How would you imagine your dream future smart home to be? Maybe you’d wake up by surround sound, gentle music from above, shades open to your left, right on cue letting in the sun. You put on your slippers and walk to your closet, the light goes on and a screen greets you with the morning news.

Ask it a question about the weather to help pick the proper attire and a voice answers you, “Good morning, today will be a moderate temperature at 70 degrees, with a low of 63 in the evening.”

You get dressed, wash up and go downstairs. At this time your coffee maker has already brewed your favorite drink and your morning news followed you to the kitchen flat screen. At the corner of your eye you see your sprinkler system has gone on automatically, keeping your garden healthy and green. You eat breakfast, set your security alarm, and head to work with the confidence of having cameras installed all over your property and being able to watch from your smartphone wherever you are.

Think this is technology exists far far away into the future? Thanks to people like Alan Shammah and his team at Creative Vision Tech, this dream smart home can become a reality today. Creative Vision Tech specializes in security and alarm systems, audio and video, and smart home integration. Shammah’s motto is that if you can dream it, they can do it.

Shammah started his tech service business in December of 2013. At that point he had just left his job in IT at a surfing apparel company in Florida and made the move back to his hometown in New Jersey. He was brainstorming a way to put his tech talents to use and that’s when he came up with the idea for his company. 

Shammah, founder and President of Creative Vision Tech, graduated from Rutgers University in 2008 with a major in biology. He grew up in Deal, NJ and thought it only natural to put down roots and start his business there. Creative Vision Tech, however, does not only serve the Jersey Shore area. They also do business in Brooklyn, NY, having crews in both states to be able to both set up and maintain their clients needs in any given area.

A home theater designed and installed by Creative Vision Tech. All aspects of the room are automated.

A motion activated home might sound like a field of land mines to a Shabbat observant Jew. This is something Creative Vision Tech considers when they set up the home’s preferences. Shammah’s team can let the computers know to deactivate by sundown on Friday afternoon and start back up again once Shabbat is over.

Shabbat actually comes with it’s own array of options such as: lights can flicker when shabbat is about to start or has come to an end, you can set timers for electric things like lights and hot plates, and you can even have your house make an announcement when Shabbat is over like, “Shavua Tov, Shabbat is now over,” Either by recording your voice or choosing from the computer's voice options.

A home entertainment system designed and installed by Shammah and his team.

Shammah gave a Shabbat safety tip that anyone can integrate into their homes: a company called Wemo makes an outlet in which you can plug your hot plate (or anything else) into and set a timer through an app on your phone ahead of time. This allows you to rest peacefully knowing the heat source is safely off and will turn back on in the morning when you need it to.

Shammah has built his entire company on his own and surprisingly, without a single dollar going towards marketing.

“It’s all word of mouth,” explained Shammah of his success, “my clients are happy with the work we do and are eager to tell their friends about it. I have had several accounts of new customers saying their friends insisted they use no one else but Creative Vision Technology, and a testimony from a friend is the best advertisement you can get!”

Deciding to leave a set salary and trust in your own entrepreneurial skills to make a living was the hardest part of starting up for Alan.

“It’s all about perseverance, you gotta keep going even when you don’t know where the dollar is going to come from and just make sure you do a good job,” explained Shammah of his experience, “If you do so, people will recommend your business and that’s key.”

To learn more about Creative Vision Technology follow them on Instagram.

Frieda Schweky

Frieda@sephardic.org

Frieda Schweky is Sephardic.Org's official community events reporter. For inquiries and to get involved with our site, please contact Frieda via email.