1) Control4 allows you to start small. I don't



know about you but just the idea of a $50,000

price tag for home technology can be overwhelming

to many people. Now while it is very easy to

spend that and more on a true home automation

system... it is not necessary with the Control4

system. Many homeowners start off with using the

control4 system as a smart remote control for

their home theater system. They invest in a Home

Theater Controller and then they add on

additional home automation modules as they see

fit and can afford to. Down the road a few light

switches can be added in to the system. Even

further down the road you can tie in your

security system & thermostats. Some people even

add music throughout their home with this system.

Just remember that you can start off your home

automation with one project at a time-- yet still

have a system that integrates everything

seamlessly.

2) The Control4 system allows you to turn on your

television and see a copy of every DVD movie that

you own. When you combine the Control4 system

with the Sony 400 disc DVD player, the system

accesses the Internet and automatically searches

for the DVD jackets cover art. Now you no longer

have to look for your movies or worry about them

getting scratched by the kids. The Movies stay in

the DVD player all of the time. All you have to

do is turn on the TV and with your Control4

Atlanta Home Theater Controller-- simply click on

the "video" button. Instantly you will see a

picture of every DVD movie you own. Choose a

movie by clicking on it & the system does

everything else. No more wrestling with 6 remote

controls.

3) Control 4 uses Wi-fi, Ethernet and a

relatively unheard of technology called...Zigbee

802.15.4 mesh networking standard. Believe it or

not the name "ZigBee" is comes from zig- zag

patterns made by bees when they go flower to

flower to collect pollen. This is similar to the

invisible webs of connections existing in a fully

wireless Zigbee system. So what that means in

simple English is that the more Zigbee devices

you add to the system...the stronger the

connection will be since each device will feed

off of the next. All of the Control4 lighting

dimmers are Zigbee based. The LCD keypads may be

Zigbee based or hard wired via Ethernet.

4) What does this mean for you? Zigbee technology

means that if you live in an existing home that

does not give you access to run wires for home

automation technology...you still can use

Control4. By taking advantage of the Zigbee

protocol and Wi-fi, you can add complete home

automation to your house including your lighting,

thermostats, security and movies. In fact, if you

want to add zones of distributed audio (music in

other rooms) there is even something called the

Control4 Speaker Point. This allows you to

deliver remote audio throughout the home without

running any wires back to your audio source.

5) The Control4 system is very user friendly. You

do not have to have an engineering degree to use

it. In fact... I have had clients choose it

instead of some of the more expensive systems

just for its simplicity and ease of use.

Home automation and smart home technology are

here to stay. Why not look for an affordable home

automation system that can grow with you, add

value to your home and give you pleasure at the

same time.