Control4: Smart Home Automation Your Way

With so many smart devices around us, from smart thermostats to lighting, how we interact with them is important.  In fact, human interface design is so important it’s a prime reason why people choose one product over another, especially when it comes to technology.  Microsoft Windows or Apple Macintosh?  IOS or Android?  These are some systems that have significant differences in how you interact with them, and many people have strong preferences about one or the other.

Control4 is a clear leader in smart home automation.  One significant way it leads is with the number of choices the system provides to control your home’s functions and smart devices.

The best way to see all the interface options for your Eden Prairie home is to visit our showroom.  Lelch AV is a Platinum Control4 dealer in the Twin Cities area, and our showroom is a great way to learn about all the possibilities with smart home automation.

But first, let’s tell you a few ways Control4 enables you do smart home automation your way.

See Also: How Can You Automate Your Dream Home?

HARD BUTTONS

We’re all used to certain controls for things.  Light switches are easy devices that you press and click on or off.  Similarly, we’re all used to remote controls for AV equipment with familiar keys for volume, play/pause, and other standard controls.  Do you recall the Blackberry smartphones of only a few years ago?  They had a very loyal fan base, in large part because of the keyboards. Many people loved the tactile feel of the keyboards and found them much easier to type on than the onscreen keyboards of today’s smartphones.

Hard buttons on controls give you that satisfying tactile feel and make many functions easy because the hand and fingers can use feel and location to hit a button without looking. Some people prefer this, especially for AV system control. Control4 has not forgotten this. 

Their remotes offer tactile hard buttons but go far beyond just commanding your AV. They can control every smart device in your home, from the TV to the thermostat, the motorized shades, and the lighting fixtures. Unlike IR (Infrared) remotes, they work via radio frequency and do not need to be pointed at your equipment.

They also include a screen to make it easy to choose and control more complex functions. Control4 allows for custom engraving, so you’ll always know which button corresponds with which function. Finally, a unique Control4 system feature is the ability to put the interface on a TV screen, giving you yet another option for home control. 

In the same way you control your lighting with a dimmer switch, you can command your entire smart home with an in-wall panel. With one conveniently located button on the wall, you could trigger a scene that adjusts the lights, thermostat, TV and sound system, and other custom functions. These buttons can be custom engraved too, but a nice thing about hard buttons is that after a few times you will intuitively know to hit the third button from the top on the keypad for that scene – without looking. 

SOFT BUTTONS

If you prefer touchscreens like your smartphone or tablet, Control4 has you covered there too.  The Control4 Touch Screen offers a complete interface to command every aspect of your smart home system.  They are even equipped with audio and video capabilities, so they can function as sophisticated in-home intercoms and can also be called from outside the home.  The wireless Touch Screen can be standalone and sit on a kitchen counter or coffee table, and they can also be wall mounted for convenience. 

If you are the person whose smartphone is never more than five feet away, then you will like the power and flexibility of the Control4 App. The app gives you the same level of control as in your home, and you can access automated scenes or manage individual devices.  With Control4 Intercom Anywhere, the app can also directly connect to a specific Touch Screen inside your home for instant communication – perfect for when the kids don’t pick up the phone.

NO BUTTONS: YOUR VOICE

Of course, if you’ve been following any tech industry news lately, you know there’s a new method of control that’s been taking the world by storm. That’s why Control4 offers full integration with voice control platforms like Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

Through an always-on speaker like the Amazon Echo, you can simply tell your system what you want to be done. For instance, you can say “Alexa, dim the lights by 60 percent,” and your Control4 system will execute your wish. 

Voice control merely provides another way of accessing your smart home with exactly the same things you can do via the other remotes.  You can just say “OK Google, it’s bedtime,” and your preprogrammed bedtime automation will turn off lights, shut off AV equipment, and lock any smart-lock equipped doors. 

Lelch Audio-Video is the expert Control4 dealer in the Twin Cities for all your smart home technology.  Call or reach out to our team today!