How Automation Expert Des Uses C-Bus in His New Zealand Home

1. Automate and control large homes with ease

First, Des recommends C-Bus for homes that are 300–600m² or larger and usually have extra elements like air conditioning or pools, which require more management. “As the houses grow in size you may not even have visibility from one end to the other,” says Des. “You would need to walk the length of the house just to check whether the lights and heaters are off and all the doors are locked! But with C-Bus you can do all that from the comfort of your kitchen or lounge. You manage and monitor the entire house from a central location.”

3. Set custom scenes to fit the occasion

You can tailor the automation system to your lifestyle by creating different ‘scenes’, where indoor and outdoor elements work together in a variety of situations. For example, a ‘welcome home’ scene ensures you always approach your house in light, rather than in darkness. It can activate as you drive in your front gate, turning on the interior and exterior lights, deactivating the alarm and could even start your favourite music in the kitchen.  Or perhaps, you can try an ‘away’ scene that locks doors and windows, closes all the blinds, turns off any unnecessary appliances and sets the alarm.

C-Bus can even create scenes for different moods. “This house looks magical at night,” says Des. “The biggest scene we run is the ‘Party Scene’, where the touch of one button activates around 35 lighting circuits as well as the water feature, music and, if it’s winter, then the fireplaces start up too. It sets the scene from my front gate all the way through the house to the outdoor areas, including the pool.”

6. Enhance your home theatre

Movie and music buffs will be quick to add ‘home theatre’ to their must-have list once they see the incredible space that Des has created with studio-quality equipment and his C-Bus system. Des’ theatre is fully sound engineered with acoustic fabric-covered walls that conceal absorbers, diffusers, and bass traps. Just like a commercial movie theatre, the 4K resolution projector displays on to a 155” acoustically transparent anamorphic screen, with speakers and subwoofers behind it for a superior sound experience.

“Great software, microphones and recording equipment have helped us design and engineer the theatre to have perfect sound in all the seating positions,” says Des.

Even the seats are next-level, using D-Box motion control technology so they move and behave in line with what’s happening on the screen. “If you’re in a V8 car going over rough terrain then you’ll feel all the bumps, as well as hear and feel the throb of the V8,” he grins.

The lighting is exceptional too, with 45 circuits of lighting in the central dome alone, and a total of 69 dimmed LED circuits. “It’s a one-of-a-kind room,” says Des. “It’s wicked looking and sounding!”