If you have smart technology in your home, take a look at your phone for a minute.

How many apps are you using to control it?

Maybe you have an app for your thermostat. Another for your doorbell. One for your security cameras. Another for your speakers. One for your lights. Maybe there is another one for your shades, garage door, or television.

Every individual product might work exactly as advertised, but somehow your “smart home” has turned into a folder full of apps.

That’s usually the point when homeowners start asking us, “Can’t I just control all of this from one place?”

In many cases, yes.

That’s one of the biggest differences between owning smart devices and having an integrated smart home. The goal of home automation isn’t to give you more things to control. It’s to make all of those things easier to control.

The Problem Isn’t That Your Devices Aren’t Smart

Most smart home products do their individual jobs very well.

A smart thermostat can adjust your temperature from your phone. A lighting system can turn lights on and off. A Sonos system can play music throughout the house. A video doorbell can show you who is standing at the front door.

The frustration begins when every manufacturer creates its own little world.

If you want to change the temperature, open one app.

If you want to turn down the lights, close that app and open another.

Want music? Open another.

Want to see who’s at the front door? You know the drill.

Technically, you have a smart home. Practically, you’re doing a lot of work to operate it.

Home integration approaches the problem differently.

Instead of asking how you control each device, we start by asking what you actually want the house to do.

Think About Activities Instead of Devices

This is where a system like Control4 can completely change the experience.

Most homeowners don’t wake up thinking, “I’d like to interact with six pieces of technology.”

They think, “I want to watch a movie.”

When you press Watch Movie, the system can take care of everything associated with that activity. The television turns on. The correct source is selected. The audio system turns on. The lights dim. Maybe the shades close.

You didn’t control five different devices.

You told your home what you wanted to do.

The same idea applies throughout the day.

A Good Night command might turn off the main-floor lights, lower the temperature, lock the doors and make sure the entertainment systems are off.

An Away command might shut down unnecessary lights and electronics and prepare the security system.

That’s when home automation starts feeling useful instead of gimmicky.

One App Doesn’t Mean Your Phone Is Your Only Control

There’s another misconception about smart home control that comes up frequently.

Just because your home can be controlled through one app doesn’t mean you’re expected to carry your phone around all day.

Actually, we don’t think you should have to.

The best control method depends on what you’re doing.

Sometimes that’s an app.

Sometimes it’s a touchscreen.

Sometimes it’s a handheld remote.

And sometimes the best interface is still a button on the wall.

If you’re walking into the kitchen with your hands full, pulling out your phone, unlocking it, finding an app and navigating to the kitchen lights isn’t very smart.

Pressing a button is.

Good home automation gives you options without making the technology itself the center of attention.

What Can You Actually Bring Together?

This varies depending on the products and systems in the home, which is why we don’t like making blanket promises about integration.

But a professionally designed home automation system can potentially bring together lighting, motorized shades, televisions, streaming devices, audio, thermostats, security cameras, door locks and other connected systems.

The important part isn’t the length of that list.

It’s how those systems interact.

Your lighting system doesn’t need to know how your television works. Your automation system acts as the translator between them.

That’s what makes it possible for one command to trigger several different things.

Do You Have to Replace Everything?

Usually, this is the next question.

Homeowners have already invested money in technology, and understandably, they don’t want someone walking into the house and telling them to throw everything away.

We don’t want that either.

There are many products that can be integrated into a larger home automation system. There are also products that can’t.

That’s why the first step is figuring out what you already have, what works well and what you’re trying to accomplish.

If something is reliable and integrates properly, there may be no reason to replace it.

If something is creating constant problems or simply can’t communicate with the rest of the system, then we can have a conversation about whether replacing it makes sense.

The objective isn’t to sell more equipment.

It’s to make the finished system work.

Why Professional Integration Is Different

You can absolutely build a smart home yourself.

There are more DIY smart home products available today than ever before.

The challenge usually isn’t getting the first product working. It’s what happens when you get to the tenth, twentieth or thirtieth device.

You start dealing with different wireless standards, network requirements, software updates, compatibility issues and manufacturers that don’t necessarily communicate with one another.

The home network becomes especially important.

Every connected device adds another conversation happening on that network. If the network isn’t designed to handle everything you’re asking of it, devices can become slow, unreliable or randomly disappear.

That’s why we consider networking part of home automation rather than a separate issue.

The automation system can only be as reliable as the infrastructure supporting it.

The Goal Is Fewer Decisions

One of the best things automation can do is remove little decisions from your day.

Think about leaving the house.

Did I turn the downstairs lights off?

Is the TV still on?

Did someone leave music playing outside?

Did I lock the door?

Technology can handle some of those repetitive tasks automatically or combine them into a single command.

It’s not life-changing in a dramatic, science-fiction sort of way.

It’s just convenient.

And when you experience that convenience every day, that’s where the value of a well-designed smart home starts to become obvious.

Your Smart Home Should Work for Everyone

We also spend a lot of time thinking about the people who didn’t ask for the technology.

Maybe one person in the household loves gadgets.

That doesn’t mean everyone else does.

Your spouse shouldn’t need a technology lesson to turn on the television. Your kids shouldn’t need your phone to turn on the lights. Guests shouldn’t be afraid to touch anything.

A good system has to work for the least technical person in the house just as well as it works for the person who loves technology.

That’s one of our favorite measures of whether we’ve designed something well.

Can someone walk into the room and figure it out?

If the answer is yes, we’ve probably done our job.

A Smart Home Should Feel Less Technical

There’s a funny thing about really good home technology.

The more sophisticated the system becomes behind the scenes, the simpler it should feel to the homeowner.

You might have lighting control, motorized shades, distributed audio, several televisions, security cameras and a professionally designed network all working together.

But from your perspective, you might press one button.

That’s the point.

The goal isn’t to impress you with how complicated your smart home is.

It’s to make you forget how complicated it is.

If your current smart home has you opening five apps just to get ready for bed, there’s probably an easier way to do it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can all of my smart home devices really be controlled from one app?

Not every product works with every automation platform, but many popular home technologies can be integrated into one control system. We typically start by looking at what you already own and determining what can be brought together.

Do I need my phone to control an automated home?

No. Your phone can be one option, but you can also use wall keypads, touchscreens, handheld remotes and automated scenes. In many situations, the simplest control is still a physical button.

Is home automation only worth it if I automate the entire house?

Not at all. You can start with the areas that create the most frustration or provide the most benefit and expand the system later. The important thing is creating a good foundation so future additions can work with what you’ve already installed.