Many Monmouth County residents love the idea of home automation but don’t want to bother with the potentially hassle-filled world of professional installers. In fact, many believe they can install a professional quality system by themselves. And we think you can, too.

“Well, a professional system could be better,” says Keith Harrison of Total Home Technologies. “But only if you have a good professional." He explains that designing and installing a home automation system by yourself can be fulfilling but that DIY-ers will want to watch out for some of the potential challenges they may face down the line. “These things are challenging on a do-it-yourselfer without professional tools. Not impossible, but challenging,” he says.

To help you on your DIY journey, we've put together this blog with some helpful tips on what you need to know before you start. And don't forget to check out the video below for even more useful information!

Ready to get started? Keep reading after the jump!

There’s a frost in the air in Bergen County, which means the holidays will be here before we know it. If you’re looking for a unique gift for someone, whether it’s a spouse, family member, friend, or even yourself—maybe this is the year to dip into smart technology.

Home automation isn’t just about flashy gadgets—with the following solutions, you can add comfort, convenience, and simpler living to any home. Read on for five gift ideas from a smart home company.

Game of Thrones may be long gone, but winter is still coming. And if it’s anything like last year, there will be plenty of packages hitting doorsteps this holiday season. In 2019, the USPS alone delivered around 750 million packages -- and that doesn’t even include carriers like FedEx and UPS!

But there’s a dark side to all of those deliveries. According to C + R Research, 36 percent of Americans are victims of "porch pirates," opportunistic package thieves that can strike at any time. Porch pirates are a big problem, but they're easy to defeat. You just need to follow a few simple steps. And sporting the right smart home security tech won’t hurt, either.

If you’re looking for a few easy ways to keep your packages safe this year, keep reading.

Did you know that Control4 is compatible with more than 13,000 third-party devices? These tools include anything from standard features like lighting, security, AV — to some lesser-known items — water temperature monitors, air quality devices, and smart mirrors. The basic rule we’ve found true is that if it uses electricity, Control4 and Total Home Technologies can automate it!

Control4 allows our professional integration team to engineer, customize, and scale nearly any smart home automation system you could imagine.  Let your Manhattan, NY homework for you to ensure maximum convenience by scheduling your whole residence to operate according to a schedule that you can change anytime. We’ll walk you through some opportunities, some that we’ve used for a while, and others were just seen at September’s CEDIA event.