What is a Smart Home?

The term "Home Automation" or "Smart Home" means different things to people. To Hollywood, it represents a home in which a super-smart computer or Artificial Intelligence controls every electronic device in your home. This electronic system is then programmed to ensure that the house is self-sufficient and has an almost psychic ability to attend to your needs. We are not quite there yet, but your home should be smarter and be working for you...instead of the other way around.

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Components of a Smart Home

Therefore, we find the definition of these terms usually depends on your industry knowledge. Yet, what if you are just starting out? Common definitions of a Smart Home or Home Automation include:

• Climate control
• Lighting control
• Motorised devices such as garages or shades
• Environmental and energy management systems
• Security systems (including cameras)
• Whole home audio (playing different music in each room)
• AV devices (including TV and video game monitoring and control)
• Intercom

You may already have a few of these devices in your home. The real question is whether each system has its own separate interface. In addition, can any of the systems communicate their status? Our aim at 4Home Control is to bring all these separate and isolated systems together. Automation to us is primarily about centralizing control of separate systems. Once centralized, your home can work smarter, controlling Lighting, Climate, Music, Safety, Security, Theater and More.

Imagine the following scenario:

• Whenever you leave your home and arm your security system, climate control and lights will turn off to save energy.
• Blinds and awnings can open and close automatically at sunset/sunrise. Even better, they open and close depending on the time of year and direction they are facing. This means blocking out the summer sun, but allowing the winter sun.
• Have lights come on automatically when you enter a room and turn off when you leave the room a few minutes later.
• Wake up at a preset time to your favorite music or radio station. At the same time, the blinds or lights will start to open up. A few minutes before all this, climate control will turn adjust to ensure you wake up to a comfortable room temperature.
• One single remote replaces the 4 or 5 currently in the home theater.
• You can control devices from remote locations – including when you are out of the house or on a trip.

This first step in a Smart Home is to get all systems to talk to each other. Once achieved, you can add an amazing list of automation tasks or "smart behaviors" to your home. With the assistance of 4Home Control, Control4 brand products can increase the level of comfort, convenience and safety within your home.

What are the benefits of using Control4?

Control4 is a line of products that act as the glue between the various electronic products in your home. They facilitate the transfer of information between systems in order to make your home smarter. The aim is to take the hassle out of controlling these separate systems and ensure you have more time to enjoy your lifestyle.

Would you find it easier to control one universal system rather than multiple self-contained systems? Consider the practicality of not having to walk to another room to turn off the lights. What about the ability to adjust climate control without using the thermostat on the wall? Once the electronic devices in your house talk to each other, you can do exactly this. You can replace the individual controllers for climate control, lighting, AV devices, whole-home audio, sprinklers and more with a common interface.

A Common Interface

Now, when we say "common interface" the implication is an interface that looks and operates in a similar manner for every controllable device. The interface can be a combination of on-screen display (on your TV or Plasma), various touch screens (throughout your home) and even wireless remote controls that you can wander around the home with.

At this stage, you maybe thinking, "This all sounds good in theory. But I do not need a system that can do all that. I don't need to get the toaster talking to the refrigerator. I only want it to do this..."

One of the major benefits of Control4 is the ability to grow the system as your needs change. Almost all of the products within the Control4 system are modular. You can start by automating one aspect such as a home theater. Once comfortable with the interface, you can add extra products to enable more automation. Examples are lighting or climate control. These extra modules have flexible installation options, most with wireless capabilities. This means you do not have to rip open your walls to run more cables.

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