How to Choose the Right Smart Home Integrator in Atlanta
The smart home industry has grown fast — and the quality of work varies enormously. There are certified Crestron programmers with 15 years of experience, and there are general handymen installing smart switches and calling it home automation. Knowing the difference before you sign a contract can save you tens of thousands of dollars and years of frustration.
We've taken over projects from other integrators more times than we can count. Clients who thought they were getting a sophisticated system and ended up with something unreliable, incomplete, or impossible to support. It's one of the most common problems in our industry — and it's entirely preventable if you ask the right questions upfront.
This guide gives you a framework for evaluating any smart home company in Atlanta, and it explains specifically what to look for and what to watch out for.
DLSAV's position: We are Crestron-exclusive. We don't install consumer-grade platforms or mixed systems that create integration nightmares. Every system we build is designed from the ground up to work together — and to keep working for the next decade.
The Five Questions to Ask Every Integrator
- Are you a certified Crestron dealer and programmer? Crestron certification requires ongoing training, testing, and dealer authorization. An uncertified installer can buy Crestron hardware on the secondary market, but they cannot access Crestron's programming tools, support resources, or official dealer pricing. Ask for proof of certification, not just a claim.
- Will you write custom code for my system, or use off-the-shelf templates? Template-based programming gets systems functional quickly but limits what your system can do and how it responds. Custom Crestron programming means your system does exactly what you want — scenes, logic, scheduling, and integrations are built for your specific life, not a generic use case.
- Who installs the system — your own team or subcontractors? A company that uses its own dedicated team of skilled installers knows their work, stands behind it, and is accountable for every detail. A company that subcontracts labor on every job may have inconsistent quality and diffused responsibility when something goes wrong.
- What is your support model after installation? Smart home systems require support. Technology changes, software updates, and expansions all happen after the project is complete. How does the company handle service calls? Do they respond same-day for critical issues? What's the labor rate? Is there a service contract option?
- Can I speak to a current client with a system similar to what I'm planning? Any reputable integrator should be able to provide references with comparable projects. Ideally, they can arrange for you to visit an installed project — not just a showroom — to see the system in a real home environment.
Why Platform Choice Matters More Than You Think
Not all smart home platforms are the same, and the choice of platform shapes what your system can do, how reliably it performs, and how long it remains supported.
Crestron vs. Consumer Platforms
Consumer smart home devices — smart speakers, app-based switches, plug-in sensors — are easy to install and inexpensive. They're also fragile ecosystems. Companies pivot, products get discontinued, apps lose support, and "integrations" break when one company updates their API without coordinating with another. We've seen clients lose entire home automation systems because a manufacturer shut down their cloud service.
Crestron is a professional, closed ecosystem built for permanent installation. It doesn't depend on the cloud for core functionality. Your lights, HVAC, shading, security, and AV all communicate through a robust, local control system. When the internet goes down, your Crestron system still works. That reliability is the reason luxury residential and commercial clients worldwide choose it as the foundation of their smart environments.
The Integration Depth Difference
Consumer platforms integrate at the surface level — you can turn a light on with your voice. Professional Crestron programming integrates at the logic level — your home responds to time of day, occupancy, weather, your calendar, a phone call, the position of the sun, and dozens of other variables simultaneously. That's a fundamentally different level of intelligence, and it only happens with custom programming by a certified Crestron specialist.
Watch Out for These Red Flags
Here are the things that should raise concerns when evaluating a smart home company:
They Lead with Price, Not Design
A good integrator's first conversation is about how you live and what you want your home to do. If the first thing out of their mouth is a product price list, you're talking to a reseller, not a designer. Premium integration is always design-first.
They Propose a Mix of Unrelated Platforms
Lighting from one company, audio from another, security from a third, all loosely connected through a hub — this is a recipe for reliability problems and support nightmares. Every additional layer of integration is another potential point of failure. The cleanest, most reliable systems are built on a single, professional platform with proven integrations.
They Can't Show You a Completed Project
Portfolio matters. Photos are nice. But if a company can't put you in touch with a satisfied customer or arrange a site visit to a completed installation, that's a significant concern. Experience shows in the details — the way conduit is run, how keypads are calibrated, the smoothness of scene transitions. You can't see those things in a brochure.
DLSAV's promise: We're happy to arrange reference calls and project visits for any qualified prospect. Our work speaks for itself — we've built systems in homes throughout Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, and Marietta that clients have been proud to show off for years.