Best Integrated Home

Level I

Winner

| Asia Pacific

Hobsons Bay

by Argus Technologies

Argus handled every aspect of this home’s systems, from audio to HVAC.

Argus Technologies handled literally every aspect of this home that involved power, even the electrical system in this knock-down/rebuild project.

Audio distribution includes five zones with pre-wiring for five more, and there are four zones of video.

Integration control is handled by Control4. The networking here is incredibly robust, with no less than 47 data points that all tie back into a rack in the study. The system “was extended to incorporate devices such as in-wall touchscreens, IP cameras, and various network interfaces for the integration of the listed subsystems,” according to the Argus team. Beyond the hard-wired infrastructure, Wi-Fi was configured to support three separate wireless networks:

Client – for all parent devices,
Kids – for the childrens’ tablets, and,
Automation – for automation devices that had no Ethernet interface.

Another sprawling aspect of this project: lighting. Argus designed, wired, and installed all 67 lighting circuits throughout the home. There’s an expansive security system, too, and even the irrigation was automated by Argus. The HVAC integration solution was developed by Argus (in conjunction with the builder and Control4) that features the popular Brivis system.

The home includes a number of timers that shut down rooms in the right situations. If, for example, the kids aren’t using a room for an extended period, the systems in that room go dark. The slightest bit of motion, however, restarts that timer so the room is not plunged into darkness while occupied.

This project incorporates lots of cool details including a voice announcing, “Dinner’s ready!” to the kids in their study at the appropriate time via a one-button control panel touch.