Home Automation :: Having The Latest Technology Won’t Make Life Better

Everyone wants the latest and greatest right? Everyone is fascinated by the newest technology and innovative product to hit the market, right? But do these advances in technology actually make things better for you?

I operate in an industry where technology changes every day, both for the professional and the consumer. We are all the time seeking to make our lives better by adding one product or another to our homes. Mobile phones would be a good example; we change these every year and don’t mind forking out a couple of hundred each time. Ye, it’s fun for a while, while we figure out how to use it and compare with our friends but soon we get bored with it or find something with it to give out about.

A Fickle Bunch

Yes we are a fickle bunch and the people who manufacture these wondrous feats of electronic engineering continuously pull the rabbit out of the hat and deliver year after year a better and more advanced product for us to drool over.

Home technology is no different. Audio Visual systems and Home Automation deliver amazing functionality to our homes and allow us enjoy our movies and music easier all the time, however just because these systems and technology can deliver wonderful advantages there must also be the realisation that these systems are complex and once we enter this world of complexity there can and will be problems, most of which are often not something DIY dad can repair.

The Nuclear Scenario

Many years ago when electronics were very simple and all we had to concern ourselves with was the on and off button. We took the simplicity for granted and now expect the likes of a Home Automation System to perform like it was as simple as an analogue TV aerial connected into the back of an old CRT Television set. Sorry folks, we are not living in 1978 any longer. If you are going to splash out out a kick ass Home Automation or Home Audio System then you need to either get your hands dirty and find out how it works so you can fix simple things when they go wrong, or be prepared to hire an AV guy to come out and repair it for you.

Users Break Stuff

Consumers buy stuff, and consumers break stuff. There are many elements to a Home Automation or Audio Visual System and things can go wrong with any of them no matter how good the system is installed. Remember they are complex! I advise my customers to expect to have to shell out about 1 to 2 percent per annum at least in repair costs for their system. Once your AV guy completes his installation chances are there will be bugs to fix going forward so expect that, however, if you are not willing to educate yourself about how your new and complex system operates there is a good chance you or someone at home will inadvertently do something they shouldn’t when faced with a minor, very simple problem, create a bigger issue down the road through frustration.

Third Party Equipment

We have found third party equipment like Sky Boxes to be a significant problem. When you choose a Satellite TV provider, understand that your AV guy, although he has installed and integrated your set-top-box, can not guarantee repair of faults originating from these boxes so be prepared for some issues in this regard. Other third party equipment can cause problems so my advice to you is to have your AV guy put all services through their package and for you to pay to have it this way. I guarantee you will solve problems much easier this way.

Conclusion

Technology is brilliant, I love it, it’s what I do. However, I appreciate it breaks and can play-up from time to time. I don’t expect it to solve my problems and I don’t expect it to operate trouble free. My advice to you is take advantage of what technology you can, for your home and everywhere else for that matter. Play with it and enjoy it. Go ahead knock yourself out, Audio Visual installers will love the bones of you for it, but understand…Having the latest technology will not ultimately make your life better. No amount of “stuff” will ever truly make you happy, it will merely allow you to enjoy the little advantages that can be found when you use it.