Smart Home Automation in South Bend & Michiana
Lighting, audio, shades, climate, cameras and entertainment working as one system instead of six apps that do not talk to each other. Designed, installed and supported locally by a team with 20+ years of IT and AV experience.
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What we automate
Automation is not one product. It is a set of systems brought under one roof, and you can include as many or as few of them as you want.
Lighting control
Dimming, scenes and schedules instead of a wall of switches. Set a scene for dinner, for a movie, or for arriving home after dark, and stop hunting for the right switch in a room with five of them.
Whole-home audio
Music in any room, or the same thing everywhere, controlled from one place. This is one of our core services and one of the most used features in almost every system we install.
Outdoor audio
Speakers designed for patios, pools and yards, placed for even coverage rather than one loud spot. See outdoor audio.
Motorized shades
Shades that lower automatically in the afternoon sun, open in the morning, or drop when you start a movie. Comfort, privacy, and less fading on your furniture.
Climate
Thermostats brought into the same system, so temperature follows your schedule and your away status instead of being one more thing to remember.
Security and cameras
Locks, sensors and cameras integrated with everything else, so lights can respond to motion and you can check a camera in the same app you use for the rest of the house. See security camera installation.
Home theater and entertainment
TVs, receivers and surround sound tied into scenes, so one button dims the lights, drops the shades and starts the movie. See surround sound installation.
Networking
The foundation everything else depends on. A smart home is only as reliable as the network under it, and this is where our IT background does the most work. See wired and wireless networking.
One app, or your voice
Control from a phone, a tablet, a wall panel, a keypad, or by voice. Most households end up using a mix, and the system supports whichever one is nearest.
Why one system beats a drawer full of gadgets
Almost everyone starts the same way. A smart speaker, then a couple of smart bulbs, then a video doorbell from a different brand, then a thermostat from a third. Each one works on its own. None of them work together.
Six months later you have five apps, three accounts, a spouse who refuses to use any of it, and a light that only responds if you phrase the request exactly right. The problem is not the devices. It is that nobody designed the system, because there was no system, just a pile of purchases.
A professionally designed setup starts from what you actually want the house to do, then selects equipment that works together to do it. One interface. Consistent behavior. Something a guest or a babysitter can operate without a tutorial. And when something does go wrong, one company to call instead of four support lines pointing at each other.
Think of it like a house's electrical. You could run extension cords everywhere and it would technically work. Wiring it properly costs more up front and you stop thinking about it entirely after that.
Built around how you actually live
The best automation is the kind you stop noticing. It should remove small daily annoyances rather than adding a new hobby to manage.
Scenes
One button for a set of things happening at once. Good Morning raises the shades, starts the kitchen music and brings the thermostat up. Movie Night dims the lights and drops the screen. Goodnight turns everything off and locks the doors.
Schedules
Outdoor lights that follow sunset through the year instead of needing a timer reset every season. Shades that close against the afternoon heat. Temperature that steps back when the house is empty.
Remote access
Check the house from anywhere, let someone in, look at a camera, and confirm you did in fact turn the garage light off. Useful for travel and genuinely useful for a second home or lake house.
Scalable
Start with two rooms and add more later, as long as the foundation is planned for it from the beginning.
Homes and light commercial
Most of this work is residential, but the same thinking applies to offices, conference rooms and small commercial spaces. Lighting scenes for a boardroom, scheduled audio in a waiting area, one-touch presentation modes, and access control that ties into the same system.
Conference room AV is something we do regularly, and automation makes it usable by whoever walks in rather than only by the one person who knows the remote.
A realistic expectation
Automation is a research-heavy purchase and it should be. We would rather spend an hour walking you through what is worth doing and what is not than sell you a system you use twice.
If part of what you want does not justify the cost, we will say so.
Our process
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Consultation
We start with how you use your home and what annoys you about it, not with a product list. That conversation is what determines everything after it.
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Design
We plan the system, including the network underneath it, select equipment that works together, and lay out what can be done now and what can be added later. You see the plan and the cost before anything is ordered.
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Installation
Clean, tidy work with cable routed out of sight and equipment installed where it can be serviced. For new construction or a remodel, we would rather be involved during the pre-wire stage, when everything is far easier and cheaper to do properly.
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Setup and handover
We build your scenes and schedules with you, set up every device in the household, and make sure the people who will use it daily can actually use it. A system nobody but you can operate is a failed system.
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Ongoing support
Automation needs occasional attention as your routine changes, as you add rooms, or when an ISP swap breaks remote access. We are local, and we offer residential and commercial support memberships for exactly this.
Why Right Choice AV
20+ years, and an IT background
AVTech Specialists Inc. was founded in 2014 by Nate Hibschman, a former network administrator, and that origin shows up in the work. Most AV problems are really network problems, and we are equipped for both. More about our team.
Local, not a national call center
We are based in South Bend and our technicians live here. When you call, you reach the people who did the install, not a queue in another state.
Fair pricing, clear scope
We quote what the job actually takes and explain the trade-offs. High-quality work at a fair price with no pressure to buy more than you need.
One company for the whole system
Network, audio, video, automation and security from one team. Nothing gets blamed on the other contractor because there is not another contractor.
Residential and commercial
Homes, offices, conference rooms and light commercial spaces. The same standard of workmanship applies to both.
Networking is the foundation
Most smart home failures are network failures. We were an IT company before we were an AV company, which is why our automation systems tend to stay reliable.
Recent projects
A look at automation and control work we have completed across South Bend, southern Michigan and beyond.
Nate and his team are the best. Always willing to solve the problem you want solved. Pulling together the TV's, whole house sound and keeping it simple for the end user. Highly recommend AVTech!!!
Greg AldridgeAVTech Specialists have installed and maintained equipment in both my home and business. Nate and his team are AWESOME!! AVTech provides excellent workmanship, products, and service. Check out their website. You won't be disappointed!
Kim HisawServing South Bend and all of Michiana
Based in South Bend, installing and supporting smart home systems throughout the Michiana region. Local support matters more for automation than for most services, because these systems change as your life does.
- South Bend
- Mishawaka
- Granger
- Elkhart
- Notre Dame
- Niles, MI
- St. Joseph, MI
- New Buffalo, MI
Right Choice AV
AVTech Specialists Inc.
713 S Scott St
South Bend, IN 46601
Phone: (269) 876-0182
Hours
- Monday to Friday8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Saturday and SundayBy appointment
Smart home automation questions, answered
What is smart home automation, in plain terms?
It is your home's systems talking to each other and to you through one interface instead of a dozen separate apps. Lighting, audio, shades, climate, cameras and entertainment all become things you can control from a phone, a wall panel or your voice. The real difference between automation and a pile of smart gadgets is that an automated home does things on its own, based on time of day, whether anyone is home, or a single button you press on the way out.
Can you connect systems and devices I already own?
Usually yes, and it is worth asking before you replace anything. Plenty of what people already own can be brought into a proper system. Some devices are deliberately locked to their own app and cannot be integrated, and we will tell you honestly which of yours fall into that category rather than quietly working around it. Bringing existing equipment in where possible keeps the project cost down.
What can I control from my phone?
Realistically, whatever you want included. Common ones are lights and scenes, music in any room, shades, thermostat, door locks, cameras and the TV. You can also check on things while you are away, get an alert if a door opens, and turn everything off from the airport when you realize you left the lights on. Wall panels and keypads are available too, since not everyone wants to reach for a phone to turn on a light.
What brands and platforms do you work with?
We work with several major platforms rather than being tied to one, so we can match the system to what you need and what you already own. Which one is right depends on the size of your home, what you want to control, and whether you want something simple or highly customized. We will go through the specific options at the consultation. You can also see some of the manufacturers we work with on our partners page.
Can you start small and expand later?
Yes, and it is often the smarter way to do it. Many of our clients begin with lighting in the main living areas or audio in a few rooms, then add shades, cameras or additional zones over time. The important part is that the foundation gets planned properly from the start, especially the network and the wiring, so that adding the next phase is straightforward instead of a rebuild. Tell us the long-term plan even if you are only doing part of it now.
Do you serve South Bend and the wider Michiana area?
Yes. We are based in South Bend and work throughout Michiana, including Mishawaka, Granger, Elkhart, Notre Dame, and across into Niles, St. Joseph and New Buffalo, Michigan. Being local matters more for automation than for most services, because these systems benefit from someone who can come out and adjust things as your needs change.
One system, designed around your home
Free quote, no obligation. Tell us what you want your house to do and we will tell you honestly what it takes.
713 S Scott St, South Bend, IN 46601 • Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM