The first home automation system was born in 1966. A little over a decade before personal computers started revolutionizing homes and businesses, the Echo IV was a device ahead of its time.

Though never available commercially, and cobbled together from surplus Westinghouse circuit modules, the Echo IV could control appliances and the thermostat. It also featured a very early version of a word processor and was used to format an entire 516-page book at one point. 

Despite its incredible power, though, it failed to generate interest from most. It was used as the butt of plenty of jokes. And it was almost 30 years before connected technology systems began to take off in a significant way.

In 1994, Universal Remote Control (URC) -- a company whose name is synonymous with easy-to-use, single-interface technology -- changed the way we interact with our home theater devices, thanks to their Complete Control System.

Today, URC offers the more advanced Total Control 2.0 system, which makes using your smart devices easy thanks to customizable user interfaces, graphics control, and compatibility with the most popular smart home devices on the market.

How can your Dallas, TX home benefit from URC control? Find out more below.

See Also: Everything You Need to Know About Home Automation

Total Control 2.0 Simplifies Your Technology

In the mid-60s, the Echo IV may have automated certain aspects of home control, but it wasn’t exactly easy to use. An unruly series of front panel switches, a programmer’s keypad, and more were necessary to achieve the desired effects.

On the other hand, URC’s Total Control 2.0 control interfaces are designed to make technology easier for users of all skill levels.

The smart home company offers touchscreens, remote controls, keypads, and mobile apps to command your devices. Any of the control options deliver the same level of convenience to its user.

For even greater ease, talk to your URC installer about programming scenes. Scenes automate control of specific functions. For instance, a “Goodnight” scene requires just one touch to shut down your AV and lights, engage smart locks on entryways, and adjust the thermostat to a comfortable temperature before you go to bed.

Scenes like Movie Time, Good Morning, and Welcome Home can help make the basic functions of your day easier than ever.

Personalize Your System with Devices and Graphics

Though it introduced ideas never before thought possible to the American home, the Echo IV didn’t offer much in the way of customization.

At more than 800 pounds, it was a clunky computational unit that would never make a difference in most lifestyles.

Over the decades, modern technology has gotten smaller. The smartphone in your pocket features way more processing power than the Echo IV could ever muster -- and URC lets you add more devices and take advantage of each of them in your home.

Featuring a list of compatible manufacturers that includes recognizable names like Amazon Alexa, Sony, Sonos, and many more, you and your installer can build a system that reflects who you are and what you love.

Plus, URC offers customizable graphical interfaces. Add your own pictures and graphics to your LED touch panel devices to personalize your home automation system.

URC makes it easy to get the most out of your smart home, and we make it easy to get the answers you need.

If you have a question, click the chat box at the bottom of your screen and ask a knowledgeable member of our staff right now!