Home Automation

Concept

Consolidation - Sub-systems (Security, Surveillance, Lighting, Entertainment, Heating/Air-Conditioning, Irrigation etc.) are all controlled through the same interface: Smartphone, Tablet, Touch-panel or Remote.

Standardization - With each sub-system designed and built by a different manufacturer, the end-user is left with a scattered and inconsistent array of user-interfaces. A custom designed user-interface can add uniformity and consistency to these diverse interfaces and increase overall ease of use.

Simplification - In an attempt to include every potential functionality, most stand-alone sub-systems are made overly confusing and difficult to use mixing buttons and features that are only necessary for the initial installation. A good home automation system will strip away superfluous buttons and combine multiple step procedures into a single button.

Accessibility - A home automation system allows the user to control every aspect of their house from the comfort of their home or from half way around the world.

Anticipation - A system can't truly be considered an Automation system unless it adds a degree of artificial intelligence to the entire system. Some simple examples of an AI home include using the feedback on the alarm system (armed away vs. disarmed) to turn on and off the lighting, air conditioning and entertainment systems, as this feedback is often the best indicator of whether someone is in the home or away.

Reliability - Here the goal is simple: every system, device, and user interface must work all the time and every time.

Execution

System Design - While these systems are custom, we never beta test on our clients. All our systems are designed using the same array of electronics that we have fully tested so we can certify their performance, automation compatibility, and reliability over the long term.

Installation - In Tune Systems' Installation professionals are industry veterans and not only design the control/automation system to be a perfectly customized system for your needs, we place an equal weight on the functionality of the system and the aesthetics of how the installation looks, as one is often the indicator of the quality of the other.

Programming - The programmer of a home automation system is often cited as the most crucial element of any home automation project. Our programmers have decades of experience and are certified professionals with the industries premier automation brands like Vantage and Savant.

Design - Is the main form of communication between the user and their system, and is intimately tied to the system programming. The philosophy behind designing our user interfaces is to make them so simple and intuitive enough that no explanation is necessary, and any user can pick up any user interface device and instantly know how to use it.

Customer Service - While we try to make our systems as robust as possible, electronic components do fail or are accidentally damaged. The key is to troubleshoot and repair any malfunctioning aspects of the system immediately. One of the best and quickest ways we do this is to have remote access to the system where we can re-program and troubleshoot remotely if an onsite tech is not necessary. We also can use this remote access to walk a client through troubleshooting the system themselves if they feel it is the quickest and best way to approach a problem.

Advantage

Energy Savings - Turning off Air Conditioning, Lights and Electronics when leaving your house reduces unnecessary electricity usage. Also, system status feedback allows the user to see if areas of the house are consuming energy when they should be shut down.

Security Being able to remotely monitor and control the alarm security system and surveillance cameras increases the security of the house through better monitoring.

Comfort - Having climate and lighting control easily accessible on an iPad or touch-panel remote allows for your desired temperature and light levels to be selected at the press of a single button, triggered automatically by the date and time, or activated by the feedback from monitoring the activity in the room.

Remote Management - The automation system can be managed from within the house, while out of town or by a property manager that has a network enabled device.

Entertainment - Systems that offer an experience equivalent to that of a commercial movie theater are usually too complicated to operate, but with an automation system any room can be instantly turned into a movie theater with a press of a single button.

Customization - The look and feel of the user-interface can be made to match the aesthetics of the home or business, text size can be increased to make buttons more legible, and the complexity of the control and feedback can be tailored to form the most simple interface possible or one that has all possible buttons and status feedback.

Sub-Contractor Management - On a new construction project the best and easiest way to guarantee that all sub-contractors working on technical systems have properly completed their work is to verify their progress through the programmer who is tasked with adding another layer of control on top of their individual sub-system.