Control4 Archives - Inspire Audio Visual

Lutron vs Control4 Lighting: Which Is Better? | Inspire AV

by Ben Davies | 23rd Oct 2026 | Control4, Control4 Reviews, Lighting, Lighting Control, Lighting Control Systems, New Lighting Control

We install both Lutron and Control4 lighting systems, but if you asked us which we'd choose for a high-end home, our preference would usually be Lutron.

That's not because Control4 lighting is bad. Far from it.

Control4 offers a very capable lighting system, often at a considerably lower price.

But after almost 20 years working with professional home automation, there are a few reasons why we tend to favour Lutron for lighting and Control4 for the overall smart-home interface.

Let's explain.

Why Do We Prefer Lutron Lighting?

Firstly, lighting is what Lutron does.

The company pioneered the modern electronic dimmer back in 1961 and has spent decades developing specialist lighting-control technology.

That history doesn't automatically make a product better, but it's worth considering when you're investing in a lighting system that's expected to serve your home for many years.

For us, there are two particularly important factors: keypad quality and system architecture.

Let's start with the keypads.

In a beautifully designed property, the things you interact with every day need to feel right.

A keypad isn't simply a way to turn the lights on. It's part of the interior design.

Lutron offers some exceptional keypad designs, materials and finishes, and we think that makes a genuine difference in luxury properties.

There's something satisfying about a beautifully finished keypad that operates exactly as you'd expect.

And frankly, if you've invested heavily in the architecture and interiors of your home, the lighting controls shouldn't feel like an afterthought.

Is Lutron More Reliable Than Control4 Lighting?

We favour the architecture of Lutron's dedicated lighting systems, particularly wired solutions such as HomeWorks.

One of the advantages is that core lighting control can operate independently of the household IP network.

We like that separation.

Your household network supports televisions, streaming services, wireless devices and potentially hundreds of other connected products.

We don't necessarily want the reliability of your home's main lighting to depend on all of that working correctly.

To be clear, Control4 lighting doesn't simply stop working every time the internet goes down, and its local lighting controls can continue operating independently of cloud services.

The real distinction is the way the systems are designed and the dependencies they introduce.

Our preference is to keep essential building functions as independent as reasonably possible.

That philosophy has evolved through years of installing and maintaining smart homes.

Is Control4 Lighting Cheaper Than Lutron?

Generally, yes, and sometimes by a substantial amount.

For an indicative 20–30-circuit lighting installation, our experience suggests the following approximate budgets:

System	Indicative cost
Control4 lighting	£10,000
Lutron lighting	£15,000

These are broad, experience-based project estimates rather than like-for-like fixed quotations. Pricing varies with the number and type of circuits, keypad specification, wiring, installation requirements and programming. VAT treatment would be confirmed in the quotation.

So we're potentially talking about a difference of around £5,000.

That's not insignificant.

And if you're working to a fixed budget, that saving could pay for quite a lot of additional technology elsewhere in the home.

We wouldn't automatically encourage somebody to spend more on Lutron if Control4 lighting met their needs perfectly well.

When Would We Recommend Control4 Lighting?

One obvious reason is the price.

Control4 can provide capable lighting control with attractive keypads, straightforward scene selection and integration with the rest of your smart home.

Some customers actually prefer the look of Control4 keypads, and that's perfectly reasonable.

If that's the style they want, we're happy to recommend it.

It's also worth remembering that lighting design itself is often more important than the logo on the keypad.

The best control system in the world won't rescue poorly positioned fittings, unsuitable drivers or badly planned lighting circuits.

A well-designed Control4 lighting installation can be considerably better than a badly designed Lutron one.

Can You Use Lutron Lighting With Control4?

Absolutely. In fact, it's one of our preferred approaches.

We often specify Lutron to control the lighting and use Control4 to bring the wider home together.

That means you can have Lutron keypads and lighting scenes alongside Control4 control of televisions, music, blinds and other technology.

From the homeowner's perspective, everything feels connected.

Behind the scenes, each system does the job it's particularly good at.

We don't believe every component of a smart home should come from the same manufacturer.

Sometimes combining the right products delivers a better result than staying within a single ecosystem.

Our Verdict: Lutron or Control4?

If we were specifying lighting for a high-end new build or major renovation, we'd generally lean towards Lutron.

We prefer the keypad finishes and the architecture of its dedicated lighting systems.

But we also recognise that Control4 offers excellent functionality at a lower price, and for plenty of properties, it's entirely appropriate.

Our recommendation is to spend money on good lighting design first, then choose the control system that best fits your property, budget and expectations.

And remember, you don't necessarily have to choose between the two.

Some of the most successful smart homes combine both.

Planning Smart Lighting for Your Home?

At Inspire Audio Visual, we design and install both Lutron and Control4 lighting systems.

Whether you're building a new property, renovating or upgrading existing lighting controls, we're happy to explain the practical differences.

Explore our Lutron lighting installation services.

Is Control4 Worth the Money? An Installer’s Honest View

by Ben Davies | 19th Oct 2026 | Control4, Control4 Reviews, Home Automation, Smart Home Systems

Yes, we think Control4 is worth the money, but not for everyone.

We've been installing Control4 for almost 20 years at Inspire Audio Visual, and it's still one of the platforms we regularly recommend. That doesn't mean it's always the best option.

In fact, there are plenty of situations where we'd suggest spending less money on the control system and more on the actual technology around your home.

Here's why.

What Are You Actually Paying for With Control4?

One of the things Control4 has done brilliantly is create a simple, consistent user interface.

Whether you're controlling a television, adjusting the lighting, listening to music or operating your blinds, everything looks and feels familiar.

And that's more important than people might realise.

Some professional home automation platforms allow almost unlimited customisation. That sounds wonderful, but it also means somebody needs to design, build and maintain those custom interfaces.

Control4 has largely solved that problem by providing a standard interface that's attractive, straightforward to use and relatively quick to deploy.

Its other major strength is integration.

Control4 can work with an enormous range of third-party equipment, allowing us to choose products from different manufacturers rather than being tied to one ecosystem.

For us, that's where much of its value lies.

Is Control4 Expensive Compared With Other Smart Home Systems?

Compared with buying individual smart-home products, yes.

You could install smart lighting, wireless speakers and heating controls without using Control4 at all.

And depending on your requirements, you could potentially get more functionality for the same budget.

Take a £30,000 smart-home installation.

If having everything controlled through one consistent interface is particularly important to you, we'd happily design a Control4 system around that budget.

But remove Control4 from the equation, and there's more money available for the individual lighting, audio and other systems.

Neither is automatically the better solution.

It comes down to whether you value having everything working together or would prefer to maximise the individual systems.

Within the professionally installed smart-home market, however, we think Control4 remains one of the strongest value propositions.

If you're considering an installation and want to understand the costs in more detail, we've also written an honest guide to how much Control4 costs in the UK, including real project budgets and ongoing maintenance costs.

What Are the Downsides of Control4?

This is something we think more installers should talk about.

Control4 isn't a fit-and-forget system.

There are subscriptions associated with certain features, ongoing support requirements and hardware that will eventually need replacing.

We've seen situations where a failed touchscreen creates a much larger expense because the replacement requires newer controllers or software.

That can be an uncomfortable conversation, particularly when a customer has already invested a considerable amount in their home.

As a general planning guideline, we advise our customers to allow a contingency of up to 25% of their original installation cost for upgrades over a ten-year period, including associated labour.

Some systems may require considerably less. It's an allowance, not a prediction of what every homeowner will spend.

The important thing is understanding the long-term commitment before purchasing.

When Would We Recommend Against Control4?

If somebody simply wants to control a few lights or play music in a couple of rooms, we'd probably recommend something simpler.

Likewise, if they aren't comfortable with ongoing maintenance costs or relying on a professional installer for certain changes, we'd be cautious.

Control4 makes the most sense when you're bringing multiple systems together and want them to behave like one.

And not everything needs integrating.

For example, we used to integrate home security quite heavily into Control4. These days, we generally prefer to keep security as a separately managed system.

A security specialist is better placed to specify and maintain that equipment, and in our experience, customers rarely use the deeper security features within their smart-home interface.

Just because something can be integrated doesn't mean it needs to be.

Can Control4 Grow With Your Home?

Absolutely, and this is one of its biggest advantages.

Some of our customers have expanded their systems over many years, adding rooms, lighting, audio and other technology as their needs have changed.

We actively encourage this approach.

We'd rather see somebody install the right cabling and infrastructure during a renovation than spend thousands equipping every room with technology they may never use.

You can always add more equipment later.

That flexibility can make Control4 a sensible long-term choice, provided the system has been designed properly from the beginning.

Our Verdict: Is Control4 Worth Buying?

After almost 20 years, our opinion is that Control4 remains an excellent professional home automation platform.

It's relatively straightforward to deploy, integrates with a huge variety of products and offers a genuinely good user experience.

But it isn't cheap, it isn't maintenance-free, and it certainly isn't essential for every home.

Our advice? Start with how you want to live in your home, not with the brand of control system you think you need.

Sometimes the best solution will be Control4. Sometimes it won't.

And a good installer should be comfortable telling you the difference.

How Much Does Control4 Cost? An Honest UK Price Guide

by Jonathan Apaloo | 18th Oct 2026 | Control4, Home Automation, Home Automation Systems

Control4 can cost as little as £1,500 for a basic single-room setup, but a fully integrated smart home can easily run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. And in some cases, millions.

We've been installing Control4 at Inspire Audio Visual for almost 20 years, and one thing we've learned is that it's important to distinguish the cost of Control4 itself from the cost of the technology it's controlling.

Control4 is essentially the brain and user interface of your smart home. Its real strength is bringing lighting, heating, music, televisions, blinds and countless third-party products together into one simple, consistent interface.

It's actually very good at this, and compared with other professional home automation platforms, we still think it offers some of the best value for money.

But what does it really cost?

What Does a Control4 Installation Cost in the UK?

Installation Type	Typical Project Budget (ex VAT)
Basic single-room Control4 setup	From around £1,500
Smaller home or luxury apartment	Around £25,000
Typical larger Inspire AV installation	£80,000–£100,000
Large luxury property	£250,000+
Extensive bespoke smart home	Potentially £1 million+

These aren't fixed packages or industry averages. They're indicative budgets based on the types of projects we work on, including equipment, design, cabling, installation, programming and project management.

And importantly, these are the costs of complete technology installations, not just Control4 hardware.

A £25,000 project might include a couple of televisions, soundbars, whole-home lighting control and some heating or blind integration.

A £100,000 installation could include multi-room audio and video, lighting, heating, networking and other integrated systems throughout a considerably larger property.

At £250,000 and beyond, the Control4 interface might be almost identical. It's the quantity, specification and quality of the equipment behind it that changes.

Can You Really Get Control4 for £1,000?

You'll occasionally see Control4 advertised as a £1,000 smart-home system. That's not entirely wrong, but we think it needs some context.

For example, a Control4 CORE Lite controller and Halo Touch remote bundle has a retail price of around £1,141 excluding VAT.

Allow another £300 for half a day's programming to control your existing television and you're at approximately £1,441 excluding VAT.

Want to add a smart lighting keypad controlling two lighting circuits? That's another £475, taking our example to around £1,916 excluding VAT.

So yes, you can get started with Control4 for relatively little money.

But at that price, you're primarily purchasing a more sophisticated way of controlling equipment you already own.

You're certainly not getting an entire automated home.

These are illustrative hardware and programming prices, subject to the final specification and any additional installation requirements.

Why Can Control4 Cost So Much?

The simplest explanation is that you're continually adding functionality.

A small property might need one controller. A substantial property could have a dozen.

Then add lighting, distributed audio, televisions, cinema rooms, motorised blinds, heating, networking and the infrastructure to support everything.

Each system adds cost, particularly when you're choosing high-performance speakers, premium finishes and architectural lighting.

One of Control4's biggest strengths is that you can start relatively small and expand over time.

We've had customers grow their systems over many years, rather than purchasing everything at once.

And that's often exactly what we'd recommend.

Where Would We Spend the Money?

Our advice is to invest in the infrastructure and the things you genuinely use every day.

We often prefer Lutron for lighting control, for example. We like the quality of its keypads, particularly in high-end homes where the finish of something you touch every day really matters.

We also prefer its dedicated lighting-control topology, which reduces reliance on the household IP network for the core lighting system.

Control4 then provides the interface to bring that lighting system together with the rest of the home.

It's a good example of why we don't believe everything in a smart home needs to come from the same manufacturer.

Equally, we think people can spend unnecessary money on touchscreens, televisions and audio systems in rooms they barely use.

Our advice? Cable for the possibility, but don't necessarily install everything immediately.

Live in the house first. You can always add equipment later.

What Does Control4 Cost to Maintain?

This is the part we think deserves much more attention.

Control4 isn't a fit-and-forget purchase. Like most sophisticated technology, it needs ongoing support, maintenance and occasional upgrades.

At Inspire AV, we provide a three-month, no-quibble post-installation support period. After that, customers can opt into our £99-per-month support package, which continues labour warranty cover and ongoing technical support.

It's optional. If you'd prefer not to subscribe, we'll still support your system, but charge for work as required.

There may also be a separate Control4 subscription for additional services such as remote app access.

Then there are hardware upgrades.

Over a ten-year period, we generally advise customers to allow a contingency of up to 25% of their original project investment for upgrades and associated labour.

On a £100,000 installation, that could mean allowing up to £25,000 over the following decade.

That doesn't mean everyone will spend that amount. It's a planning allowance based on our experience, not a guaranteed replacement schedule.

But we've seen situations where a failed touchscreen leads to a much bigger conversation because the latest replacement isn't compatible with the existing controller or software.

It's frustrating for customers, and we completely understand why.

We'd rather have that conversation before someone buys a system than ten years afterwards.

Is Control4 Worth It on a £30,000 Budget?

It depends on what matters most to you.

If you really want that single, consistent Control4 experience throughout your home, we'd happily design a system around a £30,000 budget.

But we'd also explain that removing Control4 could free up money for better lighting, more audio zones or additional equipment.

You might get more functionality from individual systems, but lose the convenience of having everything controlled through one interface.

Neither approach is automatically right.

For us, it's about understanding what you want from your home, rather than trying to sell you the most expensive solution.

Our Verdict: Is Control4 Good Value?

After almost 20 years, we still believe Control4 offers excellent value within the professionally installed smart-home market.

Its biggest strength isn't necessarily the hardware. It's the simplicity of its interface and how effectively it brings different technologies together.

But there are compromises. It's not the cheapest option, you're reliant on professional support for certain changes, and keeping a sophisticated system up to date costs money.

We also think homeowners should be realistic about how much technology they'll actually use.

Our advice is simple: spend money on the things that improve your everyday life, make sure the infrastructure is right, and don't feel you need to automate everything just because you can.

That's generally how you get the best long-term value from a smart home.

Considering Control4 for Your Home?

At Inspire Audio Visual, we've spent almost two decades designing, installing and supporting Control4 systems, from smaller properties to substantial luxury homes.

If you're considering a new installation or wondering whether your existing system is worth upgrading, we're happy to give you a straightforward opinion on what makes sense for your property and budget.

Speak to the Inspire AV team

Control4 announcements, including OS 2.10!

by Sam Harris | 11th Sep 2017 | Control4

The CEDIA expo is the annual get together of the worlds leading home technology companies and this year it was held from 5th – 9th Sept in San Diego. Unfortunately we didn’t attend but with all the excitement on social media about new products and services, its a great week to see what else we can offer our customers.

With Control4 being are largest selling solution, we’ve been awaiting the release of some exciting new features … we’d love to tell you all before its released to the public but we’re kept in the dark as much as you! Control4 have acquired a number of influential brands over the past few years and are focusing on offering a really solid solution across all areas from video, audio, lighting, networking and security, the benefit of which is a more stable system with slicker integration.

Control4 Panalized Lighting

We’re a big fan of the Control4 panalized lighting having being one of the first UK dealers to install the system on a whole house project. Its proven itself as a reliable and flexible system whilst providing total integration with the rest of Control4’s products. Whilst it may only be an aesthetic touch, Control4 have released glass facia to add to their range of lighting keypad face plates. Available in black or white, these are sure to be popular.

Control4 Single Square Faceplate

Control4 DS2 Mini

Next up is the Ds2 Mini, a smaller more compact doorstation for homeowners who don’t require a keypad. Available in stainless or black nickel as per the regular DS2, they have the same quality audio and video as their larger brother and will integrate in exactly the same way.

Control4 DS2 Mini Door Station

Audio

One feature which has been greatly improved is the announcer start times. The new Triad power amplifier has a built in trigger which coupled with the new software, will provide quicker response times to features such as the doorbell announcer. This is a great feature which will triggers an audio file to be played over the house speakers in the chosen rooms.

Triad 8-Zone Power Amplifie

Enhanced camera views

The release of Control4’s updated firmware always excites us as to what we can roll out when we update our customers systems and the latest update is no different. Integration of CCTV with Control4 has previously lacked a few features but this has now been overcome with this significant update which now includes full screen camera view, control of PTZ cameras from touch screens and gestures to switch from one camera to the other. Whether its for your own security or keeping an eye on the dog trying to escape, all these features add some great new features to the package.

Control4 OS 2.10 enhanced camera views

To read the full release from Control4, please visit Control4’s website

Control4 installation

by Sam Harris | 30th Jul 2017 | Control4

Control4 Installation (retrofit)

We’ve just completed a whole house Control4 installation near Leeds which has been a huge success. Spread over a number of floors, the existing system was getting tired after 9 years of use and with a number of components failing, the system was becoming expensive to maintain as parts became obsolete. It was running a component video matrix with TV’s all on component and wireless touch screens across each room. The clients main priority was simplicity … they wanted to operate the 8 TV’s with ease whether it be watching a film from Apple TV, Amazon Fire or on Sky HD. The door entry system was also outdated and required new touch screens with access to their alarm system, remote CCTV access and remote garage door opening from the touch screens.

Replacement of infrastructure

With only limited Cat5e to each room, we set about installing Cat6 to all the TV points so that we were able to connect to the new Pulse Eight 8 x 8 UHD HDMI Matrix and also connect their TV’s to the network so they could use their smart functions. We utilised existing Cat5e points where possible for all the hardwired Control4 T3 Series 7″ and 10″ Touch screens and added in a couple of wireless Contro4 T3 Series 7″ Tabletop touch screens.

As the old TV’s were no longer compatible, we supplied a number of UHD 4K Sony TV’s from their professional range …. the beauty of using these is that they’re IP controlled so no more IR bugs stock on the front of the TV. The Control4 driver for the Sony TV’s makes TV control more responsive and with greater reliability than with infra red.

Each TV was furnished with a Control4 EA1 making control via the Control4 SR260 remotes a doddle ( seamless control of TV and sources is one of Control4’s masterstrokes!).

The house is due to receive a substantial extension to the existing structure, so we’re looking forward to the next phase of this homes development and probably into one the largest Control4 installations in Yorkshire.

Control4 Touch Screen Upgrade

by Ben Davies | 16th Feb 2017 | Control4

So today we had a job of installing the new Control4 T3 official touchscreen. An amazing piece of kit that can be installed either in wall or just a portable table top; What’s better is that it comes in two sizes 7″ and a whopping 10″. With the new in Build HD camera and microphone it is amazing the level of integration that can be achieved.

Control4 Touchscreen

Here are a few features our team liked about the T3 Touchscreen:

“Being able to use the new touch screen as an intercom that includes video is a real handy feature.”

“The response time is great on them, I could not notice any lag at all.”

“Being able to view the security cameras from any touchscreen in the property and be bale to open the gate from them is a real time saver.”