Controls

Controls help you command your smart home, wherever you are.

Controls are the functions that operate your smart home. They can be automatically triggered by sensors or timers, or triggered manually. Controls can be used to manage more or less any automated aspect of your smart home, from lighting to climate, at the push of a button - or even remotely using a web interface or smart phone.

What types of controls are used for home automation systems?

There are many different controls that can be used to manage smart home operations, including:

• Touch panels - Mounted on a wall in your home, these panels act as a central, unified interface with which to control automated systems.
• Remote controls - Infrared (IR) and radio frequency (RF) remote controls allow you to monitor and alter settings from anywhere in your home.
• Mobile phones - SMS and voice commands can be used to control automated systems in your home.
• Tablets and smartphones - Access to the internet allows you to control your home automation systems using these devices, either using a web interface, or using apps designed specifically for use with particular platforms (e.g. Apple iOS or Android).
• Internet access - Many home automation systems can be managed from computers using web interfaces, and email notifications can be sent based on sensor data.
• Instant messaging - Instant messenger services can be used to send specific commands to your home in order to monitor and control functions like light and climate.

How are controls used for home automation?

Contols can be used to operate any aspect of your smart home, whether you're on the couch or at work. The level of control you have over your home automation systems will mostly depend on the complexity of the system you have installed, and on the different control options it allows using different controls.

In some cases less is more - allowing full access to your home's security systems via a web interface, for example, may prove to be a massive security hole. Likewise, the ability to fine-tune the intensity of each individual globe in your home may make your controls painfully complicated.

From home

Touch panels and remote controls are the most physically limited of home automation controls, and will require you to be inside the house (or in the back yard, depending on the strength of your remote control). The touch panel is normally the main control centre in your home, mounted on the wall and rolling all your home automation functions into the one interface.

Here, you will be able to access everything from temperature to lighting and security features. Touch panels may feature in different areas of your house, depending mostly on convenience. Remote controls will either offer a limited set of controls, or be used simply to control a particular device (like an airconditioner). You may also be able to use a smartphone or tablet as a remote control, over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. 

Away from home

With advances in internet speeds and technology it's easier than ever to instantly control your home even when you're on the other side of the world. Internet enabled smartphones, tablets and computers allow you to receive notifications about your home automation systems, or prepare them for when you come home. You can receive email alerts if a security alarm is triggered, allowing you to contact emergency services if necessary, or even monitor and patrol your home using web-enabled pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) video cameras.

What variations exist?

There are many types of controls available to operate your home; from the technology reliant, to the portable and the basic. Controls can encompass anything from a light switch to a clapper, to an application on a smart phone, but all serve the same purpose - to operate functions in your home.

Speak to a custom installer about what types of controls will best suit your needs and habits.