Colonial Toyota - Complete A/V system for New Dealership

Challenge

A premier auto dealership in Connecticut was going under a full renovation.  The owner wanted to include a new audio system and digital signage and throughout the sales, service and showroom areas along with a video game room for their “younger customers” in the waiting room. 

Solution

Smarthome was called in during the construction phase working with many of the contractors to make this job happen within the timeline outlined. 

One part of the renovation was to redesign the showroom and the service waiting areas to have a higher end look and feel.  The usual drop ceiling tiles were replaced perforated aluminum tiles.  The owner had a specific request that we didn’t put speaker holes in these ceiling panels for the audio system.  The speakers had to be put behind the tiles, which presented another challenge.  The sound would be dramatically distorted behind the tiles.  Smarthome worked with the manufacturer and sent them a ceiling tile to be tested in their acoustic testing lab in California and create custom cross over circuits which were installed on the 29 pairs of speakers at the dealership.  Those circuits compensated for the effect of the aluminum drop circuit tile. 

Designated employees needed to be able to control the audio system from their computers.  Smarthome installed so these employees could control the volume, stations, etc right from their desks. 

Digital Signage Screens were installed throughout the service and showroom areas of the dealership.  These screens would be used both for customer messages – specials, dealership and community events, etc.  In addition, we also installed a flat panel screen in the service area facing the clients while they are completing their intake survey.  Updates to all messages can be made by the in-house marketing department whether they are on-or off-site and whether the information is on a computer at the dealership or if its held in the cloud.

For their “younger customers”, the owner created two video game rooms - one in the service area and one in the sale area. Both were glassed in rooms, partitioned off so the noise will not bother other clients. Smarthome installed flat panel screens connected to a video game system; colonial Toyota provided NASCAR car bodies for the kids to sit in while they play games.

Smarthome’s installation took a couple of weeks ~ prep time to work with all the other contractors and the speaker manufacturer took a couple of months.