Mark DiPietro, president of Mooresville, N.C.-based SoundVision, has seen many products come and go in his nearly 25-year career designing and installing custom smart home solutions. 

When DiPietro embarked on building SoundVision’s new 3,150-square-foot technology showroom, he knew it required an enterprise-grade networking solution, like most of his client projects, to ensure reliability for the Wi-Fi connected control system, remotes, TVs, lighting, surveillance cameras, doorbells, window shades, and more. With the many wireless devices used in homes today and the average size of a SoundVision client’s home coming in at 6,000 to 8,000 square feet, he says they have come to rely on Snap One’s network brands Access Networks and Araknis to provide ample coverage and bandwidth along with enterprise-grade reliability.

“For most people, the top concern about building a smart home is the same as it’s always been: they just want it to work reliably every day,” DiPietro said. “Considering that modern home control systems, mobile devices, TVs and countless other gadgets rely on Wi-Fi, a home’s wireless network must deliver adequate speed, coverage and reliability to ensure daily satisfaction and long-term performance. We stress the importance of a powerful home network to our clients, and that’s why we outfitted our new showroom with routers, switches from Araknis and wireless access points from Access Networks.”

Access Networks was acquired by Snap One in 2021. As a long-time partner who made Control4 his primary home control solution, DiPietro knew the company would make sure the products integrate smoothly. After hearing other integrators rave about the low maintenance and high-performance qualities of Access Networks’ wireless access points, he saw an opportunity to improve both his business’ profitability and his clients’ experiences.

“Any time we can integrate a product that reduces service calls and client interruptions, that’s a major win for us,” he said. “So if a particular brand of wireless network components requires fewer resets and produces fewer disconnections, it’s worth every penny. After seeing wireless usage increase dramatically when more people started working from home, along with the rapid growth of HD streaming services, we know network demand is only going to continue increasing, so we use the best available solutions to ensure client satisfaction and minimize service calls.”

When issues occasionally arise, SoundVision relies on Snap One’s Wattbox power products with OvrC remote access technologies to provide insight and remote maintenance capabilities that often eliminate the need to send a technician to the home.

“Once we finish a client’s home, we want them to be able to live in it without interruptions, and without having to call for help on a regular basis,” he said. “With OvrC remote equipment monitoring that provides push alerts and information on power, data and connectivity, we can often fix a problem before the homeowner even notices, and that saves time, money and frustration for both us and them.”

In fact, DiPietro said his company has turned down jobs that refuse to implement professional-grade remote monitoring and networking solutions because of the hassle inferior systems inevitably present. The showroom also uses Wattbox power conditioners and surge protectors, so DiPietro can demonstrate to clients the full breadth of knowledge and expertise that makes SoundVision a top dealer.

The new showroom highlights just about everything a homeowner could ask for, from the latest designer TV sets and surround sound systems to full home control and security systems that integrate door locks, motorized window shades, smart thermostats, automated lighting, and more.