Crestron Custom Smart Home Systems — Bespoke Automation for the Most Demanding Projects

Bespoke Programming, Built From Scratch

Where Crestron Home is the right specification for most luxury residential projects, Crestron Custom — fully bespoke Crestron programming — is the right specification when the project goes beyond what a configurable platform can accommodate. The most ambitious installations we have delivered: a Dubai estate running eight Crestron processors controlling 72 audio zones, 32 video zones and over 400 lighting channels across two villas and extensive grounds. An IMAX Enhanced cinema in Dubai, a 34-channel surround system in Ghana, a 10-zone Steinway Lyngdorf system across a villa in Rome. These are Crestron Custom projects — built from scratch, programmed bespoke, and incapable of existing as anything other than what they are.

Custom Controls have been certified Crestron dealers and five-time Crestron Integration Award winners since 1998. We are Dealer of Distinction — a recognition held by a small number of installers across the whole of EMEA — and we have designed, programmed and installed Crestron Custom systems at a scale and complexity that most Crestron dealers will never encounter.

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When Crestron Custom Is the Right Specification

The decision between Crestron Home and Crestron Custom is not about budget — it is about scope. Crestron Home is a powerful, capable platform that handles the majority of luxury residential projects with exceptional results. Crestron Custom is specified when the project genuinely exceeds those boundaries.

We typically recommend Crestron Custom for properties with more than five separate buildings to manage from a single system, installations requiring deeply custom user interfaces built around a client’s specific workflow, complex third-party integrations outside Crestron Home’s supported device ecosystem, and projects where the programming logic itself — not just the configuration — needs to be written from scratch. If you are not sure which applies to your project, the honest answer is usually Crestron Home — and we will tell you that clearly.

What Crestron Custom Integrates

Lighting and shading. For the most demanding projects, Crestron pairs with Lutron Homeworks QSX — the world’s finest residential lighting control system. Lutron manages every circuit and motorised blind with its characteristic precision; Crestron provides the unified interface across every other system in the property. Together, they represent the highest available specification for residential smart home control. Read more about Crestron lighting and shading →

Audio video distribution. Crestron NVX distributes 4K HDR video from any source to any display across the property — over a standard IP network, with no signal loss and virtually zero latency. Crestron NAX delivers multi-room audio at any scale, with each zone independently controllable. Starting a film, selecting a music source, routing a broadcast to any screen in any room — all managed from the same Crestron interface. Read more about Crestron AV distribution →

Climate and HVAC. Underfloor heating, zone-by-zone air conditioning, whole-house ventilation, heat recovery systems and swimming pool temperature — all integrated within the Crestron programme. Read more about Crestron climate integration →

Security and access. Gate control, video doorbell, CCTV, alarm panels, smart locks and access control — all accessible from the Crestron interface and from the Crestron app anywhere in the world. When the perimeter alarm activates, the exterior lighting floods simultaneously. When the family leaves, a single departure scene arms the alarm, closes every blind and confirms the building is secure.

Home cinema. Every Crestron Custom installation we deliver with a cinema room integrates the cinema completely within the smart home system — projector, screen, processor, Trinnov or Anthem calibration, lighting, blinds and climate all responding to a single scene trigger. Read more about home cinema installation →

The Five Crestron Integration Awards — What They Mean

The Crestron Integration Awards are judged annually by Crestron itself, recognising the best residential and commercial Crestron installations across the EMEA region. Custom Controls have won five consecutive times, across categories including Best UK Residential Project and Best International Project. The Dubai IMAX cinema installation — 18 seats, 6.4-metre screen, 13.2.14 Dolby Atmos, £750,000 — won Best International Project in EMEA. No other UK installer holds five consecutive Crestron Integration Award wins. Dealer of Distinction status is the recognition that follows from that record — awarded by Crestron to the small number of dealers whose installation quality, depth of programming and client outcomes set a standard above the wider dealer network.

Our Approach — Pre-Build, Pre-Programme, Ship to Site

Every Crestron Custom system we build is pre-built, pre-programmed and tested at our UK workshop before it arrives on site. The rack is wired, labelled, loaded with the programme and verified against the design documentation before a single cable is connected on site. Commissioning on site involves connecting the rack to the building’s infrastructure, walking through the programme with the client’s preferences and refining scenes in the finished space. It does not involve building a system from components in a plant room on site — which is the single most common source of delay and cost overrun on complex Crestron projects.

This methodology is only possible because of 25 years of Crestron installation experience. It requires knowing what the programme needs to do before writing it, and knowing how the hardware will behave in the finished installation before it arrives. We have been doing both since 1998.

Frequently Asked Questions — Crestron Custom Systems

What is the difference between Crestron Custom and Crestron Home?
Crestron Home is a configurable residential platform — faster to deploy and right for most luxury residential projects. Crestron Custom is fully programmed from scratch, without the constraints of a predefined platform. Custom Controls install both and will recommend honestly based on the specific brief.

How complex can a Crestron Custom system be?
Our most complex installation runs eight Crestron processors controlling 72 audio zones, 32 video zones and over 400 lighting channels across two villas and extensive grounds in Dubai. There is no meaningful upper limit on the scale of a Crestron Custom system.

Can you integrate Crestron with any third-party device?
Almost. Crestron’s driver library covers thousands of devices, and where a driver does not exist, our programmers can write one. If a device has a communication protocol — serial, IP, IR or relay — it can be integrated. If it cannot be integrated at all, we will tell you at the design stage rather than after installation.

Do you take over existing Crestron systems installed by other companies?
Yes. System takeovers are one of our most common project types — diagnosing faults, updating programmes, integrating new devices and bringing systems up to our standard. Read more about our system takeover service →