When automating their home, some people prefer to start out small with a simple, one-off project. There is something to be said for diving into the deep end and installing an all-inclusive, whole home system, however: it’s not only convenient, but it makes your home and your lifestyle more comfortable, safe and enjoyable all at once.

What is whole home automation?

Home automation refers to anything in and around your home that can be controlled by remote or automatic means.

Whole home automation takes that concept to the next level, and ensures that every part of your home is automated: from lighting, surveillance, and climate control to irrigation, window treatments, audio/video and home entertainment, it incorporates every aspect of your home that can be automatically controlled.

If you’re thinking of automating your entire home, your first consideration is obviously cost. Installing a central “brain” to control your home services and appliances doesn’t come cheaply.

The market’s top product developers, including HAI, Control4, ELK and NuVo offer home control systems that start, for the most basic whole home systems, from around $5,000. It’s important to keep in mind that these types of all-inclusive systems generally should not be installed by the end-user; ideally, they need to be wired up by an expert, to ensure a professional result. So, you’ll need to include those installation costs into your budget.

Where to start?

Many people begin by automating one area of their home, such as lighting, and then they add to their system as their budget and requirements develop.

There are both pros and cons attached to this strategy. Whole home automation systems can be expensive, so this is the more economical way to start out, and it allows you the flexibility to upgrade to newer technologies as your needs change. On the flip side, it can be more expensive over the long-term to keep adding to and tweaking your home automation system, and you

If you want to jump right into and elevate your home’s safety, comfort, convenience, and energy efficiency in one hit, there are plenty of products available to you.

HAI, for instance, are one of the more established businesses in the market; they’ve been in business since 1985, and offer genuine affordability in home automation. It works best with the UPB protocol, but is compatible with X10 as well.

Control4, on the other hand, is not designed to work with UPB: it runs via Zigbee, a wireless protocol targeted at radio-frequency (RF) applications that require a low data rate, couple with a long battery life and secure networking.

Each product developer has various strengths and weaknesses – so the right product fit you will depend on your home automation ‘wish list’.