We are installed a huge number of home automation solutions catering for a full spectrum of requirements. Our crack team of installers and product specialists are on hand to answer questions and meet the requirements of any and all projects brought to us.

Quite often our clients know that they want a couple of smart elements in their home but aren’t sure what exactly to do or how to go about it; sometimes they’re unaware of the full system capabilities.

We are long-standing Control4 premium partners, equipped with the expertise and experience to cater for all smart home requirements; so make sure you get in touch with a member of our team who will be happy to assist you, call us on 0345 505 1760 or email us.

If you are in need of inspiration, why not take a look at 65 ideas Control4 suggest to make the most out of your smart home:

SMART LIGHTING IDEAS

  1. One touch of a button that turns all lighting for a given room on/off; not just one light.
  2. When the garage door opens after dark, the lights automatically turn on, leading up to your door.
  3. Motion sensors in key areas can signal the automation system to switch off lights when a room has been vacant for a period of time.
  4. Landscape lighting can turn on automatically at sunset and off again at sunrise.
  5. A “Bedtime” scene can set bedside lamps at a level just low enough for comfortable reading.
  6. With the touch of an “All Off” button, all of the lights in your entire home turn off.
  7. Midnight snack – just enough light to make your way to the refrigerator and back without disturbing family members.
  8. Motion sensing – At night, when motion is sensed, ramp lights to 15% (just enough light to see, not to be blinded).
  9. Turn off lights automatically each morning when kids leave for school.
  10. If the natural light in the room is less than 50%, lights adjust to 50%. If natural light is less than 40%, lights adjust to 60%, and so on. This helps for when the shades are drawn, or on a cloudy day in the middle of summer.

SMART MUSIC IDEAS

  1. Stream music to every room in your home, with a dedicated keypad placed in each room.
  2. Tap a button on a keypad to activate a zone of music. If you tap the music, it can change the LED to an assigned colour for each family member (with their favourite playlist/settings).
  3. Double tap the volume button to turn off an audio zone.
  4. Music starts automatically in the bathroom when you turn on the shower lights.
  5. Install a touch screen behind a waterproof wall mount in your shower to control music streaming in the shower.
  6. Create a “Music” scene, which sets the lights at 30% and volume at your favourite level – perfect for late-night focus while working on a project.


ENTERTAINING AUTOMATION IDEAS

  1. A “Party” scene – create instant ambience with the press of a button with lighting that illuminates key decorative elements and a customised playlist that starts up automatically.
  2. Someone drop in unexpectedly? No worries. Get notified when guests arrive by broadcasting a chime through the audio zone’s speakers in the party area.
  3. Incorporate microphones into the whole-house audio system, so you can broadcast presentations throughout the entire home.

VIDEO/HOME THEATRE AUTOMATION IDEAS

  1. Remote finder – triple tap a light switch and your remote will immediately start beeping.
  2. Automatically lock your home’s front and rear doors when a movie starts.
  3. When you press play, dim the lights gradually over 7 seconds.
  4. When you press pause, bring the lights up by 30%.
  5. With the press of a button, a 4K Ultra High Definition TV ascends on a motorised lift from a cabinet, motorised speakers in the ceiling tilt downward, a surround-sound system activates, the shades close and the lights dim.
  6. Have every TV in your home automatically turn on to your favourite channel when you come home from work after opening the garage door.
  7. Set the volume of a child’s TV to a preset level.
  8. A “Good Night” scene, which provides a push notification on your kids’ iPad to turn off their TVs. The lights in each bedroom flash as a warning, and 10 minutes later the TVs switch off automatically.


SMART SECURITY IDEAS

  1. Automate your bedroom touch screen to see who’s at the door when the bell rings.
  2. When the doorbell is pressed, security camera rotates to the front door, the TV or movie is paused, and if it’s night time, the outside patio light turns on from 20% to 75%.
  3. Watching TV when someone rings the doorbell? Have an image from the surveillance camera appear on any TV that happens to be on, pausing the TV show or movie for 15 seconds.
  4. Built-in alerts which will notify you if the front door is left open for longer than five minutes or if the front gate is ajar for longer than ten.
  5. Access security video feed remotely from your smart phone, from anywhere in the world.
  6. Receive a text when your security cameras detect motion.
  7. Create a “Cat” scene, which will temporarily disarm your security system and trigger outdoor lights for the feline’s night time sojourns outside.
  8. Program the lights (including in the master shower) to flash three times when an exterior door opens.
  9. If there’s a security breach, program every light in the house to illuminate to 100%. Simultaneously, the front door automatically locks, the motorized shades open and every TV displays views from all surveillance cameras.
  10. Program strategically placed surveillance cameras to stream security video to select TVs and touch screens when instructed to do so.
  11. “Mockupancy” scenes – lighting that is automated to make the house appear occupied, when you’re away on a trip.
  12. Are you away, but want to give a guest access to your home? Create temporary access codes for your guests, which they can punch into your home’s smart locks, notifying you of their arrival.
  13. Create personalized entry codes for individual family members.
  14. Set a timer that closes the garage door automatically if it is left open for longer than 10 minutes. A motion sensor can be used to keep the door open when you’re working in the garage.
  15. Driveway motion sensor – when motion is sensed, cameras go to home position and start recording, outside lights ramp up, and text message alerts are sent to smart devices.
  16. Forget to lock your doors? – Program the doors to auto lock three minutes after the garage door closes when you leave for work.
  17. When the back door to the garage opens, turn on the inside garage lights if natural lighting is below 50%.
  18. When the garage door is closed and the motion sensor to the garage zone doesn’t detect motion, dim lights to zero over 10 seconds and lock the back door.


EVERYDAY ALERTS AND NOTIFICATIONS

  1. Install a card access contact in the mailbox – when mail gets delivered, the LEDs on the lighting turn red, and text messages are delivered to smart devices.
  2. Receive a text alert when a garage door is left open.
  3. Need to be reminded to take out the bins? Program a notification to appear on every touchscreen and mobile device at the same time once a week.
  4. Get a notification on your smart device when the oven has preheated.
  5. Instead of waiting up for teenagers to come home, automate your lights to turn on in your bedroom when they come through the front door. You can also set it up so your phone notifies you when the door is locked again.
  6. Get a text message or push notification when the kids get home from school.
  7. Get notified when the drinks cabinet has been opened.
  8. Receive a notification when motion has been detected in a specific room (such as your home office or the wine cellar).


LUXURIOUS AUTOMATION IDEAS FOR DAILY LIFE

  1. A keypad on your wall by your entry that starts music streaming or your favourite TV station in the kitchen when you arrive, all with one touch of a button.
  2. Create a customised scene when a specific door lock code is pressed. For example, if a family member’s door lock code is pressed, turn on a favourite TV channel and set volume automatically to 50%.
  3. Heated towel racks that kick in at a set time for those early morning showers.
  4. Floor heating based on outdoor temperature: Put a remote temperature sensor in the attic of the garage. Between 4 am & 9 am, if the garage temp is below 40 degrees, turn on master bath floor switch (heat), set to automatically turn off at 9am.


CLIMATE CONTROL IDEAS

  1. Program shades and drapes to open and close automatically based on the position of the sun and home occupancy.
  2. “Wakeup” scene that opens the drapes, gradually raises lighting over the course of five minutes, and sets the temperature to your preferred level.
  3. Automatically turn down heat when you leave for work in the morning.
  4. Light the fireplace using your smart phone or tablet, without leaving the couch.
  5. An “Exercise” scene that lowers the temperature for a workout, even turning a TV to a favourite station or starting a customised music playlist.


ENERGY-FRIENDLY AUTOMATION IDEAS                      

  1. Measure your entire home’s energy consumption, circuit by circuit, automatically with your home automation system.
  2. Automate your home’s lights so they are never at full brightness.
  3. Set sprinklers and lawn systems to respond automatically to weather conditions (so you’re not watering the lawn on rainy days).


Get in Touch

If you would like to speak to a member of our expert team about getting smart, make sure you call us on 0345 505 1760 or email us. You can even follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or connect with us on LinkedIn.

Feature image: Control4