Best practices to hiring an automation professional
Your smart home system is getting too technical or you have bigger ambitions for your house. If you don't want to risk your home becoming an unfinished DIY project, maybe it's time to consult an automation professional.
As experienced technicians, automation professionals know their craft and have the knowledge to advise you on the comfort essentials for homeowners. With their specific set of skills - wiring, soft- and hardware installation etc. - they can help you set up your dream home based on your family's wants and needs.
Opt for a licensed professional
Just Googling 'smart home installer near me' will give you a selection of multiple professionals in your neighborhood, but how reliable are those search results? Before booking a consultation, it's strongly advised to check their website for any mentions of a license in the automation field. If there are none, that's a big red flag.
If they are licensed, you can verify two additional criteria:
1. The institution behind the certification - If you're starting to build your smart home from scratch, it might be interesting to opt for a professional in an open-sourced brand, such as KNX. This entails that you won't be limited to one brand in the long run. If you are experiencing defects in an installed smart system, contacting a licensed professional from the specific brand is your best bet.
2. The date of reception - As home automation is consistently developing itself, it's important that your professional is experienced with the newest trends. This is, however, a tricky criteria. Of course, we prefer a technician with a lot of practical experience in automation, but a technician who's aware of the latest developments is also a big plus.
Guaranteed of a guarantee period
Your automation professional finishes up the last installations, explains how your smart technology functions etc. Time to enjoy your newly gained convenience. Life's good, until after a few weeks you detect some flaws in the applications of your routine and automation. Is your installer still liable for the malfunctions, or is it just too bad?
Avoid any conflict with your system installer by asking in advance for his or hers guarantee time. During this period, ranging from a few months to multiple years, you are free of charge as it is your customer right. It is very well possible that you won't need to contact your installer again, but this is just one of those 'better safe than sorry'-cases.
Is an automation professional worth its money?
Hiring a professional to start up your smart home has its pros and cons, depending on your budget, living situation and expectations. System installers know what they're doing and they can easily inform you on how invasive and feasible the alterations to your home will be. This type of professional expertise can be comforting when you plan to make some serious home improvements, but it does come with a price tag.
If you are planning on installing an automation system it would be wise to reach out to a professional, especially if you're leaning towards a wired system like KNX. Keeping it small with wireless smart devices? DIY'ing your own smart home should be no problem, but don't forget to do your research!
Source: www.knx.org
