Smart Home / Home Automation Options

7 years ago

My head is spinning trying to figure out what to do with home automation. Connected to a smart home system we'd want ... an alarm system, internal intercom, video doorbell, some lighting, some electronic shades, speakers (don't need a fancy sound system) and HVAC. I am looking at Control4, Vivint and ADT Pulse. Would love to learn from others about their experiences with any of these companies. Obviously it would be nice to have as much on one system as possible, but i'm wondering whether its worth the potentially higher price tag of Control4.

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opaone

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

I would stay away from Vivant and ADT. Those are designed to be sold and generate revenue, not be useful. C4, Savant, Elan, Crestron, RTI, and Loxone are all much better and more capable and reliable systems - assuming your integrator does a good job.

That said, all of the systems are fairly antiquated by today's technology standards. C4 just released OS3 which they say will provide a foundation for modernization but we'll have to wait and see.

All of the systems require the dealer to do just about everything. This is a recurring revenue item. Imagine if you had to take your laptop or iPhone to the dealer every time you wanted to upgrade the OS, install a new app, or add a printer. Hopefully Apple, Google or someone will put some pressure on from that standpoint.

Loxone is the leader in end-user capability and they're promising even more. We'd hoped to go with Loxone but there were a couple of critical capabilities that we needed that were missing. Can't remember what they were though. C4 is second best in end-user capability and making lots of promises with more to come on OS3. Hopefully true but I'm not holding my breath.

C4 is iffy on capabilities and reliability. Savant and Elan are better but they are also very closed systems that require your dealer to do anything and everything.

We've had Savant, RTI, and currently C4. We'd hoped to go with Loxone in our new build but are now going with C4 primarily because it allows much more end-user control and promises more in the future than Savant which is actually a much more capable and reliable system.

Another option is to pre-wire for everything and hold off until they escape the 80's and have better options.

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Comments (7)

wysmama
7 years ago
You are going to get answers all over the spectrum. Some love automation. Others hate it. Only you can decide what you are comfortable with and how much you wanna spend. Many IT people have very little ‘smart’ devices. in their homes
suezbell
7 years ago
As little as possible. Tech can be "hijacked".

My dad always said, the more stuff you add to a car, the more can go wrong with it and the more it costs to keep it running. Ditto that with regard to a home.
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User
7 years ago
the thing is, there are about a million factors to consider, and each brand has pros and cons. we have a ton of devices (my husband is a programmer and loves them), so I have a ton of opinions about this stuff.

the one smart device we're avoiding is anything that can unlock the house doors. (but we do have amazon key to open our garage for package delivery -- our garage is detached so that feels safe enough for us.)

my favorite thing? Amazon Echo. I love it for music and streaming NPR. the sound quality is great. it takes up almost no space and looks really good.

we have a Nest thermostat and smoke detector. honestly? mixed. it's really bad at sensing when we're both gone, so I have to remember to turn the heat down manually whenever I leave. also, it doesn't run our heat pump the way it's supposed to (as in low, slow and constant). it just turns it on and off all day like how a gas furnace is run. that drives me bonkers. the good: we can have temperature sensors in multiple rooms, set schedules, and control the temp with the app, so that alone makes it worth it.

as for the Nest smoke alarm -- whenever we're about to set it off while cooking, the app is too slow to disarm it. you have to get on a chair and push the button, just like with a cheap alarm. but if there's smoke and we're not home? we'll get an alert. handy!

we have an Amazon Cloud Cam and love it. it has rarely messed up in the years we've had it. it's really good at turning on as soon as we leave. seems pretty reliable - but we don't have pets so I don't know what that would be like.

we have a Ring doorbell and I HATE it. the app is slow to load the camera feed. when I'm at home and it rings, I run for my phone first and then run to the door. (if I don't answer the ring app, then it'll keep buzzing both our phones, so that's annoying.) I want to get rid of it.
NYCish
7 years ago
@Technospeak Corporation has given me some fantastic advice. More AV but I’d imagine he has some automation experience too.
rockypointdog
7 years ago
I, too, went the same route as B F, and built my own using components. For me, it's cheaper, and I can choose based on the functionality I want. I run it all of a Smartthings hub, and use Alexa for voice control. Hunter Douglas blinds, Ring doorbell (I hate it, too!), Honeywell Lyric thermostats, Honeywell security system (the security system can ONLY be armed, not disarmed). I won't do automated door locks yet. Harmony for the TV controls. Lutron for lights and outlets. Alexa is our intercom system. Not sure this helps you, as I don't have experience with any of the systems you are looking at!
Fsal
7 years ago
I’ve got Ring for my doorbell, (LOVE IT) and for all my doors and windows, outside cameras, and have their alarm system linked to my local police department. Also have their water detectors placed by my washer, dishwasher, fridge, and sump pump. Have the Nest thermostats and doorknobs. Love them also. Have automated garage doors. Love it as well. Can control and monitor everything on my phone and through apps. It’s really how much or how little you want to have. All my Nest and Ring products I bought through Best Buy and had Geek Squad come and install and explain everything for me. Although the Ring stuff is extremely simple to set up on your own. I also have really good/fast wifi in the house. Which is an absolute must if you want a “smart” home.