Security surveillance cameras have grown in popularity for both small business and residential use. Owners can easily monitor their properties 24/7 with peace of mind — and without spending a fortune. They seek professional installers to help plan camera placements, install equipment, and setup a turn-key surveillance system with video feeds. As surveillance systems become more widespread, installers will see this area of home technology as a growing and viable revenue stream.

Metra Home Theater Group’s line of Spyclops surveillance systems offers a variety of styles, features and easy to use technology — making them a favorite among installers and home tech professionals. In addition to a great product, we continually win awards for our top notch technical support and customer service. Our tech team is comprised of top CIs who answer questions immediately. This means you’ll talk to a real person with real field experience in custom integration and home technology. In an effort to educate installers and help with future troubleshooting, we’re featuring the three most common questions and answers regarding Spyclops surveillance systems:

Question 1: Why is my remote viewing app not working? It goes on and off line.

Your feed will work 100% of the time if:

The internet connection to the DVR is running uninterrupted and at high speed, and you have internet of 4G or higher on the mobile device. Keep in mind that video feeds require a lot of bandwidth — if you are attempting to view your feed remotely from a mobile device, make sure you have full reception or are connected to high speed internet. If reception isn’t great, then the video feed may go on and offline. Closing other open apps on your phone that are also using internet will help dedicate your available bandwidth to the video feed (yes — that means you should close your facebook app and stop streaming music). Try this and see if the feed is back online.

Video surveillance systems have become an affordable and effective way for homeowners and small business owners to securely monitor their properties. With the influx of hundreds (if not thousands) of different types of surveillance cameras into the marketplace, how do you know which camera will work best for your needs? Metra Home Theater Group has listed the most important questions to help you choose the best security camera for your home or business surveillance system.

So you want a 4K television. You are not alone. It’s all anyone can talk about on social media. The terms 4K, HDR and UHD are everywhere. At four times the pixels of 1080p, about 8 million pixels, the picture is incredible! Consumers love the latest technology and want 4K televisions in their homes. But before anyone runs out and makes an investment in a 4K TV, here is what you really need to know to make an educated purchase:

Is it Really 4K?

The packaging and store display may say it’s a 4K TV, but is it REALLY? Does it support 4:4:4 color where every pixel in the television gets color info? Read the specs on the television carefully. Unless you can confirm that this is a real 4K TV, you shouldn’t move forward with your purchase.

Does it Have HDR?

HDR is the biggest change to come to television in the last 10 years. HDR aka High Dynamic Range takes the brightness and contrast controls to a radically new level of performance, this provides much greater detail and shading than ever before possible. To purchase a new TV that doesn’t support HDR would be a waste of money. Read the 4K TV specs carefully and look for HDR or High Dynamic Range. If it’s not listed, move on to the next TV!

A homeowner may think they know where their TV should be mounted but it’s up to the experts to guide them with the best decision. Being able to consult the homeowner with your installation expertise adds value to what you do as a professional. Mounting a TV can be a quick and easy way to change the look of any room but there are a few things to consider before any holes are drilled.

Determine the Proper TV Height

Just how high should the TV be? The basic rule of thumb is that the middle of the television should be eye level when seated. This is critical for bedroom TV screens, make sure that you are not looking through your feet or up too high, where you have to move your neck to look up. Since most people spend hours watching TV, mounting a television too high may cause neck strain. If your television must be mounted high, use a tilt mount (AS-TX86) to reduce neck strain by tilting the screen downwards. Be careful not to mount too low, as this will cause you to get tired and lethargic as you will be blocking airflow in your neck as you look downwards for a long period of time.

When setting up a home theater system with a new 4K Ultra HD television, one our customers came across the following message on their TV’s display:

“For optimal picture quality, connect your 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player to a Television that supports 4K Ultra HD with High Dynamic Range.”