Planning & Living
How Long Does Smart Home Installation Take? Real Timelines
Timeline by project type
| Project | On-site time | Elapsed time (typical) |
|---|---|---|
| Single room / starter | Half a day | 1 day |
| Apartment (lighting, AC, lock) | 1–3 days | 1 week from survey |
| Townhouse retrofit | 3–5 days | 2 weeks from survey |
| Villa wireless retrofit | 5–10 days | 2–4 weeks from survey |
| Dedicated cinema room | 1–3 weeks | 3–6 weeks incl. design |
| KNX new build | Staged with construction | 2–4 weeks fit-off at the end |
What the elapsed time actually contains
- Survey and design (2–5 days): compatibility checks, room-by-room plan, itemised quote.
- Procurement (2–10 days): stock items are quick; premium keypads and special finishes can add lead time.
- Installation: the on-site days above — homes remain livable throughout a retrofit.
- Programming and handover (included): scenes, schedules, app setup, family walkthrough.
- Tuning visit (+2 weeks): the underrated step — adjusting motion timeouts, scene levels and schedules after real living. Systems skipped past this step are the ones that annoy their owners.
What makes projects faster or slower
Faster: good WiFi/network already in place (requirements), standard switch boxes with neutrals, decisions made before ordering.
Slower: no-neutral wiring (solvable, adds module sourcing), custom keypad finishes, gate/garden trenching, and mid-project scope growth — the classic one. Lock the scope, then install. For construction projects, the schedule is the site's, not ours — see planning during a build.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to automate an apartment?
1–3 days on site, typically within a week of the survey — lighting, AC control, lock and curtains included.
How disruptive is a villa retrofit?
Minimal — wireless retrofit needs no civil work. Rooms are done one at a time and the home stays fully livable.
Why is there a tuning visit after handover?
Two weeks of real living reveals what design can't: motion timeouts, scene brightness, schedule timing. One adjustment visit turns a good system into an invisible one.
Can a smart home be installed before I move in?
Ideal, in fact — empty homes install faster, and you arrive to a working system on day one.
Get a free smart home consultation
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