Smart Home News for Control4 System Owners

Technology is never stagnant. Innovation requires that every gadget or device should constantly be improved upon, and your smart home automation system is no exception. We make sure that you have the latest tech at your fingertips. In this blog we'll cover some of the newest features you can experience from our top partner Control4.

SEE ALSO: 3 WAYS A CONTROL4 SYSTEM CAN TRANSFORM YOUR CHARLOTTE, NC HOME

Wearable Technology

The first time you saw someone talk into their watch to issue an important command, it was probably on Star Trek or in a James Bond film. But today this technology has been realized with the Apple Watch and various other models. According to Forbes, 245 million wearable devices are expected to ship in 2019. People want to wear their tech because it's portable, convenient, and just plain cool. Control4 just released news that you can now control your Control4 smart home with the Apple Watch. Open the Control4 app on your watch and enjoy these features:

• Media: See what audio or video that is playing in each room in your house and change volume, add additional rooms, or turn things off.
• Thermostats: See all thermostats in your home, adjust the temperature, and apply presets.
• Lighting: Control individual lights in any room of your house or activate lighting scenes that control many lights at the same time.
• Security: Check status of locks, unlock or lock doors, and open or close garage doors.
• Local or Remote: Control your home from the comfort of your couch, or use your watch when you're away at work or traveling.

All-New Experience Drivers

With over 700 new drivers, you can connect over 9,500 different devices to a Control4 system. But drivers can do more than connect devices—they can create new experiences within a smart home. A great example of a new driver available from Control4 is called Mockupancy, which makes your home appear occupied while you're away. It captures and records the everyday activities of your smart home, then randomly simulates the activities while the home is unoccupied. Everyday usage activities include: lights, shades, and even entertainment like the TV or music streaming.

Tabletop Touch Screens

While you can always access your smart home system through an app on your smartphone, tablet, or watch, you can also take advantage of Control4's newest tabletop touch screens. They are now offering them in fiery red, white gloss and black gloss. These portable devices can easily be moved from room to room and placed on a table or mounted on the wall. Browse through your music collection and view beautiful new album cover art, view surveillance footage in stunning HD, and enjoy a collection of included wallpapers and screensavers you can display when you're not using the device.

Safety and Security Reimagined

Homeowners want to ensure their home and family are safe and secure. To this end Control4 has completely reimagined the Control4 security experience, allowing users to arm or disarm their system, or get emergency help directly from their touch screens, TV or mobile devices. The bold, approachable and intuitive UI features large icons making it easy for everyone in the home to use:

All Zones on a Single Screen: You can now manage sensors and other security features in one consolidated place, called the Security UI. This new security experience makes it easy to close a gate or a garage door with a single tap, all on one screen.

All-New History Agent: A brand-new History agent records security incidents throughout the home, creating a contextualized understanding of what is happening within the house. These history items can be used to create intelligent alerts and notifications so the owner can know when an issue arises. The History agent also provides a list view on Navigators of all the security events in a home, making them searchable to see a more complete history of all activity.

Would you like to add these new features to your system, or learn more about our new home technology? Just fill out this online form and we'll contact you.