Ahem, We don't get this article like most don't get Twitter...
The gigantic grin on our face every time we think about or see our house doesn't come from the simple tasks like turning on lights and the TV; the grin comes from the money we save when we turn on lights at 70%, how easy it was to setup home automation & how it personalizes our home to make us feel more secure.
Whaddya know? Comfort, convenience and peace of mind from Control4 Home Automation.
Retrofit was easy because Control4 uses a wireless zigbee network to send commands between our remote and devices. Very little additional wiring was required and because Control4 has a high compatibility factor controlling the various systems in your home, it eliminates the pile of remotes from the coffee table.
Easy because there were pre-written drivers available for our stereo/TV equipment.
- ...and it wasn't all the latest and greatest gear.
Easy adding IP cameras to our network and Control4 found them.
- Control4 ForeSight, the remote interface (available at My Control4) allows us to see our cameras on our TVs or from a web browser anywhere there is internet.
- What is My Control4?
Easy because we added another remote and it shares the same commands as the one that came with our controller.
- Easy, A couple clicks, and added the second remote to the system.
Smart because:
- it's smarter than spending up to a $1000 for a so-called 'Smart Remote.'
- the second remote cost about $200, not $1000.
- $200 passed the wife test!
- she picked it up, asked a couple questions and re-assumed the TIVO Master role of the household.
Easy because turning on the fan in the summer or the fireplace in the Winter is a few clicks away for either of us. So is pausing a movie or TV while the other answers the phone.
Safe because:
- one day we'll have picture in picture viewing of the person ringing our doorbell.
- we get a a text message or email if our garage door is open for more than an hour.
- we can't go to bed without it being very obvious that the garage door is open because a red led tells us it is open from a switch in the master bedroom and a switch on the main level.
- we can close our garage door from work over the internet and watch it close.
- we can't leave the house without knowing the stove or oven is on.
Smart to choose a system that can be programmed by our dealer over the internet without the expense of rolling a truck.
- Smart because energy savings occurs without expensive squiggly bulbs.
The jury is out, but maybe safer if squiggly proves more harmful to the environment than incandescent. We wonder how much energy is wasted waiting for a squiggly bulb to light up or if anyone looked into it before mandating their use?
Easy whole house sound to us is playing speakers in the upstairs master bedroom, fed from the family room on the main level. We use a Control4, 6 button keypad to play 3 music playlists; Soft rock & Easy listening for my wife, Country rock and Jazz for mine and our Holiday Music playlist.
Green Eco-friendly Products
Green because we save energy expense and will save water in the near future after we add C4 to control our sprinkler system. Maybe tie in a Weather System next year that will track rainfall and save a few days watering the lawn.
Eco-friendly because Control4 Home Automation saves energy dollars.
Price/Cost
Our system expense started at around $4000 and grew to $6000 at the 2 year point. The Media Controller was about $700 more than a standard controller and after second thoughts, we would recommend the Control4 HC-300 for $699 and add an external hard drive or iPod for our music.
We learned it takes a while to learn what we wanted from our home automation system. We're really happy that Control4 comes through with easy, affordable solutions.
The Stuart Lipoff Analysis
Yawn.
Our analysis of Control4 Home Automation is much different than Stuart Lipoff's analysis of the current state of Home Automation.
The tipping points have been obliterated...
Control4 => screaming benefits with favorable cost/benefit ratios
Control4 => painless pathways to implementation
Control4 => social acceptance of the applications
Of course we chose Control4 over 'all the rest' because we could afford Control4, it was easy to install, easy to add-on to and Control4 makes us feel like we are contributing to a greener earth.
ANALYSIS: Home Automation: The Unfulfilled Promise
Aside from managing simple tasks like lighting and thermostat control, home automation systems haven't taken on much of a role in the household. However, as new technologies like home computer networks get a foothold in consumers' homes, and as smart grid technologies gain greater acceptance, home automation systems may reach a tipping point.
For the last 30 years, many people have invested a lot of money and effort chasing an unrealized promise of hoped-for explosive growth in home automation. With not a lot of commercial progress, it might be seen as foolish to pursue opportunities in this space. However, the promise of addressing latent needs of the 100 million households in the U.S. -- and the rest of the world -- to create a new consumer electronics (CE) category is highly seductive.
For a number of reasons, it may be timely to consider lessons learned in past failed efforts to kick-start a mainstream home automation business in order to try to surface some real, near-term opportunities.
