Whole Home Automation Installation — Kensington, London

Full Crestron HD Audio Video and Lighting Control

This Kensington Mews home benefits from a full Crestron whole-home lighting and audio video system. Crestron wireless lighting controls allow easy control of all lighting throughout the home, with scenes recalled by wall-mounted keypads, Apple iPads or Crestron MLX-3 handheld remotes. Key rooms have Crestron MLX-3 remotes allowing unified control of all AV sources and lighting from a single device. The house was bought with a traditional switched lighting system, and the whole project was delivered without rewiring it.

Crestron Audio Video Distribution

The Crestron Audio Video system allows the clients to enjoy their music collection in any room — from the basement bar to the master bedroom en suite. Multiple simultaneous streams allow different rooms to play different music, or rooms to be joined together for entertaining. HD video sources are equally flexible: Sky HD, Apple TV and CCTV can be viewed anywhere in the property, with any TV accessing any source independently. Input plates in living areas allow games consoles or other sources to plug directly into the system for full HD video and surround sound. Smart TV apps route back to the centralised AV rack — keeping hardware hidden, keeping rooms clean.

The project covers five of our core smart home services, all running on the same Crestron system and all controlled from the same keypads, iPads and handheld remotes.

Crestron Wireless Lighting — A Retrofit Solution

This home was purchased with a traditional switched lighting system, making full rewiring impractical. The Crestron wireless dimmers replace each light switch with a wireless dimmer that integrates fully into the Crestron system — no rewiring required. Scene setting is straightforward: select a room on the iPad, adjust channels via bar graphs to the desired level and save to a scene button. Scenes can then be recalled from keypads, iPad or the MLX-3 remote. The wireless lighting keypads also control audio volume and motorised blinds in the room.

The existing electrical wiring stayed exactly where it was, so every room gained full scene control without a single cable pulled and without opening a wall. For retrofit projects where new wiring is impractical, this is exactly what wireless lighting control is for: each wireless-enabled dimmer communicates with the Crestron processor, so the lighting behaves as part of one system rather than a set of individual smart switches.

Security and Alarm Integration

The alarm system is fully integrated: arming switches off all lights and AV, while disarming activates selected lights automatically. Leaving the house becomes a single action, and coming home brings a chosen welcome scene back before the front door has closed. CCTV is part of the same Crestron system as the AV, so camera images can be viewed on any TV in the property as well as on the iPads. This is how we design home security on every project: as an integral layer of the whole-home system rather than a standalone panel on the wall.

Whole Home WiFi

Whole-home WiFi completes the system, carrying the iPads, streaming sources and every other connected device around the house. Thick walls and substantial floor structures defeat consumer access points, however many are added. We design every network the same way: a proper survey, a proper design, and the right equipment installed correctly by our own team. More on our networking and WiFi →

A Beautiful Home Enhanced by Crestron

For clients in Kensington and the wider Royal Borough who want a whole-home system that enhances their property without cluttering it, this Mews installation is Custom Controls’ clearest reference for what a wireless Crestron retrofit looks like when done properly. The technology is almost entirely out of sight: the sources sit in a central rack, the lighting runs on the existing wiring, and control is by keypads, iPads and remotes. Not a single wall was opened to add the lighting control.

Frequently Asked Questions — Wireless Crestron Retrofit, Kensington

Can Crestron be installed without rewiring an existing home?
Yes. This Kensington Mews property retained its existing electrical wiring entirely — Crestron wireless dimmers simply replace each existing light switch, integrating fully into the Crestron system without opening a single wall.

How is lighting controlled in a wireless Crestron retrofit?
Scenes are set by selecting a room on the Crestron iPad app, adjusting individual channels via bar graphs to the desired level, and saving the result to a scene button. Scenes are then recalled from wall keypads, the iPad or a Crestron MLX-3 handheld remote.

Can security and alarm systems integrate with Crestron?
Yes. In this installation, arming the alarm automatically switches off all lights and AV, while disarming activates a selected lighting scene automatically — all managed from the same Crestron interface as every other system in the home.

Which sources can be watched in each room?
Sky HD, Apple TV and CCTV can be viewed on any TV in the property, each TV choosing its source independently, and input plates in the living areas let games consoles plug straight into the system.

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Project Gallery

The finished house, room by room. The images show the Crestron iPad control in the living areas and bedroom, and the living room with its wall-mounted screen and seating. Further images show the open-plan ground floor and the snug media room with its bar, with the AV equipment kept out of sight in each space.