What is the Best Way to Bring Smart Technology into Your Home?
Find Out Which Features and Products Make the Most Sense
Getting behind any new emerging technology can be intimidating. How can you decide which products or companies to trust? The act of even figuring out what technology you’d want to bring into your home can be tricky. Since “smart technology” has become more affordable than ever and exploded onto the scene over the past five years, we’ve had a lot of clients throughout Winter Park, FL and the surrounding areas reach out wondering what all the fuss is about.
It’s a conversation that can go in many different directions depending on each family, but there a few things we tend to cover often. None is more common than the DIY vs. professional debate, which we’ll address in the first part of this blog. The goal is to help our clients get a comprehensive home automation solution, rather than a smart home with different devices that don’t communicate well.
Smart Home vs. Smart Home Automation
How can you differentiate between a smart home and smart home automation? Every home that has a connected device – it can be wireless speakers or a thermostat—can be considered a smart home. The primary challenges of a DIY approach are finding the right devices, making sure you have the proper network bandwidth, and getting everything to work together. Sometimes, installing these smart devices isn’t as easy as advertised, so we get a lot of frustrated calls from clients needing help setting everything up. Even if all goes well, you could end up with ten different apps you have to deal with on a daily basis to get your technology to work.
Getting the most out of smart technology requires a professional to ensure all devices are correctly installed and communicating efficiently. You can accomplish this by placing all your smart devices within a home automation system like RTI or Crestron. After consolidating everything, you’ll be able to manage all your technology through dedicated touchpads, mobile apps, voice control and more.
The Best Home Automation Systems
Making the upgrade to a home automation system is the first step. Eventually, the question becomes: which automation company should you be working with? No two homes are the same so the answer will depend on your budget and priorities. The two primary companies we work with are RTI and Crestron.
RTI
Of the two options, RTI offers a more entry-level solution. For those that want to start small, you can go with one of their remote controls to bring automation to one room—typically a home theater or media room. Those that want to upgrade to a full-home approach can get customized control of lighting, climate, entertainment, and more from an app or touchpad. Have a particular brand you like? Expand your smart home with one of RTI’s 100 certified partners.
Crestron
Even high-end brands like Crestron have become more affordable in recent years. As the industry leader, Crestron is compatible with more than 1,000 smart home devices so you can incorporate almost anything you have in mind.
Very few companies offer as much hardware as Crestron does, which is why we use them in so many of our projects. An entire home automation system can be designed using Crestron products—including audio equipment, speakers, thermostats, and motorized shades—so you don’ have to pick and choose from a wide range of brands.
Not only that, but Crestron’s software allows for more customization than any other system. This software lets you choose exactly how you want to control your technology whether you’re using a mobile app, dedicated touchpad or smart remote. If you start small and want to expand in the future, Crestron makes it easy to add on to your system.
Do you want to learn more smart home automation? I’d love to help you find the ideal solution for your space so you can take full advantage of the latest smart technology. Just reach out by filling out our online contact form or calling 407-448-9500.
