Today's homes are more technological than ever. Pools and spas, lighting, and even window coverings can be controlled with the push of a button. But, using multiple applications, and maybe even multiple devices to perform simple everyday tasks defeats the purpose of automation - convenience. Luckily, there's a better way to manage your increasingly high-tech home. Having various systems controlled by a consolidated home automation device allows you to control your home with ease.

Manufacturer Applications

Most automation systems have apps that can be easily installed on your smartphone, be it an iPhone, Android, or Windows phone device. These apps are designed to work a specific system, and can control it individually with minimal setup.

Manufacturer-provided applications are usually easy to use, but somewhat rudimentary. Having an app that is designed specifically for your home automation system will have the capabilities that your system requires, nothing more and nothing less.

While it may seem nice to have each app on your smartphone, this setup makes it difficult to accomplish multiple home automation tasks at once. Having individual apps for each automated facet of your home may work if you have one, or maybe two systems to control, but if you want to fully automate your home you will find that this method of automation can become tedious quickly.

Consolidated Home Automation

What happens if you want to adjust the temperature in your pool or spa, dim the lighting, and set the stereo speakers outside to the same music you're enjoying inside? Unless you have consolidated home automation, such as RTI, or URC's Total Control you'll need to use three different apps and/or remote controls to perform these tasks.

With a consolidated home automation system, you can easily make adjustments to any part of your home automation, whether your smartphone is nearby or not. You won't have to keep a basket full of remotes for each different system either; a consolidated remote can handle all of your devices. In addition, since the home automation remote interface is customizable, you can select which operations are most important make those available as home screen shortcuts. In this way, the shortcuts you can create on your smartphone are also only a click away on your consolidated automation remote.

Another benefit of having consolidated home automation control is that you can still use your smartphone to control your systems if you choose. This way you can adjust lighting from your phone before arriving home, and then be able to seamlessly adjust the lighting, home theater system, shades, and spa from the remote when you arrive home. The consolidated control interface gives you more variety in control options.

When deciding whether to consolidate your home automation system, you won't have to read too much into the fine print to realize a consolidated system will save you time and headaches down the road. With control over all your systems in one spot, a consolidated solution is a great home automation choice.