In the past two installments of this blog, we've explored popular smart home features and their differences as implemented on the best professionally installed smart home platforms available today. As both a credentialed Control4 and Savant dealer, Total Home Technologies is qualified to compare and contrast these two excellent smart home platforms for you. While the platform and technology are important, we believe that the integrator ultimately makes more of a difference in your overall smart home experience.

In this third installment, we will compare the user control interface and remote access and control capabilities to critical aspects of interacting with a smart home system. We hope that at the end of this series, we've provided a little more insight into comparing systems that, from afar, might look more similar than different. Our goal is to better educate and guide you on your choice of smart home automation for your Bergen Country, NJ home. Please keep reading below!

The leading smart home automation systems are frankly more similar than different. Unlike what you might find with other products, there aren't 27 different systems from which to choose; there are a handful. Many integrators are Control4, Crestron, or Savant dealers, representing three of the most popular and ubiquitous platforms in high-end home automation. While these systems have important differences, we'd still argue that the integrator will make more of a difference to your smart home experience.

Last month, we kicked off this series by highlighting a couple of subtle but important feature differences between Savant and Control4. As an integrator authorized for both, we like to point out these differences and recommend which one might best fit your specific needs. However, you ultimately decide what’s best for your home in Morris County, NJ. In this blog, we’ll delve into a couple of other aspects of Savant versus Control4 smart home automation to better educate and guide you on your choice. The idea is to get you to think about what’s really important to you to make the right decisions. Ready? Please stay with us below.

What goes into making a great restaurant? It’s many things, of course, but the key to differentiated experience usually starts with the chef. Many restaurants have access to the same things – a good location, farm-to-table food sources, a designer that can create a welcoming atmosphere, good wait staff, and more. But the chef, his vision, and how he designs the overall dining experience often make the difference between merely good and must-go-there great. 

We like to think it’s the same with smart home automation. If you’re reading this, perhaps it is because you have heard of Savant home automation solutions and are looking for a local dealer close to your Essex County, NJ, home. Savant is a great solution, but the Savant dealer might be the “chef” that makes the difference in turning your home into a great smart home. 

Any good smart home integrator, however, will not just be pushing the product they have. Instead, they’ll recommend the right system that truly fits your needs. This is part one of a series where we discuss Savant automation and how it stacks up with some alternatives. Please keep reading and stay tuned to this space for more!!

So, you’re ready to get started with smart home automation. But how do you decide what company to work with? If you’ve searched ‘smart home companies’ in your city or town, a few results might show up online. But how do you know which business is best? You can look at online reviews, but it’s always tough to tell whose word to trust. 

We’re a technology integrator based in the Red Bank, NJ area, but we aren’t here to boast about our great team (although they are pretty great!). Our founder Keith recently shared a video explaining what to look for in a smart home integrator. If you’re just starting your automation journey, look out for these attributes below! 

Gizmodo recently published an article by Andrew Liszewski titled ‘The Smart Home Isn’t Worth It.’ Liszewski writes that smart homes aren’t “worth all the effort” after making his house “barely smarter.” As a home automation company based in Red Bank, NJ, you’d think we’d strongly disagree with the article. But we actually see where Liszweski is coming from.

If you only use off-the-shelf DIY devices from Amazon and Best Buy, you’re not going to experience true home automation. The article complained about systems not cooperating with each other, but if you depend only on “smart” devices from Google, Amazon, Apple, and IKEA, you’re going to run into issues.   

Nowhere in the article did it mention tried-and-true smart home solutions like Control4 or Lutron. And nowhere did it suggest partnering with a smart home company that knows how to do the job right. We don’t blame anyone for regretting their DIY smart home, but we’ll explain below why a professional system is the way to go.   

What does smart-home living look like? It means having complete one-touch command of your lighting, motorized shades, audio-video systems, home security, and much more. Forget about manual control! Instead, all your smart home technologies are seamlessly integrated with a robust home automation system like Control4 – giving you convenient remote access to everything in your home.

Still, it gets even better! Smart home automation has improved dramatically over the years with the expansion of Wi-Fi. Now, you aren’t limited only to a wall touchpad. Today’s systems can be controlled via a wireless smart home tablet, a smartphone app, or voice command. Keep reading to discover the benefits of using all three at your home in Red Bank, NJ.

When most people hear “smart home automation,” they think of indoor lighting control, whole-home sound, home theater audio-visual systems, and other indoor technologies. However, smart home control doesn’t need to be confined inside. Your outdoor entertainment space can come alive with smart technologies that make backyard fun a real blast!

Touch an icon on your smart home tablet to control your outdoor speaker system, TVs, landscape lighting, and pool and spa systems. Nearly everything electronic comes under your complete command. Keep reading to see how smart home automation takes outdoor entertainment to a new level at your Red Bank, NJ, home.

Updating your home with smart technologies is like buying a car. You don’t want to do it on a whim – otherwise, you’d drive away with a lemon. Making your home smarter involves more than installing some motorized shades and smart surveillance cameras. If you really want a connected home where you enjoy seamless control of all the technologies, it’s essential to use the right smart home company for the job.

Total Home Technologies in New York, NY, is a premier smart home integrator that offers professional installation services and much more. We are true experts in the field and have years of experience designing robust, reliable, and state-of-the-art smart home systems and products for luxury homeowners throughout the area.

Keep reading for the four questions you should askwhen you choose asmart home integrator. 

Smart home automation has provided a level of luxury and convenience that few homeowners have yet to experience. While some people may have a few smart light bulbs or a smart TV in their homes, they aren’t really taking advantage of everything home automation has to offer. Even if you have a Control4 system that gives you one-touch command of your home’s technologies via a touchpad, wall touchscreen, or phone app, you can improve your smart home experience with Josh.ai.

Josh.ai is a voice-assistant that is specifically designed for smart homeowners. It integrates seamlessly to give you ultimate command of your lighting, audio and video systems, home security, garage doors, and door locks, and every other connected technology. 

Keep reading to learn the three ways Josh.ai can elevate your lifestyle at your home in Manhattan, NY.

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.