Month: November 2019

Pepco providing rebate on Nest Thermostats for a limited time only

Posted on by HMS Blogger

From now until January 1, 2020 Pepco is offering customers a $100 rebate for the purchase of Nest Thermostats.  The details can be found at the site below but the bottom line is if you live in a qualified zip code, you can purchase up to 2 Nest Thermostats from any Maryland retailer, complete and submit the form at the site below and submit the form within 60 days you will receive the rebate.  You can see if your zip code qualifies for the rebate at Pepco’s website.

https://homeenergysavings.pepco.com/sites/default/files/public/Pepco_Smart_Thermostat_Brochure.pdf

For installation services or consultation before purchase please contact info@hittmediasolutions.com.

What’s the deal with Netflix dropping service to older devices?

Posted on by HMS Blogger

Streaming Service Discontinued

You may have heard that Netflix will be discontinuing streaming service to older legacy equipment from Roku and Samsung beginning on December 1st.  While Netflix hasn’t provided a definitive list as to which models will no longer work they do maintain a a list of compatible devices here https://devices.netflix.com/en/ .  The devices that are expected to impacted can be found here on Lifehacker https://lifehacker.com/these-devices-will-lose-netflix-support-on-december-1-1839667351 .

What to do

So what can consumers do about it?  The Roku’s will need to be replaced with a compatible model or replaced by a competitors offering.  If your Samsung smart TV is effected you can still stream Netflix with a compatible player connected but will no longer be able to use the Netflix app bundled with your smart TV.

 

Nest Thermostat – Is it worth it?

Posted on by HMS Blogger

Nest Thermostat – pretty toy or useful device?

 

If you’re considering the purchase of a Nest or any other smart thermostat you’re likely faced with a few questions the first of which is questioning the value received vs. cost to purchase.

Nest’s sleek appearance and design will fit in well or improve the look of any home the question is will it save me money or when can I expect to recoup my initial investment.  The idea is through artificial intelligence and data you provide the Nest will learn your patterns and predictively respond and therefore improve energy consumption and power efficiency.  The ease of use, the reliability of operation, the convenience provided by the device or the integration opportunities with other smart home technologies can not be questioned. Nest estimates the average home energy savings to be on the order of $131-145 per year.  Assuming this to be accurate that means the initial cost for a Nest thermostat will pay for itself inside of two years even without energy rebates, which are offered a couple of times per year.

While the smart thermostat is getting increasingly crowded Nest remains the market leader over 7 years later and with the power of Google behind them this is not likely to change.  Nest maintains this advantage by being exactly what you would want from a smart thermostat…a set and forget device that doesn’t over complicate cooling and heating your home.

 

If you would like more information please contact us at info@hittmediasolutions.com.

 

Ask me how to improve your home WiFi

Posted on by HMS Blogger

Importance of solid WiFi performance

 

 

We all know unreliable WiFi is no fun, literally, streaming services buffering or timing out, gaming systems that won’t connect or the inability to work from home just won’t cut it.  Regardless of your Internet provider there are multiple ways to overcome poor WiFi performance but some options are better suited for certain environments than others.  While hardwiring connections is still preferred where possible if for no other reason than to help free up already overloaded WiFi connections mesh WiFi systems have come a long way.  Unlike traditional extenders mesh WiFi systems don’t divide your bandwidth and often come with bundled options that extenders just can’t provide.  Clean management dashboard, parental controls, advanced security and (at least from most models) clean aesthetics suitable for any home. 

 

If you’d like more information please contact info@hittmediasolutions.com. 

 

From the desk of HMS

Posted on by HMS Blogger

Musings from HMS

From time to time we’ll be posting blog entries here providing technology tips, limited time offers, reviews and anecdotes about our interactions and experiences working with technology in the field. 

The topics will be organized around “Ask me how” relaying tips for how to better utilize technology already in your home, “For a limited time only” pertaining to promotional offers from companies including our own that you may not be aware of, “Is it worth it” reviewing different products to determine is the cost justified given the convenience a given product provides and finally “What’s the deal with” which will cover news about companies and products.