U Control Installer in Leeds

You’ve clicked our uControl badge – here’s what sits behind it

If you’ve clicked the uControl badge on our website, you’re probably checking whether SmartOhm actually has the training and experience to install and configure the system properly.

That’s exactly what we’d encourage you to do.

SmartOhm Electrical and Smart Home is uControl certified, with specialist training in the design, installation, configuration and integration of the uControl platform.

uControl’s own training programme is designed for professional installers and covers how to install and maintain uControl systems, integrate them with other smart home equipment and deploy the platform correctly. Installers completing the programme receive certification as a uControl Specialist.

For the customer, the important bit isn’t the certificate itself.

It’s what we’re able to do with that knowledge.

uControl allows us to bring the following technology together into one much simpler control system:

• TVs
• TV sources
• Multi-room video
• Sonos audio
• Smart lighting
• Blinds and shades
• Other compatible smart home equipment

uControl describes its platform as a way of bringing together TVs, audio, smart lighting, shading and other technology through physical remotes, apps, wall controls and automation.

That’s exactly how we approach it.

The aim isn’t to put more technology in front of you.

It’s to make the technology you’ve already got easier to use.

Talk to us about uControl

---

What is uControl?

uControl is a professionally installed smart home and AV control platform developed by the team behind HDANYWHERE.

At its simplest, it replaces the need to jump between several remotes and apps every time you want to use your home.

You might currently have:

• A TV remote
• A Virgin Media remote
• An Apple TV remote
• A Sonos app
• A lighting app
• Another app for a different smart lighting system
• Possibly another control just to select which equipment appears on which TV

Technically, everything works.

But actually using it can become unnecessarily complicated.

uControl is designed to bring those systems together.

The current platform provides control through options including the uControl Remote, uControl app, wall-mounted interfaces, smart switches and automation.

For us, that’s the important part of a good smart home.

It should make everyday things simpler, not give you another five-minute procedure just to watch television.

---

A real uControl installation – six TVs, one control system

A good example is a uControl system we’ve installed alongside an HDANYWHERE 6x6 video matrix.

The property had six TVs positioned throughout the house.

Rather than putting a collection of boxes, consoles and media players underneath every television, we located the AV sources centrally.

The equipment included:

• Virgin Media
• NVIDIA Shield TV Pro
• PlayStation 5
• CCTV
• Apple TV

The HDANYWHERE matrix then distributed those sources to the six televisions around the property.

That meant any of the TVs could access the required central source without needing all of that equipment on show in each room.

But video distribution was only half of the job.

The system also needed to be easy to operate.

That’s where uControl came in.

From the uControl Remote, the customer could select what they wanted to watch and the system handled the required control.

So rather than thinking:

“Which input is this TV on?”

“Where’s the Apple TV remote?”

“Which box controls this room?”

the customer could simply choose what they wanted.

That’s a much better experience.

---

Hide the equipment – not the functionality

One of the biggest advantages of centralising AV equipment is what you don’t see.

Modern homes often have beautifully finished media walls, fitted furniture and carefully designed interiors.

Then somebody puts:

• A Virgin box
• Apple TV
• Games console
• Network equipment
• Several cables
• Four remote controls

directly underneath the television.

It works, but it can undo a lot of the effort that went into creating a clean room.

With a properly designed multi-room AV system, much of that equipment can be located centrally.

The TVs around the property can then remain far cleaner visually.

There are fewer boxes on show.

Fewer visible cables.

Less equipment taking up furniture space.

And, importantly, you can still control the sources from the room you’re actually sitting in.

HDANYWHERE’s MHUB platform is designed for this type of distributed AV installation, while its uOS/uControl system provides control of connected AV devices and smart home equipment.

For the customer, the outcome is simple:

Less clutter without losing access to the technology.

---

One uControl Remote – not a table full of remotes

This is where smart home control becomes useful.

Having six separate systems that can all be controlled from six different apps isn’t really integration.

It’s just six apps.

On our installation, the uControl Remote became the straightforward way of using the entertainment system.

The homeowner could select the source they wanted without needing to understand what the video matrix was doing behind the scenes.

That’s how it should work.

There can be quite a lot happening technically:

• TVs
• Network communication
• HDMI distribution
• Matrix switching
• AV sources
• Audio
• Lighting
• Device control

But the person sitting on the sofa shouldn’t have to think about any of that.

They should simply be able to press the appropriate button.

uControl supports control of AV equipment using IP and IR, while its control system can also use programmed sequences to perform several commands from one action.

So one button can potentially deal with several things happening in the background.

That’s where proper programming makes the difference.

---

It didn’t stop at the TVs

The same installation also shows why we wouldn’t describe uControl as just a universal remote.

We integrated the system with the property’s Rako and Shelly smart lighting.

That meant the control system wasn’t limited to choosing what appeared on the television.

Lighting could also become part of the wider smart home experience.

uControl officially supports integration with Rako smart lighting and Shelly relays, dimmers and other compatible devices.

This can be useful for things such as:

• Turning lighting on or off
• Adjusting compatible dimmed lighting
• Selecting lighting settings
• Incorporating lighting into programmed sequences
• Controlling several smart home functions from one interface

Again, the point isn’t that the system can control lots of things.

The point is that you don’t necessarily need to open a different app every time you want to control them.

---

uControl and Sonos multi-room audio

We also integrated the system with the customer’s Sonos multi-room audio.

Sonos is directly integrated into the current uControl platform, including the uControl OS, app and Remote. uControl supports functions such as playback and volume control while keeping the Remote and app in sync.

On our project, that meant the same overall control system that dealt with the TVs and lighting could also help control music around the property.

This is where integration starts to make sense.

Rather than thinking of:

The TV system

The lighting system

The music system

as three completely separate things, we can make the way you interact with them feel much more consistent.

You don’t necessarily need three interfaces just because there are three underlying technologies.

---

AV, lighting and audio working together

A properly designed control system can go a step further than simply putting buttons for different systems onto one screen.

We can create sequences.

uControl describes a sequence as a collection of control commands that can be triggered from a single button press or action.

In practical terms, that means one command could potentially tell several different pieces of equipment what to do.

For example, a Watch TV command could be designed around the equipment installed in that particular property.

Or an Evening setting could involve lighting and AV functions together where appropriate.

The exact programming depends on the house and what the customer wants.

We don’t believe in creating complicated automation simply because the system is capable of it.

The best sequences tend to be the ones that remove repetitive actions from your day.

---

Local control – what happens if the internet goes down?

This is another point we like about the uControl approach.

uControl states that its control runs locally, rather than depending entirely on cloud services for normal operation. The manufacturer specifically says core control can continue if the internet connection goes down.

That’s a sensible approach for home control.

Your internet connection is useful for plenty of smart home functions.

But you don’t want something as basic as controlling your entertainment system to become useless simply because there’s an issue with your broadband provider.

Local control helps reduce that dependence.

For us, reliability should be one of the first considerations when designing a smart home.

Not an afterthought.

---

What does being uControl certified mean?

SmartOhm has completed specialist uControl training and is uControl certified.

HDA describes its professional training as covering the fundamentals of the uControl system, including specifying and installing it and integrating common equipment such as MHUB, Sonos, Shelly and other smart home products. Graduates receive certification as uControl Specialists.

That matters because there is a difference between buying compatible smart products and designing a proper control system.

The individual products are only part of the job.

The installer also needs to consider:

• System design
• The home network
• Equipment locations
• Cable routes
• AV distribution
• Device compatibility
• Control methods
• Programming
• Sequences
• Lighting integration
• Audio integration
• How the customer actually wants to use everything

Most importantly, the finished system needs to make sense to the people living with it.

A technically clever installation that’s awkward to use isn’t a successful smart home.

SmartOhm – Certified uControl Specialist

---

Why planning the system first matters

A common problem with smart homes is that they grow one product at a time.

Someone buys smart lighting.

Then some Sonos speakers.

Then Apple TVs.

Then a new television.

Then CCTV.

Then another smart switch.

Eventually, the house has plenty of smart technology but no overall plan for controlling it.

You end up with several apps and several different ways of doing essentially the same thing.

What we’d usually recommend is deciding what you actually want the finished home to do before choosing all of the equipment.

For example:

Do you want AV equipment hidden centrally?

Do several TVs need access to the same sources?

Do you want one remote in each room?

Should the remote also control lighting?

Do you want Sonos available from the same interface?

Are there automated blinds or shades to consider?

Will the system need to expand later?

Those questions determine the design.

The products come afterwards.

---

What happens when you book a uControl installation with SmartOhm?

We start by discussing what you want the system to achieve.

We’ll look at the technology you already have and what you’re planning to add.

Depending on the installation, we’ll consider things such as:

• Number and position of TVs
• AV sources
• Games consoles
• CCTV
• Existing network infrastructure
• HDMI distribution
• Sonos or other audio equipment
• Smart lighting
• Rako
• Shelly
• Equipment rack or central AV location
• Control requirements in each room
• Future expansion

For larger projects, we’ll survey the property before putting together the system design.

Once we’ve worked out what is required, we’ll provide a written quotation before undertaking the work.

We then install the equipment, configure the integrations and programme uControl around the way you actually want to use the home.

Once everything is configured, we test each room.

TV sources.

Remote commands.

Lighting control.

Audio.

Any programmed sequences.

Then we’ll show you how the system works.

The aim isn’t for you to understand how we’ve programmed it.

The aim is that using it feels obvious.

---

HDANYWHERE and uControl

HDANYWHERE video distribution and uControl work particularly well together because uControl comes from the same HDA ecosystem.

The uOS support documentation includes specific workflows for configuring MHUB systems with the uControl Remote, connected AV devices and smart home equipment such as Rako lighting.

For a multi-room installation, an HDANYWHERE matrix can allow centrally located AV sources to be distributed to displays around the property.

uControl then gives us a way of making that distribution simple for the homeowner to operate.

The customer doesn’t need to know what matrix input is connected to what output.

That’s our job to deal with during the design and programming.

---

What can uControl integrate with?

Compatibility always needs checking against the actual equipment being proposed, but uControl currently supports a broad range of AV and smart home products.

Its published integrations include systems and brands such as:

• Sonos
• Rako
• Shelly
• Lutron
• Philips Hue
• Bluesound
• KNX via gateway
• Silent Gliss
• Other AV, power and smart home equipment

uControl says the platform supports a wide range of AV devices and third-party smart home products.

We still check compatibility as part of the design rather than assuming that two products will work together because they’re both described as “smart”.

That’s an important distinction.

---

Common mistakes with smart home and AV control

Too many separate apps

Adding another app isn’t always making the home smarter.

If you need five apps to operate five systems, integration should probably have been considered earlier.

Too many remotes

The same applies to remotes.

One remote for the TV, one for the receiver, one for the media player and another for the lighting gets frustrating quickly.

Choosing equipment before checking compatibility

Not every product integrates in the same way.

We check what needs to communicate with what before specifying the system.

Poor planning of AV equipment locations

If you want clean media walls and hidden equipment, that needs considering early.

Power, network cabling, HDMI distribution and ventilation don’t sort themselves out afterwards.

Overcomplicating the programming

Just because we can create a complicated sequence doesn’t mean we should.

What we program should make everyday use simpler.

Forgetting about the whole family

A smart home shouldn’t only be understandable to the person who commissioned it.

Partners, children and visitors should be able to use the basics without needing training.

---

Why use SmartOhm for uControl?

SmartOhm combines smart home system training with the electrical experience needed to look at the wider installation properly.

We are:

• uControl Certified
• NAPIT Registered – Full Scope
• TrustMark Registered
• A Which? Trusted Trader
• Rated with more than 85 five-star Google reviews
• Backed by 21 years of hands-on electrical and smart home installation experience

That combination matters because a smart home project often crosses several areas.

There is the AV system.

There is the home network.

There is control and programming.

There may also be electrical installation, lighting, smart switches and other connected equipment.

Being able to consider those things together usually produces a cleaner result than treating every system as a completely separate project.

---

uControl installation in Leeds and across West Yorkshire

SmartOhm provides uControl installation and smart home control across:

• Leeds
• Harrogate
• Wetherby
• Wakefield
• Huddersfield
• North Leeds
• Alwoodley
• Roundhay
• West Park
• Surrounding towns and villages across West Yorkshire

Whether you’re planning one media room or a larger whole-home AV and smart control system, we can look at what you’re trying to achieve and advise on a sensible way of putting it together.

You don’t need to know whether you need a particular processor, video matrix or integration before getting in touch.

Tell us what you want the house to do.

We’ll work backwards from there.

Discuss your uControl system

---

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SmartOhm certified to install uControl?

Yes.

SmartOhm has completed specialist uControl training and is uControl certified.

HDA’s professional training programme is designed to create uControl Specialists and covers installation, system deployment and integration with compatible smart home and AV equipment.

We will also display our certification on this page.

---

What is uControl?

uControl is a control and automation platform designed to bring together AV and smart home equipment including TVs, audio, lighting, shading and other compatible systems.

It can be operated through interfaces including the uControl Remote, app, wall controls and automation.

---

Can uControl control Sonos?

Yes.

Sonos is directly integrated into the current uControl platform, including uOS, the uControl app and uControl Remote.

We’ve also used Sonos integration on our own uControl projects.

---

Does uControl work with Rako lighting?

Yes.

Rako is included in uControl’s published smart lighting integrations, and HDA provides technical guidance for connecting Rako equipment to uOS.

We’ve integrated Rako lighting with uControl on real customer installations.

---

Can uControl work with Shelly?

Yes.

uControl currently lists Shelly among its supported integrations for areas including relays, dimmers and other smart home functions.

Compatibility still needs checking against the particular Shelly device and the function required.

---

What is an HDANYWHERE matrix?

An HDANYWHERE video matrix is used to distribute AV sources to multiple displays.

On one of our installations, we used an HDANYWHERE 6x6 matrix so six TVs around the property could access centrally located sources including Virgin Media, NVIDIA Shield TV Pro, PlayStation 5, CCTV and Apple TV.

uControl was then used to make selecting and controlling those sources straightforward.

---

Can I hide my Virgin box and Apple TV away?

Potentially, yes.

With a properly designed centralised AV system, sources such as media players and TV boxes can be located away from the television and distributed to displays elsewhere in the property.

Whether this is appropriate depends on the property, required equipment, cabling and system design.

We’ll look at that during the survey.

---

Can every television watch a different source?

With a suitable multi-room matrix system, different displays can be routed to different available sources at the same time.

On our six-TV installation, the matrix arrangement allowed the TVs around the property to select from the centrally located AV sources.

The exact number of simultaneous sources and displays depends on the equipment specified.

---

Will the system work if my internet goes down?

uControl says its core control runs locally rather than relying completely on cloud operation, so local control can continue if the internet connection fails.

Individual streaming services such as Netflix or other internet-based content obviously still require their own internet connection.

---

Is uControl only for large smart homes?

No.

The system can be designed around the scale of the project.

Some customers may want a single media room.

Others may want multi-room video, lighting and audio integrated throughout a larger property.

We’ll recommend the level of control that makes sense for the way you actually use the house.

---

Do I need to know what equipment I want before contacting you?

No.

In fact, we’d rather start with what you want the system to do.

Tell us:

• How many TVs you’ve got
• What you watch
• Where you’d like the equipment
• Whether you use Sonos
• What smart lighting you have
• What currently frustrates you about controlling everything

We can then work out which equipment and integrations make sense.

---

Looking for a uControl Installer in Leeds?

If you’re considering a uControl smart home system in Leeds, Harrogate, Wetherby, Wakefield or Huddersfield, get in touch with SmartOhm Electrical and Smart Home.

We can design the system around your AV, lighting and audio rather than simply adding another remote or app to what you’ve already got.

We’ve already used uControl in a real multi-room installation combining:

• Six TVs
• HDANYWHERE video distribution
• Virgin Media
• NVIDIA Shield TV Pro
• PlayStation 5
• CCTV
• Apple TV
• Rako smart lighting
• Shelly smart lighting
• Sonos multi-room audio

All brought together through one control platform.

That’s the point of uControl.

Less clutter. Fewer remotes. Fewer apps. Simpler control.

If that’s what you’re trying to achieve, get in touch.

Talk to SmartOhm about uControl