How One Couple Embraced a Smart-Home System

With help from Xprt Integration, everything can be controlled with the simple touch of a button.

What comes to mind when you think of mixing smart technology with your home? For many people, the thought can be overwhelming, with holographic displays akin to Minority Report seemingly overkill in a world becoming increasingly dependent on technology.However, for self-proclaimed €œtech head€ Chris Livingston, smart technology is not necessarily life-or-death, but a glimmer of convenience in an all-too-hectic life.€œMy wife and I were doing quite an extensive renovation on our house, which gave us the chance to really take a look at the electric side of things. I'm someone who is interested in what the newest type of technology is, so I took the reno opportunity as a chance to explore that field more.€Xprt Integration came recommended to the couple through their contractor, but Livingston did consider other companies before making his final choice. €œIt was that very first meeting with Xprt that sealed the deal,€ he explains, €œthey weren€™t pushy about anything€”it didn€™t feel like a sales pitch.€The process was simpler than he thought. An initial showroom visit turned into a fully-fleshed-out plan complete with recommendations at different pricing options. €œI think the most reassuring thing was that everything could be tweaked,€ says Livingston, €œWhen they come and do the initial install they set everything at a certain level€”your lights, your music, that sort of thing€”and then they come back three months later to adjust the settings based on your preferences.€Now, the couple can control most of their home's functionality with the touch of a fingertip, no matter what continent they€™re on. €œWe run everything through our phones and our tablets. Initially, it was primarily useful when we were travelling, but now, if I'm working from my home office, I can walk upstairs to bed when I'm exhausted at night and switch all the lights off and set the alarm from the comfort of my bedroom; it takes away that extra step of doing all the rounds at night time. there'sa switch right beside my bed that kills the electricity in the whole house.€Of course, with everything, there are some drawbacks. €œIf I don't have my tablet on me and I want to dim a light then I have to go and find my phone or tablet,€ says Chris. €œbut It's pretty rare that I wouldn€™t have my phone in my pocket.€With a new house under construction, Chris and Holly are taking the opportunity to include smart technology from the studs up. €œIt's great to have the chance to pre-wire the home for smart tech,€ explains Chris, €œIt means we don't have to depend on wireless signal like we do in our current house. When things are wireless you've always going to have times that the signal will waver; think about your Apple TV or your Netflix. But in the new place all our lights, heating, entertainment, and security tech will be hard-wired€”It's just taking one further step towards a totally dependable system.€