Smart Home FAQs

A truly smart home has devices that communicate with each other and work together through automations. Instead of controlling each device separately through different apps, everything connects to a central hub and responds intelligently—like lights that dim when you start a movie, or your thermostat adjusting when you leave for work. Most homes have "smart devices" but lack the integration that makes them actually useful.

You can use individual apps, but you'll quickly end up juggling five or more apps just to control your own home. A hub like Home Assistant brings everything into one place, enables cross-device automations, and often provides local control so your devices work even when the internet goes down. For anything beyond a few basic devices, a hub is well worth it.

It depends on your setup. Cloud-dependent devices (like most Ring or Nest products) need internet to function. With Home Assistant and local-control devices (Zigbee, Z-Wave, or local Wi-Fi devices), your automations and controls keep working even without internet. We design systems with local control in mind so you're not stranded when your ISP has issues.

Security depends entirely on how your system is configured. Cloud-based devices are only as secure as the company running them. Local-control systems like Home Assistant keep your data in your home, not on someone else's server. We configure proper network segmentation, strong passwords, and encrypted connections. The result is often more secure than a pile of cloud devices with default settings.

Programmable thermostats follow a fixed schedule you set manually. Smart thermostats connect to Wi-Fi, learn your preferences, respond to occupancy, and integrate with other devices. They can adjust automatically when you leave, respond to voice commands, and participate in automations—like pre-cooling your home when your phone GPS shows you're heading back.

The C-wire (common wire) provides constant 24V power to your thermostat. Many smart thermostats need it to power their Wi-Fi radios and displays. Older homes often only have 4 wires at the thermostat, which means we either need to run a new wire or install an adapter kit at your air handler. We can assess your wiring during installation.

Yes! With smart climate zones, we install temperature sensors in different rooms and use smart vents or multi-zone dampers to direct airflow where it's needed. This lets you keep bedrooms cooler at night while the living room stays comfortable during the day—without heating or cooling empty rooms.

Home Assistant is a free, open-source smart home platform that runs locally in your home. It integrates with over 2,000 different devices and services, gives you complete control over your data, and creates powerful automations that commercial hubs can't match. We recommend it because it's the most flexible, privacy-respecting option available—and because we run it ourselves and know it inside out.

Absolutely. Home Assistant integrates with Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, and most other ecosystems. You can keep your voice assistants and existing devices while adding Home Assistant as the "brain" that ties everything together. Many customers use voice control through Alexa while Home Assistant handles the actual automations.

Yes—that's one of our most common requests. We'll inventory what you have, consolidate control into a single interface, fix devices that have gone offline, and create automations that actually work. Many customers come to us frustrated after buying devices that never worked well together. We turn that pile of gadgets into a functioning system.

It depends on your goals. Smart switches control any bulbs in that circuit and work with your existing wall switch—guests can still use them normally. Smart bulbs offer color changing and individual control but become useless if someone flips the wall switch off. For most rooms, we recommend smart switches. For accent lighting or areas where color matters, bulbs make sense.

We typically recommend locks that support local protocols (Z-Wave or Zigbee) in addition to Wi-Fi, so they work even during internet outages. Schlage, Yale, and August all make solid options. The best choice depends on your door, your existing deadbolt, and how you want to integrate it. We'll help you pick one that fits your setup.

Yes. We install and configure video doorbells, outdoor cameras, and indoor cameras. We can set these up to work with cloud services if you prefer, or integrate them with local recording through Home Assistant for better privacy. We'll also ensure they're positioned correctly and connected to your network reliably.

Single device installs (thermostat, lock, doorbell) usually take 1-2 hours including configuration and testing. A full Home Assistant setup with multiple devices typically takes 4-8 hours depending on complexity. We'll give you a time estimate based on your specific project during your free consultation.

Usually, yes. Devices go offline for predictable reasons: weak Wi-Fi signal, network congestion, router settings, or firmware issues. We diagnose the root cause, improve your network setup if needed, update firmware, and reconfigure devices for reliability. Most "flaky" smart homes just need proper network configuration.

Yes. We're available for troubleshooting visits when things go wrong, and we can help you add new devices or automations as your needs grow. We also offer guidance on maintaining your system yourself if you prefer to be hands-on. Our goal is a system that runs reliably without constant attention.

Absolutely. The whole point of good automation is that you shouldn't have to think about it—lights turn on when you need them, the house cools down before you get home, and everything just works. We design systems with simple controls (voice, app, or physical switches) and train you on anything you'll interact with directly. You don't need to understand the technology to enjoy it.