It is the first question we get on WhatsApp and the hardest to answer with a number. Not because the price is a secret, but because a smart home is not a product with a price tag: it is a project sized to your space, what you want to control, and how the house is built. This guide explains what drives the price so you arrive at the conversation knowing what to expect.
What really sets the price
Four variables explain almost all the difference between one project and another:
1. Number of control points. Every light, every air conditioner, every curtain and every lock you want to control is a point. A two-bedroom apartment with main lights, two AC units and the living-room curtains has between 12 and 20 points. A residence with scene lighting in every room, six climate zones, curtains on every window and audio in five rooms can exceed 80.
2. Wireless or wired. In an existing home we use Zigbee, Z-Wave and WiFi devices installed without opening walls: they cost less and go in within a day. In new construction or a full remodel we recommend KNX, a wired system with a dedicated bus. It costs more because it includes cabling, panels and European equipment, but it lasts decades and depends on no single brand.
3. Product tier. A Shelly relay behind your existing switch plate is not the same as a Basalte touchscreen on the wall. Both work in the same app with the same support. The difference is finish, brand and price, not service.
4. Network infrastructure. A smart home needs WiFi that reaches every corner. If yours does not, the project includes structured cabling and enterprise access points. It is the item people underestimate most and the one that prevents the most problems.
Three tiers, no fine print
Mid-range: apartment or house with wireless devices. Main lights, AC units, living-room curtains, one or two cameras, a smart lock, an app with your name on it and Shabbat mode if you need it. Installed in a day, no construction. This is where most of our residential clients start.
Upper mid-range: full house with cabling and enterprise WiFi. Everything above plus a wired network, professional access points and automation in every room. Two to three days of installation.
High-end: KNX residence from the drawings. Wall touchscreens in every zone, KNX thermostats per room, DALI scene lighting, Somfy or Lutron motorized curtains, multi-room audio. Designed on the plans and installed in coordination with the project's electrician. The same equipment we install in hotels.
We do not publish figures because two houses of the same size can have very different budgets depending on the points you want to control. What we do offer is a free site visit and a written proposal with every line itemized, so you can compare with anyone.
Where it is not worth spending
After hundreds of installations in Panama, some things almost nobody ends up using:
- Controlling every outlet in the house. Control the ones that matter: coffee maker, water heater, table lamps. The rest is spend without use.
- Sensors on every window. For security, sensors on the entrances and cameras at key points deliver more than one sensor per window.
- Wall touchscreens in every room of an apartment. In apartments, the phone plus one screen at the entrance solve everything. Per-room screens make sense in large residences.
- Monthly subscriptions. If a provider charges a monthly fee to use your own home, ask what happens the day you stop paying. With DiraSmart there is no subscription: the system is yours and runs inside your home.
Where it is worth investing
- Local processing. A home that works without internet and without depending on a manufacturer's cloud. It is the difference between a smart home and a pile of gadgets that stop working when a brand shuts down.
- Professional WiFi. It is the foundation of everything. Saving here costs you later in devices that keep disconnecting.
- Support after installation. Ask who answers when something fails on a Friday at four in the afternoon. We answer on WhatsApp, directly from the people who installed your system.
- Scalability. Start with the essentials and add later. Our systems grow without redoing anything.
How to get your number
Message us on WhatsApp with three facts: the type of property, whether it is built or on the drawing board, and what you would like to control. With that we schedule a free visit and within a week you have a detailed proposal. If you prefer to start small, we tell you what to install first so the system grows with you.