I work in home automation, which is basically installing one central control system that in turn controls all the other systems in a house. Crestron is the main control system that the company I work for usually installs. There are many levels, from power-line communication systems, to Ethernet based systems, to systems specifically used for lighting control. Crestron has been around for a long time, and is fairly bullet-proof if the programmer is worth his (or her) weight.

Many times, there are security companies, or other self employed persons, who feel that the ability to pull some wires in a house gives them the knowledge to put together a control system. Sadly, especially for the homeowners, this turns out poorly. In some cases, though, our company benefits, as we can make some money when the homeowner gives up on the original installer. This brings its own set of unique problems: wires pulled to the wrong locations or not at all, the wrong equipment specified or installed, pissed off builders and homeowners, and a general bad feeling all around.

This most recent job really brought home an aspect that I always forget to consider going into this type of situation. When you follow incompetence it is easy to be a hero just by doing your job. This particular situation, the homeowner had a lighting system installed in his house from Lutron, but there was no programming done at all, which translates into no way to turn on or off lights other than with the breakers in the electrical panel. It did take a while to build the program from scratch, but basically in a day I had given him the ability to turn on and off lights.

I would recommend to anyone who wants to purchase a control system to do their homework. Don't use the lowest bid, you usually end up getting what you pay for, and while these systems start in the tens of thousands of dollars, and quickly get into the hundreds of thousands, it is not worth saving a few percent of the cost if you wind up having pretty looking buttons that don't do anything. There are lots of resources out there to get some information:

• Remote Central is a great place for reviews of all types of products and systems although you need to do a good search of the forums before you ask a question, they are really brutal to newbies,
• Going directly to some of the manufacturers sites (links above) can give you a good introduction to what the particular systems are capable (another thing I see is people being oversold, getting a system that does more than what the customer wanted or expected),
• Getting a list of preferred installers from the manufacturer you select is another good idea,
• But no matter who you choose for bids, make sure you talk to previous customers. Get a list of people you can choose to talk to, and even better would be to ask if there is a house or two you can visit, to actually work a system they have installed and programmed, see if the company actually understands the systems they sell and install.

No matter how much the control system costs, from the entry level system that just does some security lighting for a few thousand dollars, to the half a million dollar system that controls the whole house and practically does the dishes, no amount of saved money is worth the frustration of a system that does not work.