02/09/2025

Innovative integrator takes sales pitch to the next level

Los Gatos, Ca (USA)

Since the smart home became available on Airbnb, nearly 100 guests from around the world have stayed in the smart home. Image courtesy of ADI

Home systems professionals know that few sales tools are more persuasive than a live, working demonstration. While sleek showrooms and curated vignettes help clients envision life in a smart home, nothing compares to the real thing: a fully functioning residence where technology blends seamlessly into daily life. Gordon van Zuiden of Daisy, a smart home integrator, in Los Gatos, California, took this principle to the next level by transforming an entire 1,300-square-foot bungalow into a Control4-powered smart home and listing it on Airbnb.

Unlike traditional showrooms, this home serves as both a showcase home and a guest rental, offering visitors a hands-on experience with everything from voice-activated scenes and motorised shades to whole-house audio, and advanced surveillance.

For many guests, it’s their first time interacting with integrated home automation and it must work intuitively and flawlessly. “Visitors expect a comfortable, enjoyable, and hassle-free stay,” said van Zuiden. “There’s no room for error. That’s why we put the Control4 X4 software platform in charge of nearly every aspect of the home environment. It provides a simple way, no matter the user’s comfort level with technology, to adjust the temperature, music, security settings, and more. This leaves a lasting impression, whether the visitor is coming in for a tour or staying an entire week.”

‍Control4 as the foundation

As van Zuiden explained, Control4 was the natural choice to unify the diverse technologies in the home. “It’s the primary automation system we support,” he said. “The breadth of devices it can integrate with is unmatched.” In this double-duty showroom and smart home rental, Control4 manages centralised lighting, audio and video, motorized shades, climate control, entry and gate access, surveillance, garage gates, outdoor heating, skylights and ceiling fans, irrigation and smart appliances.

‍Products from a number of ADI Snap One and third party brands are all able to co-exist in the home, with broad interoperability allowing van Zuiden to demonstrate the full scope of Control4’s capabilities to builders, designers, and end-users, all under one roof.

A living showroom with real guests

According to ADI, since the smart home became available on Airbnb, nearly 100 guests from around the world have stayed in the smart home. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly from those new to home automation. A recent guest described it as “a luxurious user-friendly smart home that features a fully integrated system.”

‍This kind of feedback is gold for integrators, validating both the ease of use and the system’s day-to-day reliability. It also reinforces Control4’s strength in creating a unified user experience across disparate subsystems.

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