Designers and Builders: Why Work with a Home Automation Company

By all accounts, the market for home automation and smart technology is growing at a rapid clip. The research firm IDC projects growth at 16.9% annually over the next few years, which means that prospective homeowners will be prioritizing smart automation features.

As trade professionals, you already know that you need to plan early for home infrastructure. But smart home technology is more than just including a basic pre-wire low-voltage cabling package. Keep reading to see how it pays to bring in a home automation company early in your process to make your Duluth, GA projects smart from the start.

SEE ALSO: The Three Best Excuses to Justify Upgrading Your Home Automation

Wiring and Cabling

Most of your homes typically include a low voltage wiring package for systems like security and networking. Smart home technology uses a combination of wired and wireless technologies for communication and control. Despite the use of wireless technology, cabling is still needed for many functions. If you want to prepare a home for video surveillance capability, you might want to think about the strategic placement of cameras around the perimeter of the house and the property. Those cameras will need CAT5 or CAT6 network cabling for communication and power.

Audio and video distribution may also need special requirements. Some of today’s most advanced speaker systems are digital and IP-based, meaning they are powered by network cable versus standard speaker wire. What about outdoor AV? It’s much easier to install outdoor speakers and TVs when the right infrastructure is in place to avoid rework later. The list for potential wiring is long – centralized lighting control panels, programmable wall-mounted keypads, smart thermostats, and temperature sensors, other safety sensors, architectural speakers, and much more require strategic planning in a smart home environment.

Integrating Technology with Décor and Design

Sometimes you may need to build infrastructure before you know where it’s required. For example, a home theater or media room might benefit from a conduit installation from the equipment closet to the potential projector and speaker installation locations. That way, once walls are up, necessary wires and cables of the right type can be routed to the right spots without extra effort.

Home automation controls offer many options. Rather than dimmer switches for a lighting load or a fan switch, a wall-mounted programmable, custom keypad can control many of these functions with one button. Proper planning enables the managed devices to communicate to a centralized control point, while multi-function keypads can also reduce or eliminate the need for individual electrical switches. A home automation professional can present all the control options so you can integrate the right ones that fit into your project.

Depending on your project vision, you may want to enable technology to be seamlessly integrated or hidden. Besides architectural speakers, you might want a flat panel TV to hide in the wall or descend from the ceiling. These features might require a combination of line voltage electrical wiring and low-voltage cabling for control and automation. Motorized shades are also a popular home automation feature, and low-voltage power integrated from the start provides the best results.

Work with a professional home automation company like GHT Group to enable all the home technology features your clients are seeking. To learn more, call us at (770) 955-8909, contact us here, or use the chatbox below to connect with us right away. We look forward to working with you!