes are needed to the system.
“The homeowners love that RTI gives them confidence that everything just works,” says Mattera. “It’s seamless, easy — and smart.”
For more information, visit https://rticontrol.com/.
