Smart home automation · Southwest Florida
Smart Home Automation in Naples: One Touch, Whole House
If it takes three apps to turn off the lights, it isn’t smart. It’s homework.
NerdSquad designs, installs and programs smart home automation for homes across Southwest Florida. Lighting, shades, climate, music, pool and locks work together on simple scenes, from a keypad by the door, your phone or your voice.
Control
Keypad, app or voice
Scenes
Programmed for how you live
Systems
Control4, Lutron, Crestron and more
Support
Local, after move-in
01 · The point of it
What smart home automation should actually do
Good automation is mostly invisible. The shades come down when the afternoon sun hits the great room. The lanai lights come on at sunset. One button by the garage door turns off everything you forgot. Nobody in the house has to learn a new language to use it.
Bad automation is a drawer full of apps, a voice assistant that hears “lights” as “flights” and a system only one person knows how to reset. We build the first kind by starting with how the household actually lives, then choosing and programming the equipment to match.
02 · Scenes, not settings
One button, a dozen things happen
A scene is a single press that sets the whole house: lights, shades, music, climate and locks. Here’s what a typical keypad by the kitchen might do.
Good morning
Entertain
Movie night
Away
Goodnight
All off
Good morning
Kitchen lights to 70%, shades open, music on low, thermostat to day setting
Entertain
Great room and lanai lights warm, playlist on outdoor speakers, pool lights on
Movie night
Media room lights fade, shades close, screen and sound turn on, phones get quiet
Away
Doors lock, alarm arms, thermostat eases off, lights follow a lived-in schedule
Goodnight
Exterior lights on a timer, doors locked, everything else off, path lights to the bedroom
All off
Every light and speaker in the house off, from one button by the garage door
Illustration: an example scene keypad. Every home gets its own buttons, names and programming.
03 · What we can automate
Lighting, shades, climate and more on one system
Most clients start with two or three of these and add more later. The plan leaves room to grow.
💡
Lighting
Dimmers and keypads that replace banks of switches, with scenes and schedules for every room and the landscape.
🪟
Motorized shades
Shades that follow the sun, close for privacy at night and open when you wake up.
🌡️
Climate
Thermostats on schedules and scenes, with remote control for the months you’re away.
🎵
Music and video
Whole-home audio and TVs on the same remote and app as everything else.
🏊
Pool and spa
Heat the spa, change the pool lights and check equipment from the same app.
🔐
Locks, garage and gates
Lock up, check the garage and let a guest in from your phone.
💧
Sensors and alerts
Water leak, temperature and door sensors that tell you when something needs attention.
🗣️
Voice control
Popular voice assistants can run scenes, as an extra, never as the only way in.
Not sure where to start?
Lighting and shades usually make the biggest difference day to day. We’ll tell you what’s worth it in your house, and what isn’t.
04 · Systems we work with
The right platform for the house
We pick the platform for the home and the people in it. Control4 is the one we install most, and we design, install and program it ourselves.
Whole-home control
Control4
One app, one remote and keypads for lighting, audio, video, climate, security and more.
Lighting and shades
Lutron
We work with Lutron lighting controls and motorized shades and tie them into the rest of the house.
Control systems
Crestron
We integrate with Crestron systems, including ones already installed in your home.
Control and audio
ELAN
Control and entertainment for homes that already run on it or are adding to it.
Pool and spa
iAquaLink
Pool and spa equipment controls brought into the same app as the rest of the house.
Doorbells and alarm
Ring
Doorbells, cameras and alarm sensors that work alongside your automation.
Brand names are trademarks of their owners and are used here only to describe the systems we work with.
05 · How we keep it simple
Five rules every system we program follows
Technology should make the house easier for everyone in it, including guests, house sitters and the person who didn’t pick it.
Every room still has a button that does the obvious thing, no phone required
Buttons are engraved with words, not icons you have to memorize
The basics keep working locally when the internet is down, wherever the system supports it
Everyone who lives there gets a short walkthrough, not just the person who signed
Guests and house sitters get their own access, and you can take it back later
After move-in
Seasons change and so do routines. We adjust scenes and schedules after the first few weeks, keep the system updated and handle the “can it also do this?” requests. Many changes can be made remotely, and the same local team comes out when something needs hands.
Building, remodeling or just tired of the app drawer?
Tell us about the house. We’ll walk it with you and put a room-by-room plan in writing.
06 · Questions homeowners ask us
Smart home automation FAQ
What is smart home automation?
It’s a system that connects lighting, shades, climate, audio and video, locks and other equipment so they can be controlled together from keypads, a phone app or voice, and run on scenes and schedules. The goal is fewer buttons and apps, not more.
Which smart home system is best?
It depends on the house and the people in it. We install Control4 most often because it ties nearly everything together under one app and remote. We also work with Lutron, Crestron and ELAN, especially when a home already has one of them. We’ll recommend what fits after a walkthrough.
Can you add automation to a home that’s already built?
Yes. Wireless dimmers, keypads and shades make retrofits practical without opening many walls. We use existing wiring where it’s sound and plan any new runs to keep patching to a minimum.
Will my smart home work if the internet goes down?
The basics should. We design systems so lights, keypads and local controls keep working without the internet wherever the equipment supports it. Remote access and voice assistants need a connection.
Can I use Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri?
Most systems we install can work with popular voice assistants for scenes and simple commands. We set voice up as an extra, so the house still works for anyone who doesn’t want to talk to it.
Can I control the house while I’m away for the season?
Yes. You can check and change lights, climate, locks and sensors from your phone, and get alerts for things like water leaks or temperature changes if those sensors are part of the system.
Can you take over a system someone else installed?
Often. We look at what’s installed, how it was programmed and whether the programming and accounts can be transferred. If a system is better replaced than repaired, we’ll tell you plainly.
How much does home automation cost?
It depends on how many rooms and systems you want to connect and whether it’s new construction or a retrofit. We don’t publish one-size prices. After a walkthrough you get a written, room-by-room proposal.
More for your home
Automation ties into everything else in the house.
Where we work
We’re based in Naples. We install and support home systems across Southwest Florida:
Naples · Marco Island · Bonita Springs · Estero · Fort Myers · Cape Coral
Running a business?
The same team runs managed IT, cybersecurity and help desk support for Southwest Florida businesses.
Last step · Book a walkthrough
Let’s plan your smart home
Tell us about the house and what you’d like it to do. We’ll walk it with you and come back with a written, room-by-room plan.
Programmed around how your household lives
A written plan before anything is installed
Adjustments and support after move-in
NerdSquad Managed IT Services · Naples, FL · 239-465-0079
Tell us about your home
A real person reads every message. Please don’t send passwords or alarm codes.
