A Control4 expert talks about what gives a “smart home” top marks. By Dianne M. Pogoda
It’s not enough to be smart. You have to be connected.
That bit of wisdom could apply to business, résumés or relationships, but in this case, it refers to the home of the future — and it was the main theme of Brad Hintze’s presentation at NKBA’s recent Thought Leadership Summit at CEDIA Expo in Denver.
Hintze, senior director of product marketing for home automation provider Control4, spoke on “The Five Levels of a Smart Home,” unraveling some of the complexities of Wi-Fi enabled appliances, fixtures and whole-home systems for an audience of NKBA certified designers. The Summit aimed to connect designers with technology integrators, and emphasize the importance of building solid relationships to strengthen the portfolio of design services.
“This is a really important discussion for our industry — design is a critical component in creating a smart home,” Hintze said. “First, designers want to learn about technology, and the difference between a smart product and a smart home. And second, they want to understand true tech integration.”
There will be 12.8 billion smart devices in use worldwide by the end of 2020. Almost half of all U.S. households have a smart device, and in just the last three years, 30% of those homes added a smart device. The stakes are getting higher, too. When a homeowner brings in a smart device and connect to it, others can connect as well. If it’s not set up properly, that’s when the homeowner is exposed to security and privacy risks. A professional integrator can set up the system properly and keep the home secure.
“All this connectivity creates so much complexity,” he said. “Customers want simplicity. A pro is the way to go. A lot of companies want the consumer to think it’s easy, DIY, but it’s not.”
Hintze discussed the five levels of a smart home — starting with the traditional home; then moving to piecemeal automation; limited integration; full integration, and finally, predictive/pro-active automation — and creating a framework to support it.
In the most basic first level, the traditional home, systems run on a schedule. An example is a programmable thermostat, or a VCR — no real smart devices, and nothing is connected to anything else.
The second level is piecemeal devices, connected individually to the internet, one at a time.
“These are great, they do what they have to do, they might have an app, but they are not connected to each other,” he said. “One of the things that happens when you start getting into the ‘piecemeal’ home is the pressure it puts on the network. The key is the hidden technology that makes up the network.”
The Wi-Fi network allows the homeowner to control everything, including such systems as lighting, automation, security, comfort and entertainment. “Wi-Fi is one of the most important elements in the modern home,” Hintze said. “When that goes down, it’s like the whole world stops!”
The third level is limited integration. These are devices that can communicate with each other. For instance, often, the most lethal part of a house fire is breathing in the smoke. A smoke detector that’s connected to the Google Nest thermostat can shut down the house’s blower fan system, so it doesn’t circulate toxic smoke throughout the house. And it can tell Alexa to call the fire department.
One of the challenges is getting these devices to talk to each other – even if they’re not from the same company.
“Nearly all homes today in the U.S. are Level 2 or 3. If devices are set up individually —that’s five devices, five apps, five sign-ins and five passwords,” he explained. “The goal is for the homeowner to enjoy the home and not have to deal with all the tech. When you get to Level 4, you’re at full integration. Full integration provides remote access to all devices, multiple devices are integrated into one platform, and everything in the house works together to become part of the lifestyle. Beyond connecting is that there are multiple ways to interact with the technology — voice control, keypad, touch screen — this makes it more natural and easier to live in that space.”
The Smart-Home Operating System
Hintze said it’s only when these devices work together that we create the truly smart home. It cuts across all those interfaces. To achieve this, you need a smart-home infrastructure. The smart home OS is built to support, power and tie together a growing number of devices, so everyone in the home can interact with them. A Level 4 home cuts across all the subsystems — like lighting, security, comfort, entertainment — to create the lifestyle experience for the client.
Another core component of a Level 4 home, he noted, is that the operating system is designed to be the infrastructure for the home. For instance, the lighting in a home is all run on one system, it’s not all separate devices.
Smart-home professionals who are certified —from CEDIA, or PakEdge Certified Network Administrators (PCNA) — have to know networking. This is a core foundation of keeping the home secure. These certifications mean designers can trust them with high-end projects. Designers should build a team that includes several tech pros.
The home should be personalized for and by those who live there, and be easy for homeowners to use — so they can actually enjoy their space and not be frustrated by it.
Level 5 is predictive/proactive automation. This is very rare in residential at this point. It’s machines learning lifestyle habits so they can adjust to the needs of the homeowner. This is predictive automation, and you can’t get to Level 5 without first having a Level 4 home. To create a Level 4 house, you first need multiple ways to connect. For instance, a wireless protocol called Zigby controls lights. There’s also RFID [radio frequency identification], infrared technology. Control4 supports all these systems and protocols. You need to choose the right kind of equipment for the job, and it all needs to be supported by a network.
It’s important that the technology is designed to expand. Typically, a homeowner gets seven to 10 years out of a system. A good smart-home operating system can be upgraded in pieces so they don’t need to rip out the entire system when they need more capacity.
Regarding cost, half of Control4 customers spend about $7,000 on technology hardware for their home. The next group spends between $10,000 and $15,000, and the top 20% spend $25,000 or more. This is for hardware alone; labor is typically 50% of the cost of the hardware.
As for what is required inside the walls, Hintze said homeowners who are retrofitting older homes can opt for batteries instead of hardwiring, or they can swap out a light switch with no impact on the home. But if they want to install invisible speakers or lighting, they have to go into the walls or ceilings. Wireless and Bluetooth technology have improved, but hardwiring is still better – particularly with infrastructure —it’s more dependable.
“Designers should ask their tech pros about their experiences with drywall, or other ways to run wires — through crown molding, attics or crawl spaces, etc. — and whether they work with a team that includes other contractors who might specialize in these applications,” he said. “You need a number of different skill sets for proper installation, from electricians to installers, audio specialists, IT pros for connectivity…networking experience is increasingly important. And of course, the designer, to make it all look great!”
