I am about to start a fairly major home renovation, which will involve a complete rewiring of the house...
I definitely want to include elements of home automation, but I'm not prepared to blow the bank on gimmicky crap.
The house will have a large open plan central living area downstairs, approx 1500sq ft of the ground floor. this will encompass a large sitting area, kitchen, dining and 'snug'. They are zoned to an extent and the lighting setup will reflect these zones. There are a few other rooms downstairs and then 5 beds/baths upstairs.
Whilst I know this is an AV forum... I am actually going for a rather simple AV setup. I am a big Apple fan (I know) and I have a large Apple movie collection, I barely use Sky/Virgin anymore so I expect I will rely on Netflix, NowTV, Amazon Prime and my existing movies. I have also been a Sonos user for almost a decade, so am familiar with the options and equipment available. I expect my AV solution will be AppleTVs for each TV (probably 3 in the house) and either speakers linked to hub or a few Sonos speaker systems around the house and garden.
The rest of the house is where I am struggling... I have been given a quote from Lutron for circa £25k to do the lighting throughout the house, which is obscene and didn't even't include blinds.
I have been looking at a few other options; Loxone, Control4 and Fibaro...
I think i understand how they work - but in the first instance i wanted any straight-up 'reviews' or thoughts on whether you would rate or rant about any of the options.
The second question is thoughts based on the following:
The key requirements for my build:
- nice wallplates/switches
- scene setting in the open plan area
- motorised blinds in the open plan area - linked to scene setting
- compatibility with low wattage lights for kitchen and RGB lighting
- compatibility with plug sockets ideal for scene setting
- motorised blinds in the master bedroom
- changing scenes at push of button... rather than opening apps
- integration with Siri and voice activation would be ideal (for changing scenes, dimming lights and opening/closing blinds)
- doesn't have to be compatible with security, but if you can see video streams and interact with gate/intercom a bonus
- doesn't have to be compatible with heating... but to control zoned heating might be a bonus - i am equally happy to rely on Nest (for heating and fire alarms) - i already installed a new boiler with Nest, though currently not zoned
- nice to have scene setting for the garden and master
Given I have a blank canvas... I'd appreciate any unbiased, knowledgeable tips or advice. I know Lutron can do most of the above, but whilst i am not restricted on cost, i am not prepared to 'waste' money. Also, i am concerned about effectiveness of the wireless options... I don't want a system which takes 30sec to do what I ask it to do, so any reassurances on Fibaro would be appreciated.
I definitely want to include elements of home automation, but I'm not prepared to blow the bank on gimmicky crap.
The house will have a large open plan central living area downstairs, approx 1500sq ft of the ground floor. this will encompass a large sitting area, kitchen, dining and 'snug'. They are zoned to an extent and the lighting setup will reflect these zones. There are a few other rooms downstairs and then 5 beds/baths upstairs.
Whilst I know this is an AV forum... I am actually going for a rather simple AV setup. I am a big Apple fan (I know) and I have a large Apple movie collection, I barely use Sky/Virgin anymore so I expect I will rely on Netflix, NowTV, Amazon Prime and my existing movies. I have also been a Sonos user for almost a decade, so am familiar with the options and equipment available. I expect my AV solution will be AppleTVs for each TV (probably 3 in the house) and either speakers linked to hub or a few Sonos speaker systems around the house and garden.
The rest of the house is where I am struggling... I have been given a quote from Lutron for circa £25k to do the lighting throughout the house, which is obscene and didn't even't include blinds.
I have been looking at a few other options; Loxone, Control4 and Fibaro...
I think i understand how they work - but in the first instance i wanted any straight-up 'reviews' or thoughts on whether you would rate or rant about any of the options.
The second question is thoughts based on the following:
The key requirements for my build:
- nice wallplates/switches
- scene setting in the open plan area
- motorised blinds in the open plan area - linked to scene setting
- compatibility with low wattage lights for kitchen and RGB lighting
- compatibility with plug sockets ideal for scene setting
- motorised blinds in the master bedroom
- changing scenes at push of button... rather than opening apps
- integration with Siri and voice activation would be ideal (for changing scenes, dimming lights and opening/closing blinds)
- doesn't have to be compatible with security, but if you can see video streams and interact with gate/intercom a bonus
- doesn't have to be compatible with heating... but to control zoned heating might be a bonus - i am equally happy to rely on Nest (for heating and fire alarms) - i already installed a new boiler with Nest, though currently not zoned
- nice to have scene setting for the garden and master
Given I have a blank canvas... I'd appreciate any unbiased, knowledgeable tips or advice. I know Lutron can do most of the above, but whilst i am not restricted on cost, i am not prepared to 'waste' money. Also, i am concerned about effectiveness of the wireless options... I don't want a system which takes 30sec to do what I ask it to do, so any reassurances on Fibaro would be appreciated.