With home automation systems, you no longer need to worry about unnecessary home energy expenditures and whether or not you locked the front door, if the kids are home from school or whether you armed your security. A true smart home coordinates these connected devices and systems for you. In fact, a smart home system can control every light, appliance and remote controlled product in your home.

With one touch, dim the lights, play music, turn up the heat, lock the doors and arm the security system. Or, have your house respond to your schedule and needs without touching anything at all. Welcome to a smarter living experience or as Control4 calls it, the 'new normal'.

Announced this week, the new Control4 updates bring new user experiences to enhance your entertainment; comfort and peace of mind, along with new HD touch screens and a new system remote and thermostat.

Jointly developed with Aprilaire, the new Wireless Thermostat delivers a reliable and sophisticated thermostat that consistently delivers the right level of comfort in the most efficient way possible. With Control4, your thermostat can determine what “mode” your house is in and respond with the perfect temperature, whether you’re home or away. It can even adjust based on sunrise or sunset, or adapt to the current season.

With the ability to store 'presets' Control4 remembers your favorite temperatures and settings (fresh air and humidity) which can be scheduled for a specific time of the day. This works with most existing climate control thermostats and some great automation options are:

• Program your window shades to lower during the hottest hours of the day, saving on air conditioning costs;
• Automate your sprinklers and lawn systems to respond to weather conditions.

Further new products include sleek new user interface HD touchscreens. Faster than previous models, and more responsive thanks to a processor that is 10 times faster. They are available in black or white, with a durable glass screen and in a variety of sizes. The 7” and 10” sizes can be mounted on the wall or a 7” tabletop screen is portable for use throughout your home. The Touch Screens also have a HD camera, high quality microphone and speakers and a new video intercom. You can check who is at the front door, check on your sleeping baby or call the family together for dinner.

The heart of a Control4 Home Automation system is the app, and Control4 have released their '4Sight' app giving you the ability to control and check in to your home (via your cameras) from anywhere in the world with your android and/or iOS smartphone.

Locking your doors, arming the security system, or receiving mobile alerts when the kids arrive home has never been easier. Control4 works with a wide variety of sensors, including motion, glass break, door, window, and even water-leak detection. 

Perhaps the feature that shaped home automation back in the early days was lighting control. Smart lighting has evolved further and is a popular feature which many people say they couldn’t live without once they have experienced it. It helps you create ambience as well as be energy efficient. They can turn up slowly when you wake in the morning and turn off when no one is in a room. Presets can include modes for dining, party, game night, cooking, movies, romantic to set the mood in your home. All this and more is possible with Control4.

Distributing video content throughout your home is also possible with Control4. Each room has access to every video source and an intuitive; on-screen interface makes it easy to select the right one. Browse your movie library and video streaming services like Netflix, Apple TV, Stan and Amazon Fire from any TV, touch screen or mobile device - anywhere in the house.

The new SR-260 Remote control is the handheld interface to control your entertainment. This remote will replace ALL of your other remotes - consolidating your entertainment into a single easy-to-use remote. It is designed like a traditional remote with buttons to turn on the TV, select the source, play, pause, skip and adjust volume. There are custom buttons on the top like coordinating your blinds and lights to go down when you start your movie. The remote is wireless not infrared, which means it doesn’t need to be pointed directly to your TV and/or equipment.

There are many smart devices available today - TVs, thermostats, door locks, even light bulbs that you can control with your smartphone. These devices operate just fine on their own, but when they are joined together and played in orchestration - well, that’s a symphony of technology working in true harmony. That's Control4 home automation.

Control4 coordinates virtually all the connected devices in your home to create a personalised experience with solutions that maximize your comfort, convenience, entertainment and peace of mind.

Integration packages start at $1,800 RRP plus programming time from your installer, and you can build upon the package over time to match your changing needs.

For more information visit www.advanceaudio.com.au

Control4 is distributed in Australia by Advance Audio.