The only way to connect to your house was through a static IP address not long ago. This meant you had to ask Rogers, Bell or any other service provider to assign a specific IP address to your home to be able to connect to it. Later on, with advancements in dynamic IP services, such as NO-IP, we used a  Dynamic DNS for our clients for that to be able to use regular (dynamic) IP addresses and yet be able to connect to their home automation system. This would have a client-side application which would update the DDNS about the

Nowadays, the most popular method of connection is cloud services. You can use free and paid cloud services, using only a camera system to monitor your house or an entire home automation system.

Cloud services are much more secure; they do not need tech-savvy users, and with multiple CDNs across the globe, their downturn is usually very minimal. Control4 sells this service as #4sight, combining it with exciting features that any user can easily use. Crestron has almost the same thing.

We at Dana Smart Homes suggest all users in Toronto, Mississauga, Markham, Burlington and everywhere else where the cloud is available use it. There are sometimes fees involved, but they are not much more than about $150 per year.

If you have older systems that can only be connected to traditional methods, ask us to turn legacy systems into a new smart home automation system to use robust, fast and reliable cloud services from any platform. Remote Access is one of the main features of smart home automation; use it easily!