The Easy Way to Find a Smart Home Integration Partner

By Krissy Rushing Tomlin

If you are embarking on a home technology project, no doubt you have searched online for "how to find a smart home integrator" or "whos is the best smart home integrator near me." You've probably scoured the internet and have discovered task lists like:

Define your goals and the smart home solutions you need and want.
Set a budget.
Research companies.
Check their certifications.
Interview the smart home integration firm.
Verify their insurance.
Select a smart home integrator and hope you made the right choice.

Solid advice—until a quality standard for home technology integrators was defined by the Home Technology Association (HTA) in 2017.

Today, homeowners and design/build professionals have a much simpler option. They can use the Home Technology Association’s Home Technology Pro Finder to find the most qualified home technology experts in your area.

Instead of handling everything on your own, the HTA serves as your expert. They act as your researcher, interviewer, and vetter. In other words, we have already done the hard work.

Here, we explain how the traditional “steps to hiring a smart home integration partner” compare to the HTA approach. We also discuss why you do not need many of those steps when you start with HTA Certified smart home integrators.

Budgeting: HTA Helps You Start Off Informed

The first piece of advice most homeowners receive is to define the scope of their smart home project: Are you focused on home security? Smart home automation? Automated lighting? Energy management?

Then, set a budget that works for you.

Those considerations are still important, but HTA makes budgeting much easier. With the HTA Technology Budget Calculator, homeowners can get a realistic, industry-backed estimate of the cost of typical projects. There's no guessing, no sorting through conflicting online advice, and no pressure to pick a number out of thin air. Instead of starting with uncertainty, you start with clarity.

Eliminate the Most Time-Consuming Step: Research

Traditionally, the next step is to research and vet installation companies yourself. This means browsing the internet, checking reviews, confirming insurance coverage, researching the company's history, and contacting references. This process takes a lot of time!

Most homeowners lack the ability to vet technology firms this thoroughly. And frankly, they shouldn’t need to.

HTA Certification exists specifically to solve this problem. It is the only independent, third-party vetting standard for the smart home industry, and the certification process is intensive.

HTA verifies:

Proper licensing and insurance
Business performance
Demonstrated technical expertise
Quality of completed projects
References from insider industry experts

A reputation for professionalism with architects, builders, and interior designers (the HTA reveals which of these design and build professionals have endorsed them)

And much more…

No generic home technology integration firm directory performs this level of due diligence. Homeowners and trades can trust our HTA Certified Installation Firms finder, a curated list of the best smart home integration companies in your local area. Just input your zip code or city, and you have a list of HTA Certified integrators to choose from.

For design/build professionals, the process goes further. Design-forward integrators who have successfully collaborated with architects, builders, and interior designers can achieve HTA Design Partner status. This program is only available to technology integrators who meet the stringent HTA Certification guidelines, as defined here. HTA Design Partner designated firms adhere to a set of guidelines that serve as the basis for successful design collaboration and coordination with architects, builders, and interior designers. That means HTA isn’t just helping homeowners—it’s improving project outcomes for the entire residential construction ecosystem.

Learn more about HTA Design Partners

Making ‘The Interview’ Easy

When homeowners take the usual route, the next step is to interview the chosen companies. You’re encouraged to ask for references, check portfolios, confirm staff qualifications, and verify insurance.

Those are important questions — though the HTA helps answer many of them early.

By the time you meet an HTA Certified integrator, you don’t have to start from scratch on whether they have a solid reputation and professional track record. HTA’s certification process evaluates technical competence, customer service practices, and overall reputation based on industry criteria, and lists firms that meet those standards. Read the HTA Certification Defined page here for all the details on what HTA Certification means.

That lets you focus the conversation on the fun part: your vision.

What features matter most to you? How do you want your home to feel and function? What experiences and design approaches resonate with you?

The first meeting becomes collaborative rather than purely investigative — shaping a great project is what matters.

Choosing a Proposal With Confidence

The final step in the traditional process is to accept the proposal. Many homeowners feel uncertain here. They often feel unsure at evaluating long-term value without the technical background to do so. That’s where the HTA Budget Calculator can help. This home technology budget estimator is based on industry standards. It gives you a rough idea of what you can expect to budget for your home's technology systems. While each integrator differs, it still helps to serve as a baseline.

We encourage you to contact a home techology integrator early in your new home or remodel project, as technology systems affect usability, aesthetics, and overall enjoyment of your home. A good integrator will ask many questions to ensure you get the products and systems you need. This is all part of the discovery process and is well worth your time.

HTA Turns a Multi-Step Process Into a One-Step Solution

The traditional guidance for choosing a smart home integrator can be distilled into one idea: do everything you can to separate the pros from the pretenders.

HTA has already done that work for you.

With the HTA Budget Calculator and the HTA Home Technology Pro Finder, homeowners get:

A clearer understanding of realistic project costs
A pre-vetted list of elite integrators
Confidence that each company meets strict technical and ethical standards
A simpler, faster, safer hiring process

Design and build professionals can connect with integrators who collaborate effectively on luxury home projects. This helps protect project timelines and budgets.

In short, HTA Certification removes the guesswork so you can focus on what matters: creating a smart home that works beautifully, reliably, and with long-term support from home technology professionals who truly know what they’re doing.