Crestron and Your Backyard Part 1: Swimming Pools

With summer right around the corner, we wanted to focus some attention in this blog to all the ways GMI and the #DoneRightNotEasy tackle bringing a Crestron automation experience into the ultimate summer getaway, your own luxury backyard. Today we will be discussing how to, and how not to, integrate Crestron control with the best part of your backyard, your swimming pool.

On the surface, your swimming pool may not seem like an ideal target for including into your Crestron automation system. An ecosystem in its own respect, backyard pools will often contain complexities of its own, and as we have seen, this type of roadblock can frustrate inexperienced integrators. However, armed with the proper knowledge and ability to work closely with vendors of all kinds, GMI has learned the ins and outs of providing full swimming pool automation. Allowing you to do anything from telling the assigning rules for the pool heater to adjust the temperature based on the weather forecast, or choosing to override automatic pool filter conditions and temperature settings.

When backyard pool integration with Crestron really begins to impress is when it is linked together with outdoor audio and outdoor lighting. Imagine yourself returning home after a long day, and with the simple press of a button, instantly turning on the hot tub, your desired playlist and the backyard lights. Crestron can even be used to control in-pool lighting and water features, including fountains and color changing LEDs. As with inside of the home, there is almost no limit to what Crestron automation can do when installed and programmed correctly.

Armed with the proper knowledge and ability to work closely with vendors of all kinds, GMI has learned the ins and outs of providing full swimming pool automation.

As readers of this blog will undoubtedly know, taking care of things the right way and not the easy way is in our DNA. Perhaps the most important piece of knowledge we have regarding swimming pool integration with Crestron is that the method of communication to the pool control component absolutely must be on the Crestron network. We often find, along with the usual poor installation quality or badly installed pool equipment, that many previous integrators have swimming pool control set up over a wi-fi network. This is an almost guaranteed failure point, as backyard wi-fi requires significant infrastructure in order to maintain the strength needed to run Crestron commands. Linking the pool control directly into the Crestron network ensures that it works every single time you are ready to enjoy your investment.

To ensure that our team can adequately work with your pool equipment, we make sure to keep both your existing pool builder and pool maintenance company in the in the loop with our progress and any concerns we come upon. This is just another example of us taking control of the job site and working with other vendors to help bring our client’s a full cycle luxury experience. That being said it is important to note that Crestron control brings a more intuitive user experience to your backyard pool and should not be considered a replacement for an experienced pool vendor.