‘Home control’ and ‘home automation’—what’s the difference? The two terms are often used interchangeably but have very different meanings. 

While you might be tempted to use DIY smart devices in your West Palm Beach, FL home, you can achieve much more with a home automation system. In many cases, homeowners think smart control will cover their needs when in actuality, they really want the benefits of home automation.

Read on to learn what home control and automation mean and how you can experience the best of both with a professional installation. 

SEE ALSO: 4 Common Misconceptions About Smart Homes 

What’s Smart Home Control? 

Home control is the ability to wirelessly access and control your home’s devices and systems. This could include controlling smart lights, motorized window shades, audio speakers, TVs, thermostats, surveillance cameras, door locks, pool controls, and more. 

With a smart home system, you can control these technologies via smartphone, tablet, wall control panel, handheld remote, or voice command. With a press of a button, you magically dim the lights across the entire house or lock every door simultaneously. Smart control requires a command to adjust your home’s settings—and that’s how it differs from automation. 

What’s Home Automation? 

Home automation takes your smart home interactions a step further. With automation, your devices can activate automatically and respond to your home’s environment without requiring direction. 

For example, when you only have smart control, you would manually adjust your home’s lights for nighttime by sliding the color wheel on the app and dimming the lights. But with automation, your house knows that it should warm and dim the lights by six in the evening. We can program your home’s technologies to react to each other like dominos. So that, for instance, if your car pulls into the driveway, your house knows to turn on the AC and lights on the first floor. 

Using Control & Automation at Home 

The ultimate smart home experience combines both smart control and automation. Most smart home enthusiasts use hub software, like Crestron or Control4, that serves as the brain for the entire house. The smart system connects all your devices to communicate with each other while also letting you program automated scenes that anticipate your needs. 

Whether you’re getting ready for work, hosting a party by the pool, or working in the home office, a smart home system sets the perfect scene for your daily activities. We can even install customized wall keypads with buttons like ‘Morning,’ ‘Dinner,’ and ‘Bed’ that adjust the house to your favorite settings. So whether it’s a spur of the moment or a scheduled action, you can change the atmosphere anytime. 

 

Are you interested in smart home control and automation? Look no further than Definitive Electronics, South Florida’s destination for home technology and installations. Contact us here to get started today!