Nostalgia
Ya got pricey, affordable and cheap: In 2025 is Home Automation different?
Some would argue that home automation began with the advent of the ‘remote control.’ Prior to the mid-fifties, everyone had to undertake the arduous task of flexing knees; pushing up and standing erect; then only to make the arduous trek over to the television to break your fingers twisting a knob. Yes I said knob; not one of those cushy, small buttons.
Unimaginable to many, that small bluetooth-powered magical wand we wave in our hands did not always exist… “breath in, breathe out it is okay.” In fact, when I was growing up—and for the record, that was not too long ago!—you actually had to point the remote at the TV! Remember those IR lights? But now, you can pause Netflix while two rooms over in the bathroom! Just the other day I received a frantic call from my father because mom’s kitchen TV was blaring too loud and the remote batteries had died. Long ago had they forgotten those childhood years, and now he was surprised to remember he could simply reach around the side of the TV and easily adjust the volume.
Change brings Opportunity
I share not to walk down memory lane, but as a very useful benchmark for our discussion. When considering automation we must remember that it is all relative. “Nifty” and desirable for one person might very realistically be superfluous or inconvenient for another.
Case in point: We once had a client who had just moved in to a relatively new home. The previous owner had designed almost every room so that there were no light switches.
Almost everything was controlled via your smartphone or voice commands. While that might have sounded cool and Star Trek futuristic to the previous owner, it took less than a day for the new owners—who had children—to realize the impracticality and hair-pulling nature that this would be day in and day out.
Bearing that in mind, automation in 2025 becomes a very different conversation than ten years, and especially twenty years ago. In the past it would have been difficult to retrofit a home with automated lightning. All light switches would have required being hard wired back to a central command box. Unless you were willing to gut eighty percent of the walls in your home, this was not practical. Even still, what is really transforming the industry— more revolutionary than the TV remote—is that so many basic home products already are capable of automation. Servers, boxes and dedicated closets with lots of custom programming was previously just the entry fee. Now, with just a sixty dollar BestBuy
accessory and an hour’s worth of programming, your garage door can open automatically every morning.
An all-out trick System?
I Love automation!! I have personally been part of some really unique setups. One project that was particularly challenging….
A client who wanted the angle of the shades to continually and automatically adjust throughout the day to direct light to a specific area in the room where she had a cherished piece of art. Not unique enough? The temperature of the lighting was programmed to in- tandem continuously shift in combination with background music that was dependent on what the weather was outside. There were three sensors in the room that adjusted volume based on where a person(s) might be when entering or moving. And, yeah, there were definitely a few other unexpected tricks. This was actually not a huge house, but the owner was an avid art collector and the way she explained it to me: “This was not presentation of the art, but part of the art itself.”
Was it pricey to get up and running? Different systems for shades, control modules, lighting, sensors, weather tracking integration and then of course speakers and amps, all communicating together and then the hours of programming and fine tuning to get the timing down exactly as our client wanted: Hmmm; just be glad you were not paying the bill. BUT!, having since worked with the client a couple more times, she always expresses how much peace this setup has brought in the morning or how she instantly unwinds in the evening. Worth it for her? Not a doubt in her mind. And that is of course what matters.
For those whose weekend vehicle might not be a Miami Super-Yacht
While there is still very much a place for traditional type installs, modern automation allows us—in two fairly big ways—to break from past physical considerations: (a) Ease of setup and (b) lack of extra, physical hardware. Mix that together with slimming down just a smidgen on the automation, and you can save a lot of dough….
Breaking it down: A lot of costlier steps can be avoided by mixing in presets or triggers. Using the above art example, instead of light sensors and weather integration modules and the testing this all requires, we could have preprogrammed three or five (or ten) push button settings. Therefore, if you want a solemn mood, happy, aggressive, et cetera; there could have been a small panel on the wall and preset music playlists could easily have been connected. Likewise, the curtains could have moved in sync with any of those triggers.
Now, all of this was possible in the past, but the biggest modern advantage is a lot of this could be programmed in an App of some sort. Not only does that reduce the coding time I have to charge, but some systems are even “friendly” enough where a client can make changes on their own after the initial install. And honestly; it makes for much less of a headache on the client’s side when things inevitably need servicing down the road. Mix (a) presets with (b) cost-cutting coding time and we probably just nixed almost half the cost off the above system.
Why are you Automating??
Our last point above brings up probably the most important question. Is your home automation mainly (a) to make your life easier or (b) to impress? While of course either reason can be a perfectly acceptable reason, ‘B’ is where people spend a lot of money that could potentially be avoided. A home that adjusts lighting and speaker volume as you walk from room to room is a cool trick that will no doubt make you smile or your guests freak out (in a good way!). And it if that is worth it to you, no other justification is needed. We all work hard….buy what will put that smile on your face.
However!, in my experience, most do not find practicality in that on the day to day. A volume pad on the wall or a small light panel that has a few preset buttons gives you almost the same functionality but without the glitz. AND THE BEST PART….you do not even need a central Server or light distribution system. With modern light modules we can use WiFi to link zones and swap out an old light switch for a panel with no dry-wall or wiring required. If you are even more on a budget, we can use consumer level equipment that is App based (i.e., Philips or Lutron of even something very simple like tp-link). You are able to connect everything with virtually no programming cost on our end. Throw in an Alex or Siri device for a $100 dollars a room and now your whole house is automated.
Flipping back to the other end of the spectrum, traditional systems like Control4/Crestron/Savant really can do some neat stuff. They are always releasing more tie-ins and I am surprised how many manufactures go the extra step to program compatibility. We recommend these high end systems most especially for new development where we can really wire a lot of capability and interconnect a lot of systems. In these situations it also makes more sense because you are not chucking out already in place hardware that might still be functional. Yet, trickle-down technology from the past twenty years means that for many of my residential clients I can accomplish ninety to ninety-five percent without needing a rack full of gear in a hidden closet somewhere. More and more, the simplicity and flexibility this allows for a client (especially down the road), makes less expensive systems a very respectable option.
“Hey Siri,” how do you like the way that sounds!?
If you are looking for the Hollywood Netflix glamour level of home automation, you can definitely have your cake and eat it too…..and I will have a few tricks up my sleeve you do not expect. You will not regret what we can offer you.
But as with many things, it is the subtleties/premium of the last ten to five percent that gets very expensive. The difference between a Ford and a BMW/Mercedes is huge. The difference between that and a Rolls Royce is unmistakable for sure, but not as large. And then the difference between that same Rolls Royce and one you custom configure with paint matched just for you….that difference is even more nuanced. Nothing wrong with any choice, and we all know we want the Rolls Royce. But the fun thing today is that you can have six-figure type automation for a fraction of the cost and a good bet that half the time you will not be left wanting. “Hey Siri,” how do you like the way that sounds!?