New Automation – Crestron System Review

Crestron System Review
Crestron System Review

When it comes to home automation system companies, it hardly gets bigger than Crestron. With a huge array of automation systems in the commercial world, Crestron has ventured into the residential market with new home automation systems that are just as impressive as their commercial counterparts.

With their new home automation system, you can control:

  • The lighting in your home
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    Your HVAC
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    Your garage doors
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    Your video surveillance system
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    Your security system in general
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    Your TV
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    Your music system

And so much more; all from your smartphone, tablet or PC. Couple this with a strong Wi-Fi connection, you can control all these components remotely and really, from anywhere around the world. That is the beauty of the new home automation system from Crestron. It gives you total control of your home security and automation. Here is a complete Crestron System review that will give you a good idea of what you will be getting with this system should you choose to invest in a smart and fully automated home.

Crestron System Features

Crestron System Review

The Crestron home automation system is I.T based like most other home automation systems in the market. Since Crestron has been designing, producing and supplying these systems for over 50 years now, you can confidently expect their output to be one of the best in the market. This system has the following features:

  • Crestron MC-3 Processor: This acts as the command center for the entire Crestron system. It communicates with every single one of the installed sub-systems and can be used to operate every component.
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    Crestron AV controls: This is very much your entertainment center with AV receivers, Cable, TV, audio, game, etc.
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    Crestron Thermostats: These include HVAC, radiant heat, and humidity.
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    OnQ Intercom: So far, Crestron has a unique intercom system that runs on CAT 5 wiring. This might just be the only one in the market.
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    Lutron RadioRA2 Lighting Control: This is where all the dimmers for your lights are housed.
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    ICRealtime Video Surveillance: This is a 16 port system that features video cameras that cover the inside and around your house. To make it all better, these cameras have night vision, so you can see in the dark.
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    LiftMaster: This is the MyQ system that allows status reporting as well as open/close action over the Internet.

Suffice it to say that you would need to have a strong and reliable broadband connection if you want to fully enjoy all that this Crestron home automation system has to offer. With that being said, let's look at some of the reasons why you should strongly consider investing in this system.

Crestron Home Automation System Pros

  • It is an easy way to control your entire house: The Crestron Pyng™ app that comes with the home automation system is a wonderfully easy way to control your thermostats, lightings, door locks as well as your entire security system. It is user-friendly and enables you to completely set it up on your iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.
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    It comes with a proximity beacon that allows for individualized control: Crestron has a new PinPoint Proximity Detection Beacon that allows you to move around the house with your mobile devices and control the individualized rooms as you please. If you are in the bedroom and you want the lights dimmed, and some music turned on, this proximity beacon will identify the fact that you are in the bedroom and do as commanded only for that particular room. You can also program individual preference to each of the mobile devices.
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    It has a beautiful touch panel: The touch panel offered by Crestron is beautifully designed and offers you HD videos in a slim, lightweight device that is easy to use. This 20" full HD display gives you a larger viewing surface that allows you to easily control the lights, security, AV, temperature and every other smart Crestron feature you may have installed in your home. It also works as a computer or an HDTV monitor. You can operate it using touch response using your fingertips, or you could use the annotation pen that comes with it.
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    The hardware is backward compatible: Crestron is one of the few home automation companies that go to great lengths to ensure that their new inventions are still compatible with their old systems. The new touchpad can be integrated into the new systems without a fuss. What this means for you as the end user is that you do not have to pay extra for upgrades as is the case with many other home automation options.
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    It offers you more control: While most home automation systems are limited by the number of devices that they can control simultaneously, Crestron does not have such qualms. The system is designed to control huge home and even complex business facilities. It can simultaneously control a huge number of devices, and with the right kind of programming, it can do so without any glitches. So, if you think that you want a home automation system that will control even your wine cellar, then Crestron might be that system.
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    It is highly customizable: This is one of the best-selling points that Crestron has attached to its home automation system. It is highly customizable and can be used in residential homes, commercial buildings and even school campuses.
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    It allows you to control various appliances remotely: With Crestron home automation systems you have the freedom and flexibility to control a wide variety of home appliances remotely. Thanks to this kind of control you can save a great deal of time and money on energy charges by reducing the consumption. The fact that this system allows you to turn on the blinds, lights, HVAC, entertainment systems and water heater only when needed makes Crestron a powerful energy conservation tool to use around the home.
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    It is an excellent way to improve your home security: If there is anything to be said about home automation systems is that it is an excellent way to improve your home security. For example: with the ability to program most of your home including the lights, you can easily program the lights to turn on as soon as you pull into the driveway or you can instruct the system to shut the blinds and turn on a few choice lights as soon as the sun goes down. All of these actions will tell the outside world that you are home. Couple that with the remote locking and unlocking of doors and you have a system that virtually allows you to be in two places at once.
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    You get excellent service and support: The customer service and support at Crestron are outstanding. You can easily log into their platform to find a plethora of helpful resources that walk you through a wide variety of scenarios to help solve whatever problem you might be facing. Within these resource pages, you will find instruction manuals, instructional videos, case studies, and brochures. The case studies are particularly helpful in that they share with you real-life situations, some of which might be very similar to yours, and how you can solve them. When it comes to customer support, Crestron has a wide network of local dealers who are all received the Crestron Elite Dealer training to ensure that they are fully qualified to install as well as service Crestron systems.

Crestron Home Automation System Cons

  • The software is a little glitchy: The main complaint about Crestron’s home automation system is that the system software is a little glitchy and costs too much to program. The thing about Crestron's home automation system is that it is open sourced, and this means that you can have it installed by any programmer who has the capability to code home automation systems. However, this is where the problems arise. Even though Crestron offers their dealers, customer support staff, and installers training to ensure that they are qualified to install and service Crestron systems, because every programmer is different, you will find that there are issues with the system's software mostly because of the particular programming tendencies of whomever you hire. This issue could easily be addressed by Crestron having specifically licensed programmers and installers to work on all their home automation system installations to standardize the process.
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    It could cost too much: Depending on the features you want; a Crestron home automation system could cost anywhere from about $2,000 to well over $200,000. Most of these monies go towards the installation and personalized programming that most users require.
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    It does not work directly with home security monitoring systems: Unlike many of their competitors such as Vivint or Moni Smart Security, the home automation system by Crestron does not directly work with security monitoring systems. This means that if you want this component as part of your home automation system you have to get it installed separately and you have to ensure that you buy a system that is compatible with Crestron.

What to Consider When Choosing a Home Automation System

Crestron System Review

Before deciding on Crestron Systems or any of the other numerous home automation options on the market today, you need to consider a few factors. These factors will determine the kind of system you need and will allow you to make the right choice for your particular set-up. Here is a list of what you need to consider before choosing a home automation system:

  • The size of your house: Do you have a big house that will require lots of components or are just going to use the system in a 2,000 square feet space?
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    Where are you located: Are you in an urban area with excellent broadband coverage but wanting security or are you in an affluent neighborhood where the security features will act more as add-ons than necessities? The answer to this question will determine on which components of the home automation systems you should focus.
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    What kind of user are you: As mentioned earlier, most, if not all, home automation systems run on I.T which means that you need to be at the very least conversant with computers. If you are a tech-savvy user, you can easily make the best of any system, but if you are a regular user, you want to choose a system that is extremely user-friendly.
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    Will you need a system upgrade later: All home automation systems have packages that offer different solutions. For most, these packages can easily be upgraded with no fuss, but for some, you would need a system overhaul should you wish to upgrade. Choose a system that offers you the flexibility with restrictions; one that can be easily upgraded.
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    How much money you want to spend: This is an entirely personal decision as there are a wide variety of systems available on the market today. The price range varies greatly depending on the kind of components you want within your system.
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    The kind of support you will get from the company: When it comes to home automation systems, you need to hire a company that will always be there to walk you through the entire system when you need them to. These things can get complicated very quickly, and unless you are a programmer yourself, you might easily find that you are out of your depths. You should hire a company that provides you with excellent reading material and videos to show you how to solve most issues as well as quickly send someone out when you need them to do so.

The general feeling is that Crestron is by far the biggest home automation systems company in the market right now. This system is wide and incorporates a huge variety of components that all go towards making your home more secure, comfortable and convenient for you to use. Although it might take some time to install and program the system itself, easy to use devices such as the touchpad and proximity detector options make it all well-worth the wait and money spent to get it done.

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