Situation Under Control

Automation puts a wide array of home functions at the owner’s fingertips

Home automation has been popular for some time, but options for homeowners are rapidly becoming more expansive and convenient.

Among the most comprehensive automation systems is Control4. Bob Webb Homes works with Gahanna-based Genesis Audio Ltd. to install Control4 in the homes it builds.

“Just about anything you can think of can be controlled, and (there are) more things every day, it seems,” says Steve Stabile, director of residential sales for Genesis. “It’s just a matter of practicality.”

Though Control4, like some similar systems, can be operated via panels installed throughout the house, it can also be accessed by a laptop computer, tablet or smartphone. The homeowner can not only do things such as turn the lights on and off from afar, he or she can check the status of the various automated functions.

That means sudden abject panic at the thought of having left for vacation without closing the garage door is a thing of the past. It’s the labor of just a few seconds to check whether the garage door is open and, if it is, shut it.

The system is designed to be easily scalable, so adding new functions doesn’t require buying a new unit. It’s also convenient to set up alerts; some customers, Stabile says, give their children keypad codes to unlock the doors, and when they do, an email is automatically sent to the parents. It’s possible to map multiple functions to a single switch, which means the push of a single button can, for example, turn on music and all the lights.

Bob Webb includes Control4 in its fine, custom homes.

“One of the things we’re most proud of today is that we keep up with the latest trends,” says Bob Webb, founder of Bob Webb Homes. “We work very hard. Even though we’ve been in this business all these years, we still feel like we’re on the cutting edge.”

Control4 gives the homeowner control over endless control options, such as:

-The alarm system and security cameras

-Lights and window blinds

-Audio and speaker controls

-Visual equipment such as TVs

-Heating, air conditioning and temperature controls

-Kitchen appliances

-Garage doors

“A lot of those things are available to the consumer as standalone pieces,” says Stabile. “What Control4 does is take all these subsystems and put them under a single control.”

See it in Action

Bob Webb has Control4 installed in its Jerome Village model. It controls almost all of the first-floor lights, two TVs, the stereo system, the security system and two cameras.

Besides the Control4 wall console, the system can also be controlled by a tablet computer.

For more information on automation and other opportunities offered by Bob Webb Homes, visit www.bobwebb.com.