The control category encompasses three concepts: control, e.g. playing a specific song or movie, or increasing or lowering the temperature; automation, such as recurring tasks or schedules, one-touch scene recall, and more; and integration, which refers to incorporating the various technologies into a unified system.

Control comes in several modalities—on-wall keypads or touchscreen panels, handheld remote controls, and smartphone application are the most common. Automation has limitless application in a complex system—for example, you could dim the lights, close the blinds, play a specific playlist, turn on the fireplace—all from a single touch. Or, turn lights on and off according to a schedule, or receive notifications when doors or gates open, or when motion is detected by a certain camera. Integration is what makes all this possible!