If you are planning a home automation project we highly advise you to avoid these costly home automation project mistakes.
Mistakes happen. Most people will learn from them and move forward.
Mistakes in home automation projects are understandable. Because of a lack of experience, you may rely on the “experts” for advice.
The problem is that receiving bad advice for a home automation project can be very costly and can also lead to being stuck with a system that you are not happy with.
MISTAKE #1: WAITING TOO LONG
Some clients will not begin considering home automation companies until they are far along in their construction projects.
Working with a home automation designer is not much different from working with an architect, interior designer, or other design professionals.
Home automation specialists identify the client’s requirements and aspirations, analyze the building plans, design a detailed smart home solution and recommend products to fit the solution and budget.
As a client, you want your home automation company to be in the loop during the pre-design phase of a home to ensure that your project is properly designed and planned.
MISTAKE #2: ASKING THE WRONG PROFESSIONAL
“My Electrician said I would only need one cable run to the master bedroom.” — previous client
Many architects and homeowners will turn to an electrical contractor for guidance on scoping and installing home automation systems.
Although electricians are highly knowledgable in their field, most electricians don’t know how to design, integrate, or program intelligent home automation systems.
Most have little understanding of distributed audio and video or configuring sophisticated software that controls a whole house.
MISTAKE #3: COMPARING APPLES TO ORANGES
In a project there are many areas where an integrator can go with inexpensive products. Although these may result in lower proposal they can lead to unnecessary future expenses.
A lower proposal may include cables that will not support the bandwidth of future high-definition televisions. When you purchase that new 8K television (and you eventually will) it may require re-running newer cable to that area in the home.
Wi-Fi 6 is coming soon and the benefits are amazing (more on that in a future article).
Are you about to install a home automation system that is Wi-Fi 6 ready? If not, it may require replacing many of your network components.
Inexpensive products can also lead to an automation system that is not stable.
Imagine the frustration of investing in whole-home audio and not having the audio function properly during a social gathering?
MISTAKE #4: CHOOSING THE WRONG HOME AUTOMATION COMPANY
A surprisingly large percentage of our projects consist of fixing the problems created by another “home automation company.”
Some companies simply sell and install products instead of designing a system that fits your lifestyle. A home automation system should make your life easier not complicated.
Who wants to take out their phone to turn on the lights after they open the front door? Why not have the lights turn automatically when you open the front door? You may end up with a system that is more tedious than the original light switch that you had on the wall.
Make sure your home automation company technicians are industry certified.
Take the time to speak to their past clients or even plan a tour of a client’s home. Be wary of any company that will try to avoid this.
SUMMARY
We’ve often seen these costly home automation project mistakes throughout the years so we wanted to share them with you.
- Bring the home automation company into your project as early as possible.
- Ask a home automation expert for advice on home automation projects. Don’t ask architects, electricians, or other professionals.
- When comparing proposals ask enough questions and obtain the knowledge to ensure you are comparing apples to apples.
- Research: Ask to speak to clients. Visit past projects. Demand industry certifications like Cedia. Look for their Google Reviews.
Reach out to us for a consultation. We guarantee you will be satisfied.
- We have years of experience in the industry.
- All of our technicians are Cedia certified.
- We have nothing but 5-star Google reviews from a multitude of clients.
- We only work with the best quality products.
- Every client receives a totally customized system design to fit their lifestyle.