01
Wireless lighting and heating
Professional lighting across two to four key rooms on Lutron RA2 Select, plus whole-house heating zoning. The two systems that earn their value fastest, fitted into the home you already have.
Smart home systems · Starter
Smart Home Starter.
A cost-effective, professional smart home for the home you already live in. Wireless, no rewiring, built to grow into one app that runs the whole house.
Most smart homes start as a drawer of gadgets: a thermostat here, some bulbs there, four apps and no joined-up control. A Starter begins the opposite way. One professional platform, fitted to your existing home without tearing it apart. Wireless, so no rewiring and no mess. And designed to grow, one phase at a time, until the whole house runs from a single app.
Start small. Done properly.
A Starter isn't a cheaper version of a whole-home system. It's the same professional platform, the same Control4, Lutron and Ubiquiti we install on our largest projects, sized to your current scope. The difference is how much of the house it covers today, not the quality of what goes in.
Which makes it cost-effective, not cheap. Nothing gets thrown away when you grow. The kitchen keypad still works when you add five more; the network already handles far more than it runs today. Every pound carries forward, the opposite of the gadget approach where each upgrade means starting again.
The first time it feels right is when you stop noticing it. Lights already at the level you want. Heat already adjusted before you'd think to. One tap on the same phone you already use for everything else.
How retrofit works
No rewiring. No mess. No moving out.
Most homes weren't built for automation. They don't need to be. A Starter retrofits into an existing house using wireless control, working with the wiring you already have.
Lighting is the part people assume means rewiring. It usually doesn't. We commonly use Lutron RA2 Select, wireless control that replaces your existing switches with no chasing walls or lifting floors. Heating is added at the boiler and zones, again without rewiring. Networking benefits from a cable or two to a central point, but that's a contained job, not a house rewire.
New builds can be approached the same way. A retrofit-style Starter is often a smarter first phase than wiring the whole house for systems that won't be used for years.
What's included.
Four things define a Starter. None get downsized as it grows, they get added to.
02
One app, one keypad
A single app on every phone and a wall keypad, on Control4. The end of the app drawer, and each phase you add appears in the same app, not a new one.
03
A network built to grow
A Ubiquiti network sized for what later phases will need, not just today. Under-sized networks are why retrofit smart homes become unreliable as they grow.
04
Works with what you own
Sits alongside the Google, Apple and Alexa kit you already use, folded in where it fits reliably and honestly flagged where it doesn't.
What you can control from day one.
- LightingKey rooms, wireless
- HeatingWhole-house zoning
- App and keypadOne interface
- AudioMulti-room, optional
- NetworkExpansion-ready
Security, CCTV and door access live on our security page and are commonly added as the system grows. Most Starter clients add a category every year or two, as budget and renovation cycles allow.
Where Starter is the right fit.
- 01Existing home, growing gadget pile
You've grown out of smart devices.
A thermostat, bulbs in three rooms, a speaker, a video doorbell, each working alone, the collection itself now the problem. A Starter retrofits in, keeps what's worth keeping, and gives the household one keypad and one app instead of seven. Around two weeks, wirelessly, no rewiring.
- 02One-floor renovation
You're refurbishing one floor, not the whole house.
A renovation is the cleanest window for smart home work, but the budget is for one floor. Starter sizes to the renovation and designs on the same platform we'd use for the eventual whole-home system, so the next floor is configuration, not rebuilding.
- 03New build, finite budget
You want a foundation, not a finished system.
The budget is finite and the priority is getting the family in. Rather than wire the whole house for systems unused for years, a retrofit-style Starter puts proper networking and control in the rooms that need it now, sized for whatever the family adds over the next decade.
Investment.
A professional Starter system begins at £3,000: wireless lighting and heating in your key rooms, one keypad, a single app and a networking foundation sized for whatever you add later. From there it scales with your scope: more rooms, multi-room audio, voice control, full whole-home coverage.
Starter systems
from £3,000
Including VAT, design, programming and installation
Every project is quoted to your specific home, and the retrofit approach keeps building works to a minimum.
Showroom · Middlesbrough
See a Starter system working.
Our showroom has a working smart home set up so you can use it yourself: dim a scene, drop the heating, fire up audio from the keypad. The fastest way to understand what a retrofit involves is to live in one for thirty minutes.
Demonstration rooms also in Yorkshire, London, Surrey, Hertfordshire and Hampshire.
Built to grow. Designed to last. Supported for the long term.
The platform is identical to what we install on whole-home projects, so a Starter is never a dead end, and never a rebuild. That's the difference between a professional install and a drawer of gadgets.
Grows without rework
The same Control4 and Lutron platform, and a network sized for a full system from day one. Adding rooms is configuration, not replacement.
Manufacturer-trained
Control4 certified, Lutron trained, Ubiquiti certified. The programming is where most DIY installs quietly fail.
Retrofit done right
Fitting a professional system into a finished home without rewiring is a skill. Done properly it's invisible, and supported long after handover.
Platforms
- Control4
- Lutron
- Rako
- Ubiquiti
CEDIA Trained · Control4 Certified · Lutron Trained · Ubiquiti Certified
FAQ.
- How much does a smart home starter system cost in the UK?
- Starter systems at Acoustic Pixel begin at £3,000 for wireless lighting and heating control in two to three key rooms, with one keypad, a single app and a Ubiquiti networking foundation. From there the cost scales with scope: more rooms, audio, voice and full whole-home coverage. All prices include VAT, design, programming and installation, and because the system retrofits wirelessly, rewiring costs are usually avoided entirely.
- Can a starter system expand into a whole-home system later?
- Yes, and that's the design intent. A Starter and a whole-home Premium system are the same platform, sized differently. Adding rooms or features means installing new devices into already-sized infrastructure, not rebuilding. Starting small costs you nothing in rework later.
- Do I need to rewire my house for a smart home?
- Usually not. We commonly use Lutron RA2 Select for lighting, wireless control that works on your existing wiring. Heating is added without rewiring, and networking only needs a contained data cable run, not a house rewire.
- Will it work with my Google or Apple devices?
- In most cases, yes, integrated where they fit reliably. Where a device doesn't integrate cleanly we'll tell you honestly rather than build an unreliable workaround.
- How long does it take?
- A typical retrofit Starter completes in one to three weeks on site, with minimal disruption because most of it is wireless. Smaller systems often finish in a week.
Start your smart home, properly.
The fastest way to know what a Starter feels like is to use one. Visit the Middlesbrough showroom, or request a consultation for your rooms and budget.