Other than the features you want in your flat screen television mount, the two most important things to look for are the weight and bolt pattern of your television. Wall mounts are built to hold a specific amount of weight, so it’s important to get one that will hold your television so you aren’t enjoying the day with your TV remote in hand … and suddenly your TV falls off the wall. Look at the back of your television to find the bolt pattern. If you don’t know the weight, check on the manufacturer’s website to learn the specifics about your flat screen television.

Hardware

One of the most important aspects of a television mount is the hardware that comes with it. Only use mounts that include lag bolts. A lag bolt will secure the mount to the wall so you don’t have to worry about it falling off or damaging your wall with the weight.

Features

What kind of features are you looking for?

• Tilt: Not all mounts allow the television to tilt, but if your television is going to be mounted at higher than eye level, this is going to be an important feature.
• Swivel: Especially important when you have furniture that doesn’t sit directly in front of the television, the swivel feature allows the TV to be aimed at different areas of the room.
• Level adjustment: A quality mount will allow for level adjustment so you can adjust the mount rather than having to reposition it on the wall. This is especially important when you have parallel lines above or below the TV because a mount that isn’t level is going to create an unequal gap between those lines and the TV.

From usability to stability, make sure your television mount has the strength and features you want, so you can simply sit back with one of your remotes and enjoy your shows without worry.

How many times have you pulled the chain on your ceiling fan a little too hard? It ends up snapping back up into the blades, which can be very dangerous. Other than that, just about everything else in your house is run by remote controls, so why not your ceiling fan? Installing a remote in a ceiling fan is easier than you think.

Safety First

Shut off the breaker going to the ceiling fan before you do anything else. You’re going to be working with the wires, so you need to make sure there isn’t any power going to them.

Install the Receiver

You might have to get creative about where the receiver is placed. Remove the screws securing the fan to the ceiling and lower it down so you can see inside of it. Once you find a place where the receiver can snugly fit, you’ll need to connect the wires.

1. Locate the “hot” and neutral wires going to the fan.
2. Unhook them and connect them to the “AC-in” spot on the receiver.
3. Connect the 3 wires on the receiver to the fan.

Adjust the Remote

Once the receiver is installed, you’ll need to set the frequency of the remote. Simply change the frequency using the buttons on the remote until they match the frequency of the receiver in the ceiling fan. In some cases, remotes can reach areas you don’t necessarily want them to, so if you are installing more than one remote in the house, make sure that they each have a different frequency so you aren’t accidentally operating all of them at once.