A Look at Two Smart Home Solutions to Orchestrate Your Home
Control4 and Savant: Similar and Different at the Same Time
A true smart home is more than just a collection of intelligent devices. A smart thermostat, programmable lights, or control from a smartphone app do not add up to a smart home. It's how all those intelligent devices and functionality work together that turn your house into a smart home.
When discussing smart home solutions, two major vendors always bubble up to the top: Control4 and Savant. Both of these companies started in the early 2000s, at the beginning of the era of internet-connected services, software-driven systems, and mobile devices. Both have continually upgraded their capabilities to incorporate all the significant areas of home automation, such as whole-home entertainment, lighting, climate control, and more. Both also offer integration options with best-of-breed independent solutions in lighting and motorized shading.
Which smart home system is best for your Hamptons, NY, home? There is no right answer; you could not make a mistake with either. But each features some individual wrinkles that you might favor over the other. Keep reading to learn more!
SEE ALSO: Remote Monitoring: A Smart Choice for Your Smart Home
SIMILARITIES
Both Savant and Control4 are full-fledged home automation systems with solutions from automating one or two rooms to the largest homes. Both present a unified interface with various touchpoints – touchscreens, wall-mounted keypads, AV-centric button remotes, and voice control. Both systems make it easy to program scenes where various functions like lighting, climate control, and security can be controlled with one command or button press. Both have hardware controllers that can scale up to handle small to large homes. Both systems include their own lighting control solution but can work with other major systems like Lutron.
From an interface standpoint, Savant touch screen control resembled something that Apple would design; sleek and elegant. Control4's recently introduced OS3 brought much of that aesthetic to their latest interface, along with Savant innovations like user-programmable scenes and personalized room images to make it easy to tell which room you're controlling. Much like the differences between IOS and Android, your choice from an interface standpoint might come down to personal preference.
SOME DIFFERENCES
One area where Control4 has always differentiated itself is the sheer compatibility with a massive array of devices. Control4 currently can interact with over 16,000 devices! They support a full collection of industry-standard control protocols for devices, from infrared to Zigbee. If you are looking to control esoteric or older AV equipment or other devices, a Control4 system can likely get it done. From a practical standpoint, Control4 also supports a more extensive array of smart home devices like locks, so you might have more choices when integrating such functions.
Savant also differentiates itself with some unique features and capabilities. Savant has recently made large investments in lighting control, including tunable lighting. Tunable lighting can blend with natural lighting and also adjust during the day for a more healthful lighting environment. Savant also offers some innovative entertainment features like IP powered speakers, which get their power and audio from a single Ethernet cable, allowing for lossless quality audio and efficient distributed installation especially suited for large properties.
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE?
The best way to choose a smart home solution is with a professional company like Home Technology Experts. We can assess your needs, determine what smart home features you need and want, and show you the interface and unique wrinkles that might make a difference to you. Both of these systems are first-tier smart home technology platforms that will serve you for years, but one may be a better fit for your needs.
Are you ready for the power of a full-featured smart home solution? Get in touch with us here; we would love to work with you to show you everything you can do with Control4 or Savant.
