Aftercare & Support Plans

Systems Age Well When Someone Looks After Them

A smart home should get better with age, not slowly fall out of tune. Our aftercare plans keep the systems we look after updated, monitored and supported by the same six people who design and install them. That includes systems we didn’t originally fit.

Ask About a Plan Compare the Plans
The Honest Bit

We’re Six People, Not a Call Centre

Some companies promise 24/7 phone support. With a six-person team, that promise would be a script read from another country, and we would rather not pretend. What we offer instead is a support line answered by people who know your actual system, up to seven days a week on our top plan, and monitoring tools that watch your equipment around the clock so problems are often fixed remotely before you notice them. Honest cover, properly staffed.

Want Your System Properly Looked After?

Get Covered
Aftercare From the People Who Built It

One Team, From First Fix to Year Ten

Every plan is delivered by the same in-house team that designs, installs and programs our systems: no outsourced help desk, no ticket queue in another time zone. When you call, the person answering can see your system, knows its history and can usually put things right there and then.

2006
Established in Shrewsbury
6
In-House Specialists
4.9★
From 63 Google Reviews
7
Days a Week on Our Top Plan
Smart lighting keypad beside a door in a period home
Why It Matters

The Difference Between Ageing Well and Falling Apart

Most of the stranded systems we rescue were not badly installed. They were simply left alone: software drifted out of date, the network slowly degraded, and small faults piled up until the owner stopped using half of what they paid for.

A supported system has the opposite story. Updates arrive on schedule, niggles are fixed remotely in minutes, and ten years on it still does everything it did on day one. A plan covers the whole chain your home depends on:

  • Control4 controllers, remotes, keypads and touchscreens
  • The network underneath it all: router, switches, WiFi access points
  • Connected kit: audio, video, lighting, blinds, cameras and door entry
  • The software tying it together, kept current and secure
Three Levels of Cover

On Hand. On Call. On Watch.

The figures below are honest starting points for a typical multi-room system. Every plan is priced to what you actually have, and we confirm the exact figure in writing before you commit to anything.

On Hand

Help when you ask for it

From £35 / month inc VAT

  • Phone and email support, Monday to Friday, 9am–5:30pm
  • Response within one working day
  • Secure remote access for diagnosis and fixes (chargeable, at member rates)
  • We become your Control4 dealer of record
  • Half-price software updates and site visits
Ask About On Hand

On Watch

We spot it before you do

From £119 / month inc VAT

  • Everything in On Call, plus:
  • Support line and email seven days a week, 9am–9pm
  • Four-hour response target for remote issues during support hours
  • Proactive monitoring: tools watch your system round the clock and alert us to faults
  • Many problems fixed remotely before you ever notice them
  • Software and security updates applied as they are released
  • One included support visit a year, on top of the annual health check
  • The first hour of on-site engineer time included on any support visit
  • Ongoing network management and monitoring
  • First in the queue when engineer time is tight
Ask About On Watch

To be completely clear: these are support agreements, not insurance policies. Nothing is underwritten and there is no claims process. Plans buy our team’s time, monitoring and expertise; they do not replace your home insurance or act as an extended warranty.

How the money works: our standard engineer rate is £125 an hour, and every plan works as inclusions and discounts against that rate. On Hand halves it for software updates and site visits; On Call and On Watch include the first 30 minutes of remote investigation on each issue; On Watch also includes the first hour of any support visit. Fair use means those inclusions cover the normal running of one well-maintained system. If something needs more time, we say so before the clock starts, quote the remainder, and only carry on with your go-ahead. All plans run on a simple monthly Direct Debit, or pay the year in advance by bank transfer and take 10% off. Read the full plan terms.

Not Our Installation? Still Welcome

Plans for Systems We Didn’t Fit

Plenty of our aftercare customers came to us with a Control4 system installed by someone else, often after their original dealer moved on. We assess the system first (usually remotely), put right anything that needs it, and then it joins a plan like any other. Our system takeover work explains how that first step runs, and if your system still runs OS 2 our upgrade guide is worth five minutes. The easiest first step is a free Control4 health check: send photos, get a plain-English verdict within three working days.

How It Works

Covered in Four Steps

01

Tell Us What You Have

A quick call or form message about your system. If we installed it, we already know; if not, we take a look, usually remotely.

02

Get a Written Quote

One figure for the plan that fits your system and how you use it, confirmed in writing. No lock-ins hidden in the small print.

03

You’re Covered

Save one number in your phone. From then on, whatever the question, someone who knows your system answers it.

04

We Stay On It

Updates, monitoring and check-ins carry on in the background. You just live with a system that keeps working.

What Customers Say

Rated 4.9 From 63 Google Reviews

Common Questions

Aftercare, Answered Plainly

How much does a plan cost?

It depends on the size and complexity of your system, so we quote each one individually and confirm it in writing. A single cinema room and a whole-house installation with lighting, blinds and CCTV are very different amounts of responsibility, and the price reflects that honestly. Payment is by monthly Direct Debit, with 10% off for paying the year in advance by bank transfer.

Is this an insurance policy or a warranty?

No, and we want that completely clear. These are support agreements: you are paying for our team’s time, monitoring and expertise. Nothing is underwritten, there is no claims process, and a plan does not replace your home insurance or the manufacturer’s warranty on your equipment. If hardware fails, we diagnose it and quote for repair or replacement, with plan members getting discounted labour.

Do I need a plan at all?

No. We will always help existing customers on a pay-as-you-go basis. A plan makes support faster and cheaper: On Call and On Watch include remote investigation time, visits are discounted, and on On Watch we are watching for problems rather than waiting for your call.

What does proactive monitoring actually mean?

Monitoring tools watch your equipment and network around the clock and alert us when something misbehaves. Our team acts on those alerts during support hours, which in practice means many faults are fixed remotely before you were aware of them. It is not a promise that a human is awake at 3am; we would rather be straight about that.

Can I join if SMC didn’t install my system?

Yes, and many members are exactly that. We assess the system first and quote for any remedial work needed to bring it up to a supportable standard. Once it is there, you choose a plan like anyone else.

What is not covered?

Plans cover support, monitoring, updates and the included visits. New equipment, physical damage and major upgrades are quoted separately, with plan members getting discounted labour. We will always tell you before anything becomes chargeable.

Get A Quote Today

Tell Us About Your System

Based in Shrewsbury, working across Shropshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands and the Welsh borders — see the areas we cover.

Please use the below form to tell us what the system runs, roughly how many rooms, and whether we installed it. We’ll come back to you within one working day with the right plan and the figure in writing.

    We’ll come back to you within one working day. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. We only use your details to deal with your enquiry and never share them — see our privacy statement.

    One Number. People Who Know Your System.

    Tell us what you have and we will recommend the right level of cover, with the figure confirmed in writing. Based in Shrewsbury, working across Shropshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands and the Welsh borders. See the areas we cover.

    Ask About Aftercare Plans Call us on 01743 234945  ·  info@smccustominstalls.co.uk