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Voice control integration and support by Art of Integration

Josh.ai Control4 integration: private voice control for Surrey and London houses

Josh.ai is an American voice and AI control system for professionally installed smart homes, sold only through its certified integrators. A Josh system is built around a Josh Core processor, which Josh Nano microphones require, and connects to Control4 through a certified driver. We can help you plan the Control4 side, the network and the rooms, and look after the Control4 project around an existing Josh system.

Since 2012Showroom in Walton-on-Thames★ 5.0 on Google
Best for

Households that want whole-sentence voice control of lights, shades, climate and AV without a smart speaker on every shelf

Works with

Control4 through a certified driver; Lutron Caseta, HomeWorks QS, RadioRA 3 and Ketra; Crestron Home, Sonos, Kaleidescape, DoorBird and 2N

Where to see it

No Josh.ai demonstration in Walton-on-Thames; josh.ai explains each product and its privacy settings

How we help

Planning the Control4 project, network and room layout Josh relies on, and Control4-side support for owners

Official website: Josh.ai (opens in a new tab)

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Overview
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01

What Josh.ai is: voice control for professionally installed homes

Josh.ai is a Denver company, founded in 2015 by Alex Capecelatro and Tim Gill. It makes voice and AI control for homes that already have a professional control platform, and it sells only through technology integrators it has certified. Josh sits on top of a system such as Control4 or Crestron rather than replacing it.

A Josh system is built from a handful of parts:

  • Josh Core: a 1U processor for the equipment rack, powered over PoE, that processes what it can inside the house and controls up to 500 devices. Two can run together for homes of 1,000 devices or more.
  • Josh Nano: an architectural microphone 42mm wide, in white, black or a custom painted cover. It has no speaker; Josh answers through the home's own audio.
  • Josh Micro: a palm-sized unit with a far-field microphone array and a touch dial, for a table or a wall, on Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
  • Josh Edge, a handheld remote, and the Josh app for iOS and Android.
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Why owners choose Josh.ai over a high-street assistant

Privacy is the usual reason. Josh.ai states that it will never use client information for marketing or sell user data to third parties. Its privacy page says the system acts only after its wake word, "Ok Josh" by default, with "Ok Home" or "Hey Micro" as alternatives. Processing stays on the Josh Core where it can; after the wake word, speech recognition runs through encrypted cloud services. So Josh limits what leaves the house rather than never connecting at all.

There are physical controls as well. One tap on the dial mutes a Josh Micro or Nano, and the Nano has a switch that physically disconnects its microphones. Owners can delete the system's chat history whenever they like and switch off AI Learning, which stops Josh adapting to the household's habits.

The other reason is the way you speak to it. Josh is built for full sentences and compound requests, so one sentence can dim the lights in one room and start music in another, and it handles timers, alarms and named scenes.

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Planning Josh Nano, Josh Micro and voice replies room by room

  • Nano needs a Core. Josh Nano works only with a Josh Core, a Josh.ai software licence and the app, so the rack space, PoE port and software plan are decided at the start.
  • Replies come through your speakers. Because the Nano has no speaker, voice answers play through the room's audio. Josh Core has two VoiceLink outputs for spoken feedback in several areas, which ties Josh planning to the multi-room audio design.
  • Choose hidden or visible per room. A Nano suits rooms where nothing should show; a Micro suits a desk or kitchen counter where a touch dial is handy, and it carries a wall mount for a cleaner look.
  • Size the network for microphones. Josh Core supports multi-VLAN networks and scales to 100 microphones. Wired PoE points for Nanos are far easier to add during a refurbishment than afterwards; the network design page covers the backbone.
  • Name things the way the family talks. If everyone calls it the snug, the Control4 room should be the snug too.
Our approach

How we would approach Josh.ai in your home

  • Confirm supply first. Josh.ai sells only through integrators it has certified, and its distribution deal with Control4 was announced for the US and Canada. Before any design work, we would establish who can supply, license and support Josh for a house in the UK.
  • Start from the Control4 project. Josh imports rooms, devices and scenes from Control4, so clear room names and well-built scenes come first. Voice can only ask for what the system already knows how to do.
  • Agree the privacy settings as a household. Whether AI Learning stays on, how long chat history is kept and which rooms have microphones are family decisions, best made before anything is fitted.
  • Begin with the rooms that earn it. Kitchens, bedrooms and the cinema are where hands are busy or the lights are low. Hallways and cloakrooms rarely need a microphone.
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From our portfolio, not a Josh.ai installation
Integration

How Josh.ai works with Control4 and Lutron

Control4's driver database lists the Josh.ai System driver as certified, and Josh.ai says that once the driver is added to a Control4 project, Josh pulls in the connected devices. Through it Josh reaches Control4 lights, shades, fans, thermostats, switches, locks, scenes and audio and video distribution, and it knows which media sources each area can play. A 2021 driver update added import of Control4's advanced lighting scenes.

In a Control4 house that turns into requests such as:

  • Cinema: asking for a film brings up the right source in the cinema and wakes the room, because Control4 already holds the routing. See our home cinema page for the rest of that room.
  • Kitchen to snug: one sentence that lowers the kitchen lights, draws the sheers halfway and plays music next door.
  • Climate: room setpoints, using the thermostats Control4 already runs.
  • Bedtime: a named Control4 scene such as Goodnight, called by voice from the bedside.

Josh also lists its own integrations with Lutron Caseta, HomeWorks QS, RadioRA 3 and Ketra, including Lutron shading and Ketra's colour tuning, and pairs button presses on Lutron Palladiom keypads with voice. Where Lutron already runs through Control4, reaching it via the Control4 project keeps scenes in one place. How those scenes are put together is covered under Lutron lighting and in the everyday Control4 scenes guide.

Already own Josh.ai?

Already have Josh.ai? Help with the Control4 side

If Josh came with your house, the Control4 half is where we can be useful: checking the Josh driver is still connected after a Control4 update, tidying room and scene names so requests land in the right place, adding new rooms, lights or AV to the Control4 project so Josh can find them, and tracing the network faults that make a Micro or Nano drop off. If a cinema is being relocated or a wing added, we can plan the Control4 work so Josh picks up the new rooms. Changes inside the Josh portal, licences and Josh hardware sit with a Josh-certified integrator, and we will tell you when that is the case. Start with the takeover and maintenance page and get in touch.

Ask about your system Call 020 3397 9888

We also look after systems installed by other companies. See takeover and maintenance.

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Josh.ai or Alexa and Google with Control4?

Control4 also works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit, and for many families that is plenty: a smart speaker in the kitchen, a few named scenes and nothing extra in the rack. Josh.ai earns its place where privacy matters most, where microphones should be hidden rather than sitting on shelves, and where people expect to speak in full sentences across lights, shades, climate and AV. It adds a Core processor and a software plan, so it is worth hearing both before deciding. The platform both would sit on is described on our Control4 installation page.

Services

Where Josh.ai fits in our work

josh ai control4
Control4 smart home installationJosh.ai reads rooms, devices and scenes from the Control4 project, so a well-built Control4 system comes first.Explore the service →
josh ai control4
Multi-room AVJosh answers through the home's speakers, so voice replies are planned with the multi-room audio zones.Explore the service →
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Data and Wi-Fi networksJosh Core and its microphones depend on PoE, VLANs and a reliable network in every room that has a Nano or Micro.Explore the service →
josh ai control4
Our showroom

See and hear it before you decide

Visit our demonstration cinema and smart home showroom in Walton-on-Thames and try the technology for yourself.

Book a showroom visitAsk a question
Reviews

What our clients say

★★★★★ 5.0 on Google · read the reviews

“Fantastic service from Andy and Adrian, who installed a cinema room and full Sonos sound integration throughout my home. I would definitely recommend them! Their communication and professionalism were excellent from start to finish, and the cinema room they created was outstanding.”

C
Chris KiplingGoogle review

“We engaged AOI for the renovation of our period property in West London. A key requirement was a discreet, high-performance cinema arrangement that would blend seamlessly with the original character of the house, and they delivered exactly that.”

F
Fraser RobsonWest London

“We've worked with the team at Art of Integration on several high-end residential projects, where they've delivered Control4 smart home systems. From the initial design through to client handover and ongoing support, their attention to detail and level of service has been outstanding.”

A
Amanda HollisTrade partner
Guides

Further reading

All guides
josh ai control4
Control4What is Control4 and how does it work?Read the guide →
josh ai control4
Control4Control4 scenes: everyday automations worth setting upRead the guide →
josh ai control4
Control4Why a Control4 smart home depends on its networkRead the guide →
Questions

Josh.ai: your questions answered

Anything else, call us on 020 3397 9888.

Does Josh.ai work with Control4?

It does: a certified Josh.ai System driver appears in Control4's driver library. Once it is added to the Control4 project, Josh imports the connected devices and can control lights, shades, fans, thermostats, locks, scenes and audio and video distribution. It also knows which media sources are available in each area, so a request for a film or music plays in the right room.

Is Josh.ai private, or is it always listening?

Josh.ai says the system acts only after its wake word and processes locally where it can. After the wake word, speech recognition uses encrypted cloud services. It states it will never sell user data or use it for marketing. A tap mutes a Micro or Nano, the Nano has a switch that physically disconnects its microphones, and chat history can be deleted.

What is the difference between Josh Nano and Josh Micro?

Josh Nano is a small architectural microphone, 42mm wide, meant to disappear into a room. It has no speaker, so Josh replies through the room's audio, and it needs a Josh Core. Josh Micro is a palm-sized unit with a far-field microphone array and a touch dial that sits on a surface or mounts on a wall, and connects over Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

Does Josh.ai work with Lutron?

Josh.ai lists integrations with Lutron Caseta, HomeWorks QS, RadioRA 3 and Ketra, including Lutron shades and Ketra colour tuning, and it pairs Lutron Palladiom keypad presses with voice. In a house where Lutron already runs through Control4, Josh can also reach the lighting through the Control4 project, which keeps the scenes in one place.

What does Josh Core do?

Josh Core is the processor at the centre of a Josh system. It fits in the equipment rack, runs on PoE, processes what it can inside the house and controls up to 500 devices, with two units available for very large homes. It is required for Josh Nano, works with Josh Micro, remotes and the app, and needs a Josh.ai software plan.

Can I buy Josh.ai in the UK?

Josh.ai sells only through technology integrators it has certified, and its exclusive distribution arrangement with Control4 was announced for the US and Canada. So the practical step for a UK house is to confirm which certified integrator can supply, license and support Josh before any design work begins. We can help you plan the Control4 side while that is checked.

Get in touch

Talk to us about Josh.ai

Planning a new room, or need help with a Josh.ai system you already have? Tell us a little about it and a designer will come back to you.

  1. We call you backA quick conversation about your home, the room and your timings.
  2. Design consultationAt your home or in our Walton-on-Thames showroom, where you can see and hear the technology.
  3. Design and proposalA tailored design, with 3D visuals before you commit.
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Often specified together

josh ai control4Sonosjosh ai control4Kaleidescapejosh ai control4Crestron

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Josh.ai is a trademark of its owner. This page describes how we can integrate and support these products. Project photos are our own.

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