Home Automation Systems
We were looking to potentially installing an all-in-one home automation systems (i.e., security, heat/cooling, lights, music, video, etc.) in our new construction project. Would anyone care to share either their positive or negative experiences with the systems and/or installation process? Which design features are essential (HVAC or security) and really worth the money verse just…
We were looking to potentially installing an all-in-one home automation systems (i.e., security, heat/cooling, lights, music, video, etc.) in our new construction project. Would anyone care to share either their positive or negative experiences with the systems and/or installation process? Which design features are essential (HVAC or security) and really worth the money verse just nice to have (lighting)? If you could design your system from scratch again, what (if anything) would you do differently? And how expensive are these systems (I know there is a lot of variability due to the different options)? Thanks in advance for all of your advice.
I’ve also heard good things about control 4 and it is cheaper than creston
Contact:
Dov Goldman [dgoldman@dreamhometech.com]
This is what they do.
Jock deBoer, AIA
deBoer Architects
Hey TBC – Many of our clients have installed Crestron and are really happy with it. Crestron has a big ‘nugget’ that you have to buy, but once you do it can easily handle AV/HVAC/Lighting with little additional cost. If you want it to control shades you have to tie the Crestron in with a Lutron Homeworks system (which is relatively easy, but adds more cost). I think base cost for the Crestron brain is about 10-15K and each additional area you want to automate costs about an additional 5K.
If you have the money to spend, it’s worth it. There’s nothing like waking into one of my clients homes and pressing the ‘hello’ button – all the lights turn up and every shade opens. He’s able to log on from Italy and look at cameras placed throughout his house and raise the temperature before he flys in. When you leave you can press one button and every TV turns off, every shade closes, the temperature drops to 64 and all the lights turn off. Necessary – No, but a great thing to have, absolutely. I’ve seen how it changes the way people live.
Crestron does go down, so in an AV closet we installed backup thermostats that tie directly to the individual heats pumps and individual shade controls so that the owners aren’t left in darkness – in the event that it does crash. Because of the occasional crashes it’s not recommended to integrate security. I’m betting that no security installer would recommend tying his system into a home automation system. They typically insist on having complete isolation from any of the other home systems.
The best advice I can offer is getting consultants on board EARLY and make sure you know who is wiring what. Most of the wire that is run in these systems is low voltage and many electricians will exclude that from their bidding. If you miss that it’s been excluded you could get hit with a 10-15K CO to run all the low voltage control wires. Make sure there are clear coordination drawings between your AV designer/installer and the electrical plans showings your lighting layouts (and another drawing for any window shades).
I’ve nothing but great things to say about Carmina Pizzo of Intelli-Tec Security, 516-876-2000 and Jason Derector of Spectra AV, (212) 744-2255. Both produce great drawings that will save you headaches in the future.
Good luck, let us know what you decide.
Drew Stuart
Incorporated Architecture & Design
http://www.incorporatedny.com/