If a control system is simple to use, everybody will use it. Conversely, if a control system interface is complex, unintuitive or quirky, people will use it less, or worse, not at all.

In our opinion if a system is not simple to use it is just not worth the money, however much you have spent.

There are many different control systems available. It is not so much about what is the best control system, but what is the best control system for what you want to be able to do and how much you want to spend.

A control system can do just about anything for your home or workplace, however consider what systems you will use and what features are relevant to you and your family.

This will mean that you will be able to allocate your budget for performance and not just features, giving you the best bang for your buck!

Make sure the equipment and systems you are installing are robust, reliable and have a good warranty should anything go wrong.

We choose all of the equipment we install very carefully to ensure that it will perform as intended and has manufacturer and/or distributor aftercare support we would expect.

If equipment does not meet our standards we will not recommend or install it.

Choosing the best user control type for a room, or zone, should be considered.

With the touchscreen smartphone we are more connected than ever, however, although a smartphone is not always the best choice of control; when watching a TV a traditional remote control is easy and intuitive to use, in a busy kitchen a touchscreen is a fast and simple way of controlling your home.

You can control the systems, and equipment, in your home or workplace with a number of different types of user controls:

• Smartphones (for everyday use)

• Tablets (for music browsing)

• Touchscreens (recommended for common areas such as a kitchen or bathroom)

• Remote controls (any room with a TV)

• Keypad (where simple actions can be recalled at the press of a button)

At Powerplant we carefully consider the best type of user interface for each room.