The best home automation system is the one that suits the size of your house and the way you live, and that comes with an installer who will still be looking after it in ten years' time. For most family homes in Dublin and Cork that points to Control4, for larger houses designed with an architect or interior designer it points to Crestron, and when lighting comes first it points to Lutron or Rako.
Comparing brands only gets you so far, because two houses with the same system can have very different needs. So this guide starts with the house and works back to the brand. 1Install is a Crestron Elite Partner, and our founder, Kieran McGuire, holds every Crestron certification. We are also an accredited Control4 dealer, an accredited Savant partner and an accredited Rako installer, and we design, install and programme Lutron, so there is no single brand we need to sell you.
Which home automation system suits which kind of home?
| Your home | Where we would start | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A large house or estate, or a project run with an architect and an interior designer | Crestron Home | Lighting, shades, heating, audio, video, cinema and security on one platform, with keypads laid out by your design team |
| A family home, second home or renovation where value matters | Control4 | One app, one remote and a few engraved keypads, and it grows room by room |
| A home where the app should be at the centre | Savant | A polished app, with scenes that set the lighting, music, TV, shades and temperature in one tap |
| Lighting and blinds first, everything else later | Lutron | Beautifully made Palladiom and Alisse keypads and very quiet shades; RadioRA 3 is wireless for existing homes and HomeWorks suits larger houses |
| Better lighting in a finished home, or an old system to replace | Rako | Wireless Rako needs little or no redecoration, wired Rako suits new builds, and it can be linked to Control4 and Crestron |
Treat the table as a starting point, not a rule. Lutron or Rako lighting can sit inside a Crestron or Control4 system, so a lighting specialist looks after the lights while the main system handles music, video, heating and security. The right answer for your house is settled at a consultation, once we have seen the plans or walked through the rooms.
Your stage of build matters more than the brand
Self build or new build. This is the cheapest time to do it properly, because the walls are open. Cables for keypads, speakers, blinds and a good network cost far less at first fix than they do afterwards, and any of these systems can be planned in. Start with our guides to what to wire at first fix and lighting design for a self build, and send us your plans for a free Wi-Fi design.
Renovation or extension. Opening every wall is rarely an option, so wireless matters. Lutron RadioRA 3 is wireless, so keypads and dimmers can be added without chasing walls, and wireless Rako needs little or no redecoration. Control4 is a favourite for renovations because it grows room by room.
A home that already has a system. JCL, the company behind FlexiDim lighting control, has closed, so there is no manufacturer support or new parts for those systems. FlexiDim is usually star wired, so we can replace the central equipment and keypads with a current Crestron, Control4 or Rako system and keep your existing cables. We also upgrade older Control4 controllers to the CORE series, move older custom programmed Crestron systems to Crestron Home, and take over Control4 systems from installers who have closed or stopped answering. You can see similar work in a Crestron upgrade in Dublin, and follow our in progress series on replacing a Control4 system with Crestron Home in Cork.
Home automation system or smart gadgets?
The words home automation system can mean two quite different things. The first is a collection of smart plugs, bulbs and speakers run from an app such as Alexa, Google Home or Apple Home. It is cheap to start, it needs no installer and it suits a handful of devices. Matter, the standard from the Connectivity Standards Alliance, aims to let devices from different brands work together and with voice assistants such as Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant.
The second is a designed system. A controller sits in the equipment cabinet, the lighting, blinds, heating, music and video are planned room by room, and engraved keypads on the wall set a whole scene with one press. Everything is drawn, documented and backed up, with support through 1Install Care. That is what Crestron, Control4 and Savant are, with Lutron or Rako looking after the lighting, and it is what you pay for when a whole house, and everyone in it, depends on the result.
Plan the network before the system
Whichever system you choose, it depends on the network under it. These systems, televisions, music, cameras and intercoms all rely on it, so a weak network shows up as a smart home that seems unreliable. In a Galway house with a Control4 system more than ten years old, we replaced the router, changed the Wi-Fi access points, added Starlink and updated Control4. Our Wi-Fi networks page explains the routers, access points and switches we use, with a good, better and best option to suit your needs and budget.
Five questions to ask any installer before you choose
- Are you accredited for the system you are quoting? Ask which brands the company is accredited for, and ask to see it.
- Who designs, programmes and supports it? The people who plan your system should be the people who look after it. At 1Install our own engineers do the design, programming and support.
- Will I see the design before anything is installed? We send an online proposal with drawings, room by room, where you or your interior designer can design the keypads and watch the cost as you go.
- Is everything written down? Your drawings, equipment list and settings should be kept for you. Ours are documented in your client portal.
- What happens after handover? Ask what support is included and who answers the phone. 1Install Care, our annual support plan, gives you priority support, remote monitoring on weekdays during office hours, an annual health check and secure storage of your programming and configuration.
We start every project with how you live: which rooms matter most and what should happen when you arrive home or go to bed. Each step is on our process page, and we have teams in Dublin and Cork, with installer pages for Crestron in Dublin, Crestron in Cork, Control4 in Dublin and Control4 in Cork.
Questions we are often asked
Should I choose Control4 or Crestron?
Either can be the right choice. Control4 is simpler and very good value for most family homes, while Crestron suits larger and more complex houses, especially projects run with an architect or interior designer. We install both, so we can tell you plainly which suits your house, and the answer often comes down to the size of the project and what each room has to do.
What about KNX, which my electrician mentioned?
KNX is an open standard, and the KNX Association says certified products from different manufacturers are compatible with each other. It is usually wired with its own bus cable, so it is normally decided before first fix. Whatever system you are quoted for, ask the same questions as above: who designs it, who programmes it, who supports it and who keeps the configuration files. We design, install and support Crestron, Control4, Savant, Lutron and Rako, which is where our advice comes from.
Can I add a home automation system to a house I already live in?
Yes. Wireless systems such as Lutron RadioRA 3 and wireless Rako are made for this, because keypads and dimmers can be added without chasing walls and with little or no redecoration. Control4 can also be added room by room. A survey shows what your existing wiring allows.
My installer has closed, or my system is old. Can you take it over?
Often, yes. After a survey we can take over, update and support existing Control4, Lutron and Savant systems, and upgrade older Crestron systems to Crestron Home. For Control4 we back up the project, check every device, fix what is not working and give you a written report of what you have. JCL FlexiDim systems can be replaced on the existing wiring.
How much does a home automation system cost in Ireland?
It depends on how many rooms get lighting control, music, TV and blinds, whether the house is being built or renovated, which system you choose and any extras such as a cinema, garden audio or security. Our cost guide lists what affects the price, and the Quote Builder lets you upload a floor plan and tick what you want in each room to see a budget range for a full Crestron system. A consultation, site survey or call out is €440 plus VAT for up to 4 hours with an engineer, and extra time is €110 an hour plus VAT.
Can I mix brands, for example Lutron lighting with Crestron or Control4?
Yes. Lutron works on its own or as part of a Crestron or Control4 system, Savant integrates with Lutron lighting and shades, and Rako can be linked to Control4 and Crestron. Control4 also works with Sonos, most TVs, heating systems and door entry, so everything can sit in one app.
Book a consultation or call Dublin on 01 906 9326 or Cork on 021 202 8107.
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