Frequently asked questions.

The honest answers. No salesy fluff.

Getting started

How much does a robot® smart home cost?

Most full-home installs land between $18k–$45k depending on house size, lighting density, and which categories you include (cameras, alarm, blinds, etc.). The Design Centre will give you a precise fixed-price quote in about 10 minutes — no salesperson, no obligation.

Do I need to be building a new home?

Not at all. We do new builds, full renovations, and retrofits into existing homes. Some of our best installs are upgrades to existing C-Bus or Dynalite systems — we modernise them into Apple Home without ripping out your walls.

I don’t own an iPhone — can I still get a robot® home?

We build around the Apple Home ecosystem because it’s the most secure and most polished. To get the full experience you’ll need at least one iPhone, iPad, or Mac in the household. If you’re considering switching anyway, this is a great reason.

The 12RU rack & remote support

Why a 12RU rack — isn’t that overkill for a home?

The rack is what separates a real smart home from a pile of gadgets. It houses your enterprise-grade router, UniFi switch, UPS battery, security recorder, Apple Home hub, and patch panel — all cabled, labelled, surge-protected, and serviceable. It’s what lets us remotely monitor your home and fix issues without a callout. Most clients put it in the garage, comms cupboard, or study.

What does the QR code on the rack actually do?

Scan it with your iPhone camera and you’re inside your home’s private handover page. Every Wi-Fi password, every Apple ID, setup videos for every device we installed, and a one-tap support button straight to our Sydney team. It’s the answer to “where do I find that thing the installer told me about?”

You can see into my home remotely?

We can see system health remotely — whether devices are online, whether they need a firmware update, whether something is misbehaving. We can’t see your cameras, your scenes, or your personal data. That stays in your home, encrypted, exactly as Apple designed it.

What if my internet drops?

Everything keeps working. Apple Home runs locally over your network, the rack has UPS battery backup, and your lights / locks / scenes don’t depend on the cloud. You won’t notice your NBN dying until you try to load Netflix.

Installation & ongoing

Can my electrician do the install?

Yes. We give your sparky full step-by-step instructions, a parts diagram, and a phone number for live support. Because the rack is pre-built and pre-programmed in our lab, your electrician only has to mount things and run cable — they don’t need to be a smart-home expert.

What if I want to add stuff later?

Add away. The 12RU rack and the UniFi backbone are designed to accept new categories — extra cameras, motorised blinds, audio zones, EV charging integration — at any time, without changing the way your existing home works. You scale up, not start over.

What does ongoing support cost?

Nothing. There are no monthly fees, no subscriptions, no “support package.” We monitor every rack we install and resolve issues remotely as part of the original install. If we ever do need to come out, we’ll quote that visit at standard rates — no retainers, no surprises.