The Essential Tech for Today’s Kitchen
In most homes, the kitchen is the central hub of the house. It’s where people eat, chat on the phone, go over weekly schedules and talk with friends. Often people spend as much or more of their waking time in (or moving through) the kitchen than any other part of the house.  So why is it also often the last room to be outfitted with new technology?

Anyone’s lifestyle can be greatly enhanced with entertainment, communications and convenience technologies integrated into the kitchen.  Some of the most basic elements include video and audio. Wall mounted TVs and in-ceiling speakers allow people to enjoy entertainment in the kitchen without it taking up valuable counter space. Home automation systems, complete with wall-mounted touchpanels or keypads allow easy control over home systems like lighting, temperature and security. Internet-connected devices, such as iPads, let you research information, keep track of family schedules and communicate with others, all without leaving the kitchen.

Television

When many people think of television in the kitchen, they think of those old portable TVs with antenna’s sticking out of the top sitting on a kitchen counter. Those days are gone. TVs in the kitchen can be as good as the TVs in the rest of the house, and a skilled integrator can easily rout your cable, satellite or FiOS service to any location you like.

The trick with a good kitchen TV is in how it’s mounted. You won’t want a flat panel TV on the kitchen counter, and most kitchens don’t have a lot of free wall space for fixed wall mounts—plus, a fixed wall mount may not be visible from all parts of the kitchen. An articulated mount with a long arm allows you to position the TV for viewing anywhere in the kitchen.

Audio

An FM radio, that allows you to keep up with news, school closings and light music, may be a standard in most family kitchens, but that’s so old school. A real connected kitchen needs to be included in a multi-room audio system. Speakers mounted on the ceiling will stay out of everyone’s way, while a dedicated touchpanel or even a smart phone can connect to the system for selecting music and other sources. Sources can include iTunes, Internet radio stations, CDs or even old-fashioned FM radio.

Internet

Next to the home office, the kitchen is the most natural location for Internet access, but laptops get dropped off tables, spilled on or worse. A wall-mounted iPad provides all the Internet connection you could want—for news, recipes, Twitter updates … while being safely out of the way.

Security

The kitchen is also the perfect place from which to have access to your security system, specifically for viewing security camera footage and system status. Want to know if someone is coming to the front door? A TV or, touchpanel or iPad can be integrated with a security system to allow you to view whatever you want or receive alerts.

Control

As the hub of the home, a kitchen should also have access to the home’s control system, allowing easy control of things like window shades, lighting and thermostats. Many systems allow integration of family calendars, so weekly planning will be a breeze.

by Grant Clauser . feature photo by Michael Sculco

Related: audio, control, flat panel TV, FM, Home Automation, integration, Internet connected HDTV, iPad, kitchen, lighting, Michael Sculco, music, security, TV kitchen TV, michael sculco, office kitchens, mount tv in kitchen, kitchen mounted tv, kitchen house phone, pictures of tvs in kitchens, tech enhanced kitchen, mutfak tv, green hub kitchen

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