Blog

You've probably already made it to the store to stock up on the essentials & non-perishable items, as well as made sure you have batteries & candles in case of power-loss.  

We're all great at preparing ourselves for bad weather, but it's easy when going down the checklist to forget about your home electronics.  In light of that, we'd like to give you a few tips on what to do to minimize damage to your system.

Make sure you are prepared for the worst: In case of the need to submit an Insurance claim, make sure you have pictures of your system pre-damage!

High-Winds & Flooding:

• Debris can go flying when high-winds are involved.  Especially if your home is in an extremely high-risk area, you'll want to make sure your windows are covered, and that - if possible - you've moved your electronic equipment as far away from windows as possible.
• Elevate any equipment that's on a floor to protect from water damage.

Lightning:

• If you don't have surge protection on your equipment (Read why this is so crucial), you'll want to make sure you've unplugged the equipment prior to thunder & lightning storms to protect it from any lightning strikes.
• Surge Protectors are great for the unexpected, but even with a surge protector, when you have fair warning you'll still want to unplug everything including the COAX cable from your cable box or satellite box, as those can also lead to surge. 
• Be aware that surges can also occur when the power comes back on!

Loss of Power:

• Remember: Wireless devices do not always mean they don't have wires!
• Be prepared that extended loss of power can reset equipment back to the factory default settings. So, when power returns, items may require a service call to have audio/video and/or calibrations settings reset.  If you find this is the case, please give us a call and we'll be happy to get a field technician out to your house ASAP.

Boredom:

• Remember, lots of entertainment options go out the window when there's no power!  Having battery-powered items (like a Sonos Play 5 or something similar) & battery-powered chargers for small items, such as your phone, iPod/iPad, and Portable DVD player can come in handy, especially when the board games just aren't taking care of the kids! Are your playlists up to date? 
• What did people do before the internet?  No Power = No internet. (Unless 3G is up and running and you have the ability to connect through 3G, make sure you have options for entertainment that's can be used offline)
• Here's a list of offline activities to share with your kids! - please ignore the ones that take place outside!
• To our streaming music fans out there (perhaps you have MOG, Rdio, or Spotify): Be sure that playlists have been downloaded.
• Headphones are always a great resource for during a power outage (as long as your iPod's charged up!), but keeping yourself calm & occupied are always important.  Remember, if your headphones use batteries, to keep extra batteries available.

All in all, it's most important to take care of yourself, family, and friends!  Please stay safe!