When the thing you need doesn't exist, we build it
Most of the time the right product is already out there, and we'll just fit it. Sometimes it isn't. Then we write the software, design the box or rebuild the old one, and make it work with everything else in the building.
Original frame. The machined aluminium frame and gasket stayed put. The official replacement was a small black square. The hole in the wall wasn't.
Camera. A new camera behind the original window, with a custom colour tuning file to cure a pink tinge down one side.
Call button. The original button, wired to the new board. Press it and a chime plays through the house's music system.
Speaker & mic. Two-way audio over SIP. A missing ground wire cost us three days we'd quite like back.
New brains. A small single-board computer inside. Video and the door appear in the Loxone app, at home or away, with no port forwarding.
One cable. Power and network over a single cable (PoE). Nothing new to run to the front door.
Integrations between systems
Plenty of good products don't talk to each other. We write the bit in the middle. One example links Smoobu holiday-let bookings to Loxone: the heating starts about three hours before check-in, a welcome scene fires as guests arrive, and the house drops back to eco after checkout.
- Booking systems linked to heating and lighting
- Cameras and sensors triggering scenes
- One control platform talking to another
- Notifications to phones, email or a dashboard
Custom hardware
The intercom on this page had failed, and the official replacement didn't fit the hole. So we kept the original frame and rebuilt the inside with a small single-board computer, a new camera and two-way audio, all on one network cable.
- Rebuilds that keep original faceplates and frames
- Single-board computers and microcontrollers in tidy enclosures
- Powered over the network cable where possible
- Parts made in-house when nothing else fits
Our own products
Some of what we build for one client turns out to be useful to everyone. Those become products.
- AI watch for existing CCTV. A small box that adds person and vehicle detection to cameras you already have. In pilot now.
- Custom Control drivers. Control4 drivers for kit nobody else supports.
- Dante audio control. A simpler way for control systems to route Dante audio. In development.
How we work
Small steps you can see working, written down as we go. Code we can support in five years, not just next week. And if something off the shelf would do the job for less, we'll tell you before we start.
- A short brief and a fixed first step
- Prototypes tested on real equipment
- Documentation and source kept safe
- Support afterwards from the people who built it
Questions about custom work
What sort of things can you build?
Mostly the glue between systems: a booking platform talking to the heating, cameras talking to the lights, one control system talking to another. Plus small apps and dashboards, and hardware when nothing off the shelf fits.
Wouldn't an off-the-shelf product be cheaper?
Often, yes, and if one does the job we'll tell you to buy it. Custom work makes sense when nothing fits, or when the alternative is ripping out something that's otherwise fine.
Who supports it afterwards?
We do. We document what we build and keep the code, so it can be fixed and updated. No mystery boxes that only one person understands.
Can you work with the system we already have?
That's usually the point. Most of what we build exists to make an existing system do something it couldn't, or to keep a part of it going.
Works well with
Shall we call you back?
Tell us what you're trying to make work, and what's in the way. We'll tell you whether to build it, buy it or leave it alone.
Or call 01425 705035 now.
Thanks. We'll ring you back.
As soon as we're off the ladder. If it's urgent, call us on 01425 705035.