What Should You Look for in a Home Automation Company?

The allure of smart home technology is stronger than ever. How many times have you seen an ad for a smart device like a thermostat or speaker advertised on TV or online? Maybe next-door neighbors have flaunted their new wireless speakers or smart lighting. Eventually, you’ll want to join in on the fun as well and embrace the best in luxury living. They key is knowing where to start.

Home automation companies are the best way to get a comprehensive, reliable technology solution. Every smart device from lighting to security goes under one umbrella for increased efficiency and comfort. But how do you know which one to go with? As you do your research, you’ll likely come upon three big names: Crestron, Control4 and Savant.

How do you know which one to go with? It depends on a variety of things, but we recommend a one-on-one consultation with your local technology experts to find the ideal solution for your home in San Antonio, Boerne, New Braunfels, TX, or the Texas Hill Country. As you read this blog, we showcase some of the reasons we personally like working with Savant in most of our projects.

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User Interface

You want your home automation system to be simple for everyone in the family to use. This is the one area where Savant Systems gets the most praise. Early on, they partnered with Apple to create the first smart home app for IOS, and they’ve only improved on that user interface since the development of their Savant Pro App. Recently Control4 has improved its UI experience as well with a simple-graphic based option, but Savant still offers the sleekest one that is ideal for all ages.

Through Crestron often props when researching home automation, it’s primarily a commercial solution and is notoriously hard to use and understand. Many customers we hear from let us know they regret installing the system since it’s hard to maneuver. It’s also hard for another professional to fix any issues down the line since the original installer owns the programming.

Compatible Devices

All three companies are compatible with the most popular devices on the market including Sonos, Nest, and Amazon Alexa. There is little difference here between the various home automation companies but Control4 offers the most compatibility. As mentioned earlier, Crestron systems can integrate these devices, but it can be particularly difficult to program them into the system.

Since Savant doesn’t have as many in-house hardware options—their focus has been more on software—they make it easier to integrate third party components where needed. You can strike a balance between their products and additional ones you like to use.

Customization

Every company offers customization options when it comes to the technology you include and how you control it. Your integrator can even get multiple technologies working together. In the morning, have lights turn on, the thermostat lower, and music begin playing through your multi-room audio. These ‘scenes’ are easy to pull up at any time.

Crestron allows the most customization but oftentimes this added leeway just results in convoluted solutions. Their open-ended software also makes it harder for users or even other professionals to add new devices or features down the line.

Savant Systems, on the other hand, lets you save new scenes directly from your app. Though Control4 added this feature in a recent software update, it is still more limited in the technology and triggers you can integrate into user-created scenes. 

Entertainment

Entertainment is often the driving force for home technology upgrades, so it makes sense that all three companies have devoted a lot of software and hardware upgrades to it. Crestron offers its own set of speakers, amplifiers, and AV distribution components. Control4 and Savant focus primarily on the latter.

Both Control4 and Savant Systems offer more affordable one-room solutions ideal for media rooms or home theaters. These come with handheld remotes that let you manage your AV as well as lights and climate to create the ideal viewing or listening environment. Savant and Control4 also both offer native streaming music services, so it's easy to play your favorite tunes.

Conclusion

Throughout the years, we’ve noticed the user interface is the most critical part of the smart home experience. No matter how many impressive features you add, if they're not easy to use they're going to go to waste and result in frustration. That's why we partner with Savant Systems which lets us create stylish, intuitive solutions for our clients.

The one thing to consider here is that the installer will make a huge difference in the overall quality of your smart home. Through their experience and expertise, they will work with you to find solutions that meet your unique priorities and preferences.

Want to learn more about how to choose the ideal home automation company for your space? Set up a one-on-one consultation with us by calling (210) 858-6954, filling out our contact form or chatting with us on the bottom right.