In Plain English: Home automation is the layer that lets one button, one screen, or one voice command run the systems your house already has. Done correctly it is invisible. Done poorly it is a daily reminder that something is wrong. We build the version that disappears.
What Home Automation Actually Is
Home automation is a control layer that sits on top of the systems already in your house. lighting, audio, video, climate, shading, security, cameras, irrigation, pool, generator, gates. and lets them be operated as one. The systems themselves still come from the right specialty manufacturers. The automation layer is what makes them feel like a single, coherent house instead of a stack of remote controls.
The control layer we lead with is Crestron. Restrepo Innovations is an Elite Pro Crestron Dealer. the top tier in the Crestron program, held by a small fraction of integrators. That tier is earned by certified programmers, certified technicians, and a project history Crestron audits directly. It is what allows us to write our own programming, customize touchpanels at the pixel level, and stand behind the system long after the install crew leaves.
Where the Lines Are
A clean automation system has clear lines between layers. The lighting hardware is a lighting platform. The audio matrix is an audio matrix. The network is the network. Crestron sits on top, talking to all of them through documented integrations. When something needs to be replaced, you replace one piece. not the entire stack.
What We Tie Together
- Lighting. Lutron HomeWorks, RadioRA 3, and Ketra/Colorbeam lighting are designed and installed by us; the Crestron layer maps scenes, schedules, and conditional logic on top.
- Audio and video. Sources, matrix switching, displays, theater, outdoor AV. Rooms turn on the way they should. right source, right volume, right lights, in one tap.
- Climate. Multi-zone HVAC integrated so a scene like “Goodnight” or “Away” actually changes setpoints, not just dims a few lights.
- Shading. Lutron motorized shades, Hartmann, or QMotion. Scene-driven, light-aware, never on a separate remote.
- Security and cameras. Alarm panel events, camera feeds, doorbells, and gate intercoms surfaced cleanly inside the same UI.
- Pool, irrigation, generator, gates. Integrated when the underlying hardware supports it; visible and controllable from one place when it does.
A Real Project, Phase by Phase
A typical Estate Tier home automation project looks like this:
1. Walkthrough and intent. We come out, look at the property, and have a real conversation about how you actually live in the house. Where you sit, where the kids land, how you entertain, what you wish your current system did. The free system walkthrough is exactly this conversation.
2. Design and documentation. One-line drawings, equipment lists, programming logic, and touchpanel layouts. all reviewed before a single wire is pulled. If you have an architect, builder, or interior designer, we work directly with them.
3. Pre-wire and rough-in. Done with the GC and electrician on the schedule, not against it. We label every run and document the head-end before drywall closes.
4. Equipment, programming, and trim-out. Rack assembly and burn-in offsite. Programming written by certified Crestron programmers. Touchpanel UI laid out the way you actually use rooms, not the way the manufacturer ships defaults.
5. Commissioning and handoff. A real walkthrough with the homeowner and the household staff. Phones added to the system. Alerts, schedules, and presets confirmed in front of you.
6. Care plan. Most clients move onto a service contract afterward. remote monitoring, firmware management, priority response. Crestron-led systems benefit massively from being maintained instead of left alone for five years.
Why Crestron, Specifically
Crestron is the platform we trust for Estate Tier projects because the underlying programming is open enough for us to do real work in. not just drag-and-drop. The hardware roadmap is long and serviceable. Touchpanels can be designed at the level of a custom mobile app rather than choosing from a stock list. Drivers exist for almost every other piece of equipment we encounter, and when they do not, we write them.
For smaller homes or scoped retrofits we will sometimes spec Control4 or another platform if it is the right fit and we say so. The point is the result, not the brand on the rack. But our default, our certifications, and our deepest bench are all on Crestron.
What It Costs
Real home automation projects start in the low five figures for a small retrofit and run into the mid-six figures for an estate-class new build with full lighting design, theater, distributed AV, networks, and shading. The number is driven by scope, not by markup. We are happy to scope it honestly during the walkthrough and tell you what is actually worth doing first.
Service Area
We design and install home automation across New Jersey (Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic, Hudson, plus luxury towns including Alpine, Saddle River, Franklin Lakes, Short Hills, Tenafly), Connecticut (Fairfield and Litchfield counties. Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Westport, Stamford, Ridgefield), and New York (Westchester, Manhattan, the Hamptons).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Crestron system, or will Control4 or something simpler work?
It depends on scope. For full estate work. multi-zone audio, theater, lighting design, custom UI, deep third-party integration. Crestron is the right platform and what we lead with. For smaller homes or single-room projects, simpler platforms can be a clean fit, and we will say so during the walkthrough. The brand on the rack is less important than the integrator behind it.
Can you take over an existing Crestron system someone else installed?
Often yes. As an Elite Pro Crestron Dealer we have the certification depth to read, audit, and re-program existing programs, swap aging hardware, and update the touchpanel UI. Sometimes the cleanest path is a full re-pull of the program; sometimes a surgical update is enough. The walkthrough is how we figure out which.
How long does a project take?
A scoped retrofit can be a few weeks. A new-construction estate runs alongside the build. typically 6 to 18 months from initial design through commissioning, with most of our work concentrated in pre-wire, trim-out, and the final 60 days before move-in.
Do you support the system after install?
Yes. Most clients move onto a service contract that includes remote monitoring, firmware management, and priority response. We are not interested in installing systems and disappearing. the support relationship is the entire point of being an Elite Pro dealer.
Can the system be controlled from my phone?
Yes. Crestron Home and the Crestron app give you full control from iOS and Android, locally and remotely. Touchpanels, keypads, and voice (Alexa, Siri, Google) all sit on top of the same logic, so a scene fired from a phone behaves identically to one fired from a wall keypad.
What credentials does Restrepo hold?
Elite Pro Crestron Dealer, HTA Luxury Certified, OSHA Certified, and Ubiquiti UISP Pro Partner. Those are our credentials. We also design, deploy, install, configure, and support Lutron, Ketra, and Colorbeam systems as part of our regular work.
“Press the button. Look at the work. Decide for yourself. We will walk it with you, on the house, anywhere in our service area.” __EMDASH_PROTECT_0__
Schedule a Walkthrough
Call 201.405.2022 or use the contact form. Tell us the property, what is installed, and what you want from this scope. We will confirm a time and come look. No charge. No report. No obligation.