Control4 X4: what changes, and can your home upgrade?

What X4 changes in day-to-day use

Control4 brings lighting, entertainment and other compatible systems together. X4 changes how you see and use that system. Its home screen can show favourite rooms, devices and actions. Widgets can bring useful information and controls closer to the front, so you do not need to move through every room to find them.

That is an interface change, not a promise that a new app will make unsupported equipment work. A camera, dimmer, blind or alarm still needs an appropriate connection and configuration to be controlled or shown in Control4.

Official source: Control4 X4 app(opens in a new tab)

Routines and scenes are related, but not identical

A scene brings supported actions together, such as lowering compatible blinds and setting the lights for a film. X4's Routines add a way to select, adjust and schedule some automations from the Control4 app. What a household can edit itself, and what still needs an integrator, depends on the action and how the system was installed.

Start with the habits you want to make easier. For example, you might want evening lights and music to follow a schedule that you can change later. NorthTech can then check whether the current equipment supports that result.

Official source: Control4 Smart Home Experience(opens in a new tab)

How Apple fits in

Control4 describes HomeKit, Siri, CarPlay and Apple Widgets among the ways X4 can make supported functions available in Apple's ecosystem. That does not mean every accessory already in Apple Home will appear inside Control4, or that every Control4 device will expose every function to Apple. The supported devices, account setup and Connect subscription conditions need to be checked for the actual installation.

For a household using iPhones, this may be a familiar way to access selected lights, scenes or other compatible functions. It should be demonstrated against the proposed system, not sold as a blanket compatibility claim.

Official source: Control4 services and Connect(opens in a new tab)

Before upgrading an existing Control4 home

A useful assessment checks what is installed and what the household needs to keep working. It may lead to a software update, a controller or device change, a redesign of a few routines, or a staged plan. It may also show that the current system already meets the family's needs.

• The installed controller and current software version.
• The Control4 and third-party devices the household relies on.
• Existing scenes, schedules and integrations that must keep working.
• Whether X4 and the desired Apple features are supported for that equipment.
• Whether a Control4 Connect subscription is needed for the requested functions.
• How the change will be tested, explained and supported afterwards.

The next step

Tell NorthTech which controls feel awkward today and which tasks you want to make easier. If possible, bring the model of your Control4 controller and a short list of connected systems. We can review what is installed, explain which X4 features are relevant and set out changes needed before work is priced.

• Control4 smart homesExplore the wider design and control possibilities.
• Home automationSee how connected systems can work together.