Home automation

Platforms we set up

We create and look after Home Assistant and similar platforms that can run lights, heating, sensors and routines from one place. The brief starts with what you want the house to do. We then choose a platform that matches that and we document how it is put together.

Cloud access or a private network

An internet-connected design uses a vendor cloud or a remote-access service so you can check the house from a phone. A private-network design stays on the local network and does not depend on a cloud account to keep working at home.

Privacy

Cloud designs send some status and video through the vendor. That is convenient and it means a third party can see that traffic. A local-only design keeps day-to-day control in the house. Remote viewing is then a choice you make rather than the default.

Reliability

Cloud features stop or degrade when the internet or the vendor is down. Local automations can keep running on the home network during an outage. A cloud design is simpler to reach when you are away and a local design needs that remote route designed on purpose.

Security

Anything reachable from the internet needs accounts, updates and a small exposed surface. A private network avoids that exposure until you add remote access. We talk through both so you can pick the trade-off before hardware is ordered.

CCTV design

We plan camera placement for the entrances and areas you actually need to see. We avoid pointing cameras at neighbours or private rooms that do not need coverage. Recording can stay on a local recorder or an NVR in the house with a retention period we agree with you. Remote viewing is optional: a cloud app, a secured remote login or no remote viewing at all.

Door access

We can include smart locks, keypads and intercoms plus an access log you can review. Every design keeps a safe fallback such as a physical key or a code that still works if the network or the app fails. We do not leave a door with only one way in.

Alexa and Google Home

Voice assistants can sit alongside the system when you want them. We connect the routines you choose and we leave out the ones that do not need a microphone in the room. A private-network design can still use voice in the house without sending every device to the vendor cloud.

Network, access, backups and updates

• A separate network segment for cameras, locks and other IoT devices
• Secure remote access only where you want it and closed off where you do not
• Backups of the controller configuration so a failure is recoverable
• An update routine so platforms and devices do not sit on old software

How engagement works

• A monthly plan for ongoing support, backups and updates
• A one-off install and design with a handover
• On-site fitting by trusted local installation partners
• Remote support from the IT Dorset team after the install
• Pricing agreed up front before work starts

Related: IT support, CCTV and access control for businesses and plans.

Questions we hear