Automation Systems Comparison

Automation System Comparison

There are several home automation controllers on the market besides HomeVision and HomeVision-Pro. To help you decide which is right for you, we've made a comparison of some of these systems to HomeVision and HomeVision-Pro. You can download an Excel spreadsheet or Acrobat PDF file containing a detailed side-by-side comparison:

Excel file: Comparison.xls
PDF file: Comparison.pdf

The table below is a top-level summary of these products standard features - you will find far more details in the above tables. By the way, if you’re in the process of selecting an automation system, review our article "Comparing PC-based and stand-alone home automation systems" for some tips.

Standard Features	HomeVision-Pro	HomeVision	StarGate	TimeCommander +	Ocelot	Leopard	HouseLinc	TouchLinc
Typical street price	$925	$595	$995	$595	$175	$375	$220	$395
Two-way X-10	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Infrared transmit	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Infrared receive	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Perform events by time	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Video on TV	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Digital inputs/outputs	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
User-controllable serial port	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Partial	Partial	No	No
Touchscreen	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
Thermostat control	Yes	Yes	Partial	Partial	Partial	Partial	No	No
Security system control	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Telephone control	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Voice mail	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Voice output	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Web browser/internet control	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Data logging	Yes	Yes	Partial	Partial	No	No	No	No
Programming capability	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Very good	Good	Good	Very limited	Very limited

Last updated:
01 October 2013