FAQ
Here are a few of our most
commonly asked questions
Can any Home be a Smart Home?
It’s a common misconception that in order to have a smart home, you must get in during the building phase. We’ve debunked that myth. Whether your home is yet to be built, in the construction process, or has been standing for years, Control4 has the power to make it the smartest one on the block. And size is of no importance; you can smarten up a small flat or a sprawling estate. Our products are built to scale. This means you can start with a universal remote for all of your entertainment equipment and then add a few smart lights or door locks (or anything else) as you’re ready to expand.
What is an Integrated Smart Home solution?
Your Control4 home is powered by a system controller—the brain of your home. Then, by using a Control4 interface—like a handheld remote, a wall keypad, or touch screen—you can conveniently connect to wired and wireless devices, allowing you to adjust the thermostat, start music throughout the house, close the shades or garage door, or perform many of these actions in unison. From a full smart lighting line to audio equipment, thermostats, cameras, speakers and beyond, we’ve developed products that enhance your security, comfort, convenience, and entertainment at home.
A Nest thermostat, a Phillips Hue light bulb, a Ring doorbell camera—they’re all controlled through their respective apps. But do any of them communicate together? Does your porch light illuminate at night when the doorbell is pressed? Will your door camera allow you to remotely grant access to a service worker while you’re away? Can every light be turned off as the thermostat sets itself into “Away” mode when you leave for work? With Control4, your home can do all of this—and so much more—on an easy-to-operate system the whole family will love.
Will my automation system work with other devices I bring into my home in the future?
Our software operates on an “open” platform. This means you have choice. Whether you want to use products from other manufacturers or choose the products we have purpose-built for the smart home, it’s entirely up to you. Brands like Bose, Dish, Denon, LG, Samsung, and Sony already have Control4 technology built into many of their products, but Control4 also communicates with more than 13,000 devices from over 300 brands. The way you listen to music, relax, work, watch a movie, cook, entertain, and create—are all made better when the products you personally know and use every day are integrated into a single system.
What about all these DIY solutions I hear about?
Much like electricity, plumbing, and heating and cooling, a complete smart home is not a DIY project. With individual “smart” products that are added to your home, the more complexity you will introduce because they simply don’t talk or listen to one another. In order to get a seamless, fully-integrated smart home system, you’ll want to hire an experienced and well-trained installer. Control4 Smart Home professionals give you confidence that your system is expertly designed, functions on a robust network, and features personalized experiences in tune with how you live.
How can I get to know what to expect with my automation system?
You can easily #C4Yourself! and visit ourControl4 Showroom today to experience the comfort, convenience, peace of mind, and enjoyment a truly intelligent home delivers.
I want a smart home but where do I start?
Home automation shouldn’t be one size fits all. Control4 gives you the ability to automate at your own pace, as your time and budget allow. Start in one room and add solutions and products as you go. No matter how old (or new) your home is, there is a Control4 system that will work for you.
How much is a smart home solution?
One room solutions can start from $5,000 and an average home cost around $20,000. Private theatre rooms can start from $15,000.
Can I save on my energy costs with a smart home solution?
Conserving energy at home shouldn’t require you to sacrifice comfort or make you feel deprived. Smart energy conservation shouldn’t require a change of routine or lifestyle or create a lot of extra work. With an automation system at the helm of your house, you don’t need to be uncomfortable or inconvenienced to conserve energy, as the system is able to operate the lights, thermostats, and other power-hungry devices with the utmost efficiency. The system empowers you to easily shave money off your monthly utility bill.
Do I need a good network for my smart home to work?
Network stability is the foundation for every smart home. It’s not just a “nice to have,” it’s a requirement.
Whether you spend $2000, $10,000 or $100,000 on an AV system or a smart home system, its performance is only as good as the network it runs on. It is however the silent hero. Unlike your AV equipment or the smart home system that you can see, touch, feel and experience, networking equipment is largely invisible; it sits hidden and out of mind somewhere—on a shelf, in a closet, in a basement, or in a rack—silently working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ensuring that your services, videos, emails, etc., get to where they are needed. The only time you think about it is when you lose connectivity, or when your system doesn’t work the way you thought it would.
But this is exactly why the network matters. It is the foundation of your smart home and your AV system. It is the single most important thing that you should never worry about. The more devices you connect, the smarter your home is, the more you use cloud-based services, the more important your network becomes. If you’ve ever experienced lower than expected download speeds, poor quality video streaming, heard every other word on a conversation on a Voice over IP (VOIP) phone service, had intermittent wireless connectivity, or your connected devices just don’t seem to work well (or consistently), then you’ve likely experienced a network break down. Ironically, most people don’t realize it’s a network issue, and they falsely blame the AV system or the device for the problem.
How to I future proof my home
Smart home technology now allows you to continually add new devices and features to your home as more and more devices become smart. Make sure you start with a reliable back end ‘brain’ to allow all the devices to talk to each other.