Pro Media are delighted to be on the leading edge of the intelligent home revolution. We have spent years testing and reviewing products and establishing relationships with leading manufacturers. All so we can bring the very best products and knowledge to our clients’ home automation projects – enabling them to create their perfect smart home.

We want our clients to feel confident and comfortable using technology to control their home and support innovation at all levels of home automation. It is, however, worth noting potential integration and support pitfalls. They say “There’s an app for that!” – and its true!

Often you can control everything from the palm of your hand – but, this requires you to always have your smartphone handy. Loading and navigating through multiple apps to operate all the different devices can, in fact, make things more complicated. The Cloud is your saviour in relation to having a ‘backup’ BUT what would happen if you lost or damaged your device and couldn’t turn on your light, listen to your streamed music or even get in through your front door.

Future Proofing your home is one of the most important considerations when taking on an smart home project. Now, no one can truly guarantee that something purchased now will last forever but when considering anything IT related you need to try and align with manufacturers that look to innovate, develop and support while avoiding putting all of your ‘eggs in one basket’.

A central controller can help knit all the technology together into a single interface – in the same way a computer operating system forms the basis onto which all software programs sit. No single system, technology or company is perfect and we would never profess to say that… so which should you choose?

So here are the four categories we feel are important when choosing which ‘Smart Home Technologies’:

Ease of use

What is the point of the most amazing technology if it is not intuitive? Apple is renowned for pioneering simple interfaces – anyone with a toddler can vouch for this! It should be child’s play to control the technology in your home.

Integration

You may have favourite manufacturer but there is no single company that provides everything for your home (yet). It is important to have the confidence that there is the means for the devices you choose (TVs, thermostats, automated blinds, alarms, sound systems, etc.) to be integrated into a single user environment.

Installation

Yes, there are DIY smart items, but in order to have a fully integrated control system you will require the support, guidance and expertise of a qualified custom installer. The installer will be able to provide you support and enable optimisation through client-customised system programming. It is likely that you will form an on-going partnership with your installer; both for the initial implementation and with continuing support. Everything should work together seamlessly but may require maintenance and upgrades as technology changes or if you decide to install the latest products – so, like with any long term partner, it is best to try and choose wisely..

Cost

The price of a ‘Smart Home’ is as wide ranging as the imaginations of the homeowners themselves. You will need to do your research – plan what you want your home to do, then get in contact with us via email or call us on 0345 505 1760 to talk through what you want to achieve vs. your budget.

If you would like to stay up to date with the latest trends in home automation and our installations you can following our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages. If you are interested in speaking to us about your own home automation why not drop us an email or get in touch via LinkedIn.