Money is tight, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your dreams of having a home control system. Just scale down your plans a bit. Instead of spending a fortune to trick out the entire house, you can economize by focusing on a single room.

It’s a trend that’s really taking off, says Keith W. Harrison, owner of Total Home Technologies in Caldwell, N.J. “Not too many people are coming to us these days asking us to wire their whole house,” he says “but they do want us to hang a TV on the wall.”

Manufacturers recognize the shift in consumers’ spending habits, and have started to develop systems intended for installation in one room. “For the cost of a decent vacation, you can put in a system that makes a really big impact in one room,” says Eric Smith, chief technology officer at Control4, a company that offers a variety of home control solutions.

The most obvious room to focus on is the family room. The space probably already has a decent TV and possibly a surround-sound system. By adding a few extra pieces to this setup, you can create some real magic where the lights, window shades and even the thermostats are synchronized to the audio and video system.

But first things first: You’ll need a good remote. For less than $100 you can pick up a universal remote that can do the job of several clickers. Many universal remotes can be programmed by homeowners, so the labor is free. However, if you’d like your clicker to control more than A/V equipment, you’ll need something more sophisticated.

By adding a home control processor to your A/V cabinet, you’ll be able to use your remote to command the lights, thermostats and motorized window shades. RTI and Universal Remote Control both offer a variety of processors ideally suited for single rooms, like the XP-8 ($1,699) and the MCS-400 ($599), respectively.

One-room Control Systems
Adding on to a universal remote is one way to grow into greater home control; trimming down a whole-house system to fit the scope of a single room is another.

Manufacturers like Control4, HAI (Home Automation Inc.) and Lutron offer entry-level systems designed specifically for individual spaces. For example, Control4’s HC200 (starting at around $499) comes with a remote that lets you navigate a menu of options presented on the screen of the family room TV. As is the case with RTI’s and Universal Remote Control’s solutions, you’ll need to replace the room’s existing light switches and thermostat with new smart models. Expect to spend between $100 and $200 for each item involved. 

Lutron and HAI, meanwhile, have packaged all the necessary equipment together. Lutron’s $925 RadioRA-SR package, for example, includes three dimmer switches and a controller that lets you use a remote control or touchpanel to operate the lights, as well as Lutron’s own line of Sivoia QS window shades. HAI’s Home Theater Lighting Kit ($600) comes with a programmable keypad that mounts to the wall, two dimmer switches and two plug-in modules for table lamps.

Both the RadioRA-SR and Home Theater Lighting Kit can be programmed by a professional home systems installer to enact a variety of scenes whenever a particular button on a keypad or remote control is pressed.

“Now that PLAY button not only starts up the A/V equipment, but dims the lights and closes the shades,” says Jeremy Kleinberg, RadioRA product manager at Lutron. “You can create some real magic in the room.”

You don’t have to stop at the family room, either. Most single-room systems can be expanded into other areas of the house. You can integrate additional lights and shades, or even tie in your home’s existing security system whenever you’re ready to spend the money.

Other Single-Room Ideas

• Multipurpose devices like a Windows Media Center can save you money and labor on multiple boxes. Media Centers can be had for as little as $500. For that you get TV, music, movies, photos and lots of interactive content. Inexpensive Media Center “plug-ins” for automation start at just a couple hundred dollars.
• When you think about saving, don’t forget to consider installation costs. Products like the ZvBox ($399) from ZeeVee use the home’s existing coaxial cable to deliver web content, music, TV and photos throughout the home—no new wires required.
• Zvox packs everything audio into its $500 factory-direct Z-Base 550 home theater system: speakers, amps, virtual surround and a powered subwoofer.




Lisa Montgomery - Contributing Writer
Lisa Montgomery has been writing about home technology for 15 years, with a focus on the impact of electronics on a modern lifestyle.