From EV charging and home security to streaming entertainment, remote work infrastructure, and energy management, consumers are relying on more connected technologies than ever before. As these systems expand across the home, industry leaders say professional integration is becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity

“The singular argument for DIY is cost, but the case for an integration professional is Total Cost of Ownership,” said Jason McGraw, group vice president and show director, CEDIA Expo/Commercial Integrator Expo. “Homeowners, WFH professionals, entrepreneurs, parents, gamers, fitness enthusiasts, movie buffs, and binge watchers all rely on network integration for the effective use of their doors and locks, fitness equipment, screens and sound systems, security cameras, computers, displays, and printers. You want that network and the connected devices operating as efficiently, securely, and reliably as possible. That is why the most successful homes in the most admired neighborhoods typically feature work by an integration professional.”

Once centered primarily on audio and video installations, integrators today are increasingly involved in networking, lighting, shading, access control, energy storage and whole-home automation. A trusted home integration professional has become as important to homeowners and renters as a trusted plumber, electrician, or HVAC technician. The role has evolved considerably in recent years from audio-visual systems integration to now also include security systems and access control integration, IT/WIFI optimization, shading systems, lighting, backup energy, and more.

Additionally, the areas within a home have extended beyond a home theater in luxury homes to now include outdoor entertainment areas, multi-use zones, home offices, bedrooms, home gyms, and garages. And the homes serviced have broadened to new demographic groups and new neighborhoods.

CEDIA Expo/CIX, which takes place in Denver this September, draws over 15,000 integration professionals including business owners (typically small to mid-sized, privately-held businesses serving regional communities), their teams (typically highly trained, vocationally and college educated) technicians, brands (global entities like Crestron, LG, Lutron, Ring, Sonos, and Sony), and a broad array of lighting, sound, video, security, shading, robotics, and energy manufacturers in between.

“Successful Americans spend much of their income and time on their home and in their home, and yet so much value and opportunity falls through the DIY gap,” says McGraw. “With so much technological, demographic, and societal change reshaping how we select our homes, use our homes, invest in homes, and enjoy our homes, it’s only a matter of time before the home integration professional is called to design and optimize systems for everyday homeowners.”