Professional Smart Home Automation in the Magic Valley
From custom homes overlooking the Snake River Canyon to thoughtful renovations in town, Total Techs designs and installs smart home systems that actually work the way you want. Lighting, climate, security, audio, and shades — controlled from your phone, voice, or wall-mounted touchscreens.
Smart Home Done Professionally
Smart home is one of those areas where DIY kits look great in the box and disappoint in practice. The Wi-Fi outlet that disconnects every few weeks. The smart thermostat that argues with your HVAC system. The voice assistant that hears half your commands. Lights that flicker because the dimmer wasn’t compatible. Each problem solvable on its own — together, they make smart home feel dumb.
Professional smart home is different. Systems designed to work together from day one — properly chosen components, wired (not Wi-Fi) backbone where it matters, integrated controls, and a single dashboard that controls everything. The result: smart home that just works.
Total Techs is the Magic Valley’s authorized NICE smart home installer (NICE acquired Nortek Control, the parent of ELAN and other premium smart home brands). We design systems for new construction, major renovations, and retrofits — from a few rooms to whole-house automation.
Key Benefits
- NICE / ELAN authorizedPremier whole-home automation platform
- Lighting controlLutron, Vantage, ELAN, integrated dimming
- Climate & comfortHVAC integration, smart thermostats, zone control
- Audio & videoMulti-room audio, home theater, distributed video
- Motorized shadesHunter Douglas, Lutron, Somfy integration
- Security integrationCameras, alarms, locks — all in one app
What You Get
Whole-Home Lighting
Lutron RadioRA 3, Vantage, or ELAN lighting control. Scene controls (“Evening,” “Movie,” “Goodnight”), dimming for every fixture, occupancy sensing, and beautiful keypads that replace ugly light switches.
Climate Control
Smart thermostats integrated with HVAC system. Multi-zone control. Geofencing for automatic adjustment when you arrive home. Integration with shades and lighting for energy efficiency.
Multi-Room Audio
Music in every room (or only the rooms you choose). One song throughout, or different music in each zone. Integration with Spotify, Apple Music, Sonos. In-ceiling speakers that disappear architecturally.
Home Theater
Dedicated home theater rooms — projector, screen, surround sound, acoustic treatments. Or family-room TV setups with quality audio and seamless control. We handle design, install, and calibration.
Motorized Shades
Hunter Douglas, Lutron, or Somfy motorized shades — for privacy, light control, energy efficiency. Schedule-based or sun-tracking, integrated with the rest of the smart home system.
Security Integration
Security cameras, alarm system, access control / smart locks, and video doorbells — all integrated into the smart home dashboard. One app, one system, one set of controls.
How It Works
Design Consultation
We tour your space (or review the plans for new construction), discuss your lifestyle and what you want the home to do.
System Design
Written proposal with equipment specs, room-by-room functionality, control interface design, and pricing.
Pre-Wire (if new construction)
Cabling and infrastructure installed during framing — much cheaper than retrofitting later.
Install & Configure
Equipment install, programming, calibration, and user training. We don’t leave until everything works the way you want.
Common Questions
QWhat is NICE / ELAN and why do you recommend it?
ELAN is a whole-home automation platform from NICE (the company that acquired Nortek Control). It’s a single platform that controls lighting, climate, audio, video, security, and shades from one app and consistent wall controls. We’re authorized ELAN dealers — one of the few in Southern Idaho.
QWhat about consumer smart home (Alexa, Google Home, HomeKit)?
Great for individual features (smart speakers, voice assistants). Not great for whole-home automation. Consumer platforms are fragmented — different apps for different devices, devices that work today but not after the next update, Wi-Fi devices that drop offline randomly. For serious smart home, professional platforms are worth the investment.
QCan smart home be added to an existing house?
Yes — but easier in some cases than others. Lighting control can usually be retrofitted by swapping switches and dimmers. Motorized shades retrofit easily. Smart thermostats just replace existing ones. Some features (in-wall speakers, hidden displays, central audio) are much easier during construction or renovation. We assess feasibility during the design consultation.
QDo you do home theater design?
Yes — from family-room TV setups to dedicated home theater rooms. Room acoustic design, equipment specification, projector and screen sizing, surround sound speaker placement, calibration. We focus on quality results rather than pushing the most expensive equipment.
QWill my smart home work when the internet is down?
Yes for local control — lighting, thermostats, audio, security all continue working via the local automation system. Internet-dependent features (remote access from your phone when you’re away, cloud-based features) require internet. Critical security features have cellular backup.
QHow much does professional smart home cost?
Highly dependent on scope. A whole-house automation project for a new custom home typically starts in the low five figures and scales up significantly for larger homes with more zones. Retrofits to existing homes vary based on what’s already in place. We provide detailed quotes after the design consultation.
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Free consultation. No sales pressure. Just honest answers about your technology.