Local first
Unplug the router. Here is exactly what changes.
This is the test we run on handover day, in front of you, with a stopwatch. It takes four minutes and it is the most convincing thing we do.
Wall switches and dimmers
Works offline
Every switch controls its own light, exactly as a normal switch would.
Stops: Nothing. This is the floor the whole design sits on.
Lighting scenes
Works offline
Scenes run from a controller in your own house, on a wired connection.
Stops: Editing a scene from outside the house waits until you are back.
Heating and zoning
Works offline
Schedules and set points hold. The thermostat keeps its own copy.
Stops: Changing the temperature from a hotel room.
Motorised blinds
Works offline
Wall keypads and schedules work.
Stops: Voice control, and app control from outside.
Door locks
Works offline
The key works. The keypad works. The lock is a lock.
Stops: Letting somebody in remotely, and the arrival log.
Cameras and recording
Works offline
Recording continues to a drive in your house.
Stops: Watching from elsewhere, and notifications.
Voice assistants
Needs the internet
Nothing. Every one of them is a cloud service and none can be made otherwise.
Stops: All voice control. This is why voice is never the only way to do anything here.
Video doorbell notifications
Needs the internet
The chime still rings inside the house, because it is wired to.
Stops: The phone notification and the two-way audio.
The two that cannot be made local
We install both, when a client wants them, and we say this first rather than in a footnote.
Voice assistants
Nothing. Every one of them is a cloud service and none can be made otherwise.
Stops: All voice control. This is why voice is never the only way to do anything here.
Video doorbell notifications
The chime still rings inside the house, because it is wired to.
Stops: The phone notification and the two-way audio.
Which is why voice is never the only way to do anything in a house we design. Every scene has a button.