Instant Access

Even with that familiarity, the modern smart home keypad isn’t limited to on, off, and dimming settings. “A keypad gives you instant access to functions,” says Sutton. “It doesn't mean that you have to necessarily sacrifice accessing a lot of the things that touch screens are known for, such as scenes or moods or room setups, with a single press. You can do all that from a keypad.

“A big part of Crestron's legacy is definitely developing touch screens for home and business applications,” says Sutton. “For some environments and for certain things that you need to control, touch screens absolutely make sense because you can dig into every product that you have in the system. It's quite difficult to set specific temperatures from a keypad. You can't view CCTV cameras from a keypad.”

“But the reason keypads are so popular is they give you instant access to immediate functions that you might need in that space,” he adds. “And a touch screen may not always be the right thing to have in every room: You wouldn't necessarily put a touch screen in a guest bath, for example.

“But maybe most importantly, they can be a terrific design element.”

The Aesthetics, Of Course

One factor that accounts for the continued popularity of keypads is the range of design options they offer. “A keypad can make an impactful statement, but they don't occupy a lot of real estate on that wall, which a touch screen does. They can be subtle or striking, but they still usually don’t chew up as much real estate as a touch screen might.”

So how does one pick the perfect keypad for the project?

Sutton speaks from experience, as he was a residential technology integrator himself before coming to Crestron. “I think the first thing that comes to mind is really understanding the style of the project,” he says. “Before you make any recommendations, I think I've learned from my years as an integrator to never assume what the client wants.”

The style of the home is obviously a big factor in the specification: Is it modern? Traditional? Transitional? “Other factors that may be less obvious enter into the discussion,” says Sutton. “Is the home a new construction? Is it a remodel? And one also needs to find out whether the design partner has specific looks that they have used in the past, specific products that they are familiar with and like — including particular finishes. I think it's really important to gather all of that info and consult with everyone before you start to make those recommendations.”

Crestron Keypads

And no matter the direction, Sutton can help direct designer and homeowner to the right device. “Our Horizon glass keypads have been a very popular choice for modern homes,” says Sutton. “The glass keypad almost disappears on the wall, especially one painted white.”

Horizon® keypads with metal finishes make more of a statement. Those finishes, including steel, nickel, bronze, and brushed black, look great in more traditional or transitional settings, according to Sutton. “They look great on wallpaper and natural surfaces or wood backgrounds, among others.” These keypads and dimmers also include tunable color backlighting that illuminates the engraved text on the buttons for enhanced readability under any lighting conditions. Horizon keypads offer personalized, high-quality button engraving options, including icons and foreign characters.

The line of Cameo® keypads saw a recent addition, the Cameo flush mount version — a development that Sutton has been very pleased with. “Even light switches made by electrical manufacturers don't get as flush as I've seen our product,” he says. “Couple that with a form factor that’s smaller than the average light switch, and you’ve got a very special device. It’s perfect for those projects where you just want a keypad to almost completely disappear.