Articles
Plain answers about villa ELV in the UAE: what it costs, how it should be designed, what tends to go wrong, and what you don't need to buy.
- article · 4 min read
How much does home automation cost for a villa in Dubai?
How a complete villa ELV package is priced in the UAE, system by system, what the price includes and leaves out, and the five choices that move the number the most.
Read the article - article · 5 min read
How to read an ELV bill, whoever it comes from
Eight questions to ask of any villa ELV bill, from the reason behind each line to power supplies, storage, spare ways, scope, VAT and the kind of price you see.
Read the article - article · 4 min read
You don't need smart switches. Keep the ones that match your sockets.
Why the switch line on a Homestat bill reads AED 0, how a binary input turns the switches you already chose into KNX controls, and when a keypad is worth it.
Read the article - article · 4 min read
Why an ELV quote takes three weeks, and what really happens in those weeks
What really fills the three weeks behind a villa ELV quote in the UAE, from the design desk queue to the margin review, and why none of it is engineering.
Read the article - article · 5 min read
What a room screen actually does, and where it belongs
A room screen is the thermostat before anything else, and that decides where it belongs, where it never goes and why large screens need their own power.
Read the article - article · 5 min read
Lights that never leave your guests in the dark
The lighting rules we design every villa to, written for the people who live there, covering circuits, scenes, control points, presence sensors and dimming.
Read the article - article · 5 min read
Presence sensors belong in the corridor, not the bedroom
Presence sensors suit corridors, stairs, WCs and wardrobes, while living rooms and bedrooms stay on scenes and service rooms get WiFi but no automation.
Read the article - article · 4 min read
How many WiFi access points does a villa need?
How we work out the number of WiFi access points in a villa, why every one is wired back to the rack, and what coverage can honestly mean before a survey.
Read the article - article · 5 min read
Villa CCTV starts at the boundary, not inside the house
Why villa CCTV begins with a ring of cameras around the plot, how the site plan sizes that ring, and why recording storage should be calculated, not guessed.
Read the article - article · 5 min read
What it takes to motorise a curtain, and what moves the price
Motorised curtains are chosen and priced opening by opening, so here is what each opening needs, what moves its cost and why its power is planned early.
Read the article - article · 3 min read
How a fit-out company wins the ELV line in a villa tender
How a fit-out company can price the ELV line of a villa tender the same day, present a design instead of a quote, and stop first-fix variations early.
Read the article - article · 5 min read
Why we ask for half on order and half before the hardware ships
How paying Homestat works: half on order and what it buys, half before anything ships, the AED 3,500 design retainer (including VAT), and who warrants what afterwards.
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