We live in a world where pretty much any device has smart functionality. From TV in your living room to a refrigerator in your kitchen, almost everything can connect to the Internet, has its own hard button remote control or even an app. Manufacturers say this is to make things easy for the end user and to simplify the way equipment is controlled.
Is it true? To an extent. While every remote might be very convenient on its own, it is usually not the case when you need to control more than one device simultaneously. This gets very noticeable when we are talking about your home theater or even just a living room TV setup. Usually, setups like this have quite a few devices connected together, and you need to manipulate almost every system component in order to, say, watch your favorite TV program.
An average living room entertainment setup might look somewhat like this: a cable box, Blu-ray and Apple TV or Roku are plugged into the AV receiver which in turn is connected to the TV or projector. Each of these devices comes with a dedicated remote control. To operate your AV system, you can either remember how to use every remote to switch it to the input you need or get some kind of a universal control solution that will combine all the remotes into one.
Today’s home automation market offers a lot of control options, some of them are entry level DIY solutions, others are more advanced and able to integrate multiple components. Obviously, depending on the type of system, the cost of the project can vary a lot, and this is when the decision about the exact system configuration needs to be made. In case you are planning for a full-house control solution, the walls are open, and everything can be wired exactly as needed, you can prewire your house or apartment for any possible system configuration, even if some areas are not getting any equipment installed at the moment.
But what if you need to add an AV zone after the construction is already finished or set up a stand-alone entertainment system in a separate room? Are there any options for such scenarios? Luckily, there are. For instance, Pro Control offers remote controls, processors and accessories that deliver a personalized smart home experience at a price well within reach. Currently, the model line includes 2.4 GHz Zigbee and 433 MHz RF remote and processor versions along with ProPanel smartphone app and iPro8 Companion Controller. The iPro8 is an ideal secondary hard button remote for any ProControl system and is especially convenient for the clients that mostly use ProPanel app. Companion Controller hard buttons provide tactile control and one-tap access to favorite activities, such as changing channels, controlling the volume, adjusting the lights, etc. This functionality is very useful in places like media room or home theater, where the iPro8 is fully dedicated to the control task, unlike a mobile device where an incoming text message or phone call can interrupt the media control.
If you would like to learn more about affordable smart home control solutions or add such system to your house or apartment, please feel free to reach out to us using our “Contact Us” form at the bottom of the page and one of our specialists will be in touch with you shortly.
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