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Toronto winters can be long and shivery. Installing a fireplace is always a popular idea yet many urban municipalities no longer permit wood-burning fireplaces due to the emissions they produce. However, gas fireplaces are a viable alternative, which offer many benefits over the traditional wood models.
 
One of the biggest draws of the gas fireplace is that it is so clean. There are no messy embers to deal with, no yearly cleaning of your chimney and no grate to sweep up and empty periodically.
 
The other very convenient aspect of gas fireplaces is that you can turn them on with one click of a remote or with your thermostat. You don’t have to fiddle with matches or paper to get the fire going and you don’t have to tend it to make sure that it doesn’t go out. You just set it to the temperature that you want and let it do the rest. In fact, you can even program them so that they turn on automatically when the temperature drops below a certain level. And, turning it off is just as easy – one click and it’s done.
 
Installing a gas fireplace is also very simply when compared to installing a wood burning one. As long as they are properly vented outside, you don’t have a build a chimney or any other very complicated infrastructure.
 
Lastly, a gas fireplace in your Toronto home means a constant flame for consistent heat – no fluctuations and a more comfortable environment.
 
The cons of having a gas fireplace are clear: a higher cost than that of buying cords of wood and the warm, cozy feeling of sitting in front of a crackling fire with the smokey smell of burning wood. The atmosphere created by a wood burning fireplace cannot be replicated by a gas fireplace, although it does come very close.

Are you thinking of replacing your Toronto garage door? Deciding between replacing it with a manual or electric garage door can be a tricky decision to make. Although there are clear advantages for one over the other – especially given our cold winters, there are other factors that you might want to consider before deciding.
 
Manual garage doors
 
Pros
Spring-loaded for easy opening
Low maintenance
Relatively inexpensive to install
Still work during a power outage
Not dependent on electricity or technology to open/close
 
Cons
Must get out of your car to open the door
Locking and unlocking is sometimes not possible for both the inside and outside
Loud opening
 
Electric garage doors
 
Pros
Convenient – can be opened/closed from your car with a remote
Quiet operation (more sophisticated models)
Has safety features including sensors that stop the door from closing if someone is in the way
 
Cons
More expensive
Require more maintenance
Remotes require batteries
Don’t work during power failures

Home security in Toronto has gone from neighbourhood watches to super-sophisticated computers and cameras that can detect friends from foes and give you far more control over your private sphere when you are away than ever before.
 
Home security used to consist of neighbours watching out for each other. Then came the home alarm system. Pressure sensors that could detect forced entry at various spots in your home including ground floor windows and doors. These alarm system were/are generally monitored and the alarm company will send public security officers to your home as soon as a signal is detected. Next came laser sensors and cameras. Toronto homes that needed more security could have cameras installed – monitored or not. Just having a camera visible would automatically deter would-be intruders.
 
Security pads instead of keys became popular for a while but didn’t seem to catch on as widely as expected although they are still a secure way of keeping your home safe. Now there are also finger print key pads for your doors that will ensure that only those who have registered fingerprints are allowed inside.
 
Today, these same kind of camera home security systems have become incredibly sophisticated. One of the most advanced is the Nest Cam IQ. The next generation of Nest technology has produced a powerful 4K sensor with a 1080p HD camera offering a 130 degree recording angle that can be zoomed in to capture details. It also comes with the Nest Aware software that enables it to recognize faces so that you don’t have to worry each time a relative or friend comes over.
 
Not only does the Nest Cam IQ come with a revolutionary camera, but is also comes with noise a noise cancelling microphone and extra loud speakers. The speakers can address intruders from beyond your boundary line, while the microphone will pick-up their conversations clearly.
 
The best part? You can monitor it easily from your smart device and it is on 24/7 so you don’t have to be.
 
Home security has certainly come a long way and we are fortunate that we have such powerful tools at our disposal for giving us that peace-of-mind.Another very good resource if you are interested in home security is the Home Alarm Guide published by the consumeraffairs.com website. Check it out for more information!

Toronto home security is a big business and the system you choose to secure your home will reflect the level of control you want over what your system can do.Some systems are quite unsophisticated and include sensors and triggers at key entry points and nothing more, while other systems can include multiple cameras and live surveillance depending on your requirements. In the end, the best alarm system solution will be the kind of service that the provider can deliver. Just make sure that the company you choose doesn’t coerce you into buying more security than you want or need and that all costs are disclosed upfront.
 
Some of the factors to consider when choosing a home security system include:
 
Customer service
Equipement options
How easily the company can integrate the system into your home and life
Cost
 
Home security is expected to provide you with a level of comfort and peace-of-mind knowing that your family is safe and your belongings secure. However, a nice perk to having a security system is a lower cost to your home insurance – in many cases, this is not an insignificant amount and can total to a nice sum at the end of the year.
  
Three of the top security systems in Canada include Frontpoint, Reliance Protection and Protect America.
 
Reliance Protection is the only top three providers that is available in all provinces. It has an excellent customer service reputation, but was recently acquired by ADT, so things might not stay that way for long.
 
Frontpoint comes in next only because it is not available in Quebec. In every other respect, Frontpoint is stands out from the crowd. It has great customer service, a three-year warranty on equipment, easy installation and offers the latest technologies. The only drawback is the fact that it can’t provide service is you live in an area that is not covered by cellphone service.
 
Protect America is only available in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia for the moment. But they have competitive pricing and high quality equipment. However, they have very agressive sales people and don’t offer free cellular monitoring.

So, you want to wire your Toronto home? It is certainly one of those options that is still very much in demand in new and resale properties – why? Very simply because while wifi is super convenient, ethernet still has it’s advantages. We’ll explore the benefits of a hard connection for those devices that matter down below.
 
Naturally wifi is what everyone uses – especially to connect their mobile devices. However, when it comes to televisions, gaming or media PCs and backup devices, a wired connection is definitely the better option as it is far more reliable, generally provides much faster speeds and lower latency.
 
The first points we’ll look at is speed – a wired Cat 6 connection can, theoretically, provide speeds up to 10 Gb/s depending the kind of cable you are using. Even a Cat 5e cable can provide speeds of 1Gb/s. Whereas, wifi’s max speed right now is somewhere around 866.7 Mb/s with the new 802.11ac standard. The only problem with the potential for these speeds is the actual speed of your internet connection. If your internet speed is lower than the speed of the connection you are using, then your connection really won’t matter.
 
Ethernet is definitely the way to do for file transferring between devices in your home, however. A wired connection is also best when streaming from a media server.
 
The other big factor to consider is latency – basically the time it takes traffic to get from a device to its destination. Usually referred to as “ping”, reducing latency is very important if you are an online gamer and need those quick reaction times. Otherwise, if all you are doing is listening to music or streaming content, then this aspect won’t bother you as much.
 
Lastly, using a wired connection is generally better because it is more reliable. Simply by its nature wifi is more prone to interference. Dropped signals can be very annoying when you are trying to watch a show or listen to music, more latency can interfere with gaming and lower speeds will affect the overall quality of the information being received.
 
Wiring your Toronto home is still highly recommended as, for now, ethernet connections are still among the best options for being connected at home.

Smart Toronto homes are the way of the future. With advances in what automation can do to improve and facilitate everything in our lives from locking our doors remotely to monitoring who is going in and out, there are gadgets that can answer nearly every want.
 
In the past a wired home was the ultimate in modernity. Now, a wired home is slowly going the way of the dinosaur. While all homes need one hardwired connection for a router or other network adaptor, many don’t even require that with occupants working of their mobile device data plans through WiFi. Now, smart homes are so much more. Here we take a look at four devices that will change the way you live.
 
Curb Energy: Monitoring Device
This nifty device attaches to the inside circuit breaker panel in the garage and monitors real-time energy consumption data for your entire home. It is terrific way to see where your highest energy consumption takes place and helps you to cutdown on energy costs quickly and efficiently.
 
Ecobee 3 Smart Thermostat
Install this in your hallway or living room and let it do the rest. Although it will need to connect to every room in your home, it reads the temperature of every room and then adjusts the temperature to the room you are in so that you don’t have cold spots or hot spots – just a consistent and comfortable temperature throughout. It saves energy and money. The best part – you can control it remotely from your Android or iPhone.
 
Sonos Wireless Speaker System
All you music buffs will want to have this installed as soon as you can in your Toronto home! This clever sounds system allows you to play anything anywhere in your home. As long as you’ve installed the speaker in the desired spots, you can control who hears what from any part of your home.
 
Philips Hue Smart Light Bulbs
Naturally having LED light bulbs are all the rage – energy efficient and long-lasting they have revolutionized the way people approach lighting. However, the Philips Hue Smart light bulbs can let you program them to mimic sunrises and sunset and can even turn different colours according to who messages you!
 
As homes get smarter technology will slowly get woven into every facet of our lives – until we can no longer remember a time we didn’t have some kind of gadget taking care of every need.