Simple
Every PIXIE device in this home works from a familiar wall switch, the PIXIE app, or a voice command through Google Home. The wall-mounted touch panel in the main living area gives the homeowners one central point of control without needing a phone. Whether they are walking through the front door or winding down for the night, the controls are exactly where they expect them to be.
Smart
Motion sensors in the entry passage, garage, and walk-in robe trigger lighting automatically as the homeowners move through the home in the evening or late at night. A dedicated night scene dims the passage downlight to ten percent and brings the kitchen RGB strip to a soft custom colour, so a trip to the fridge at midnight does not mean harsh, blinding light. Google Home routines welcome the homeowners back with their favourite music the moment they say they are home.
Scalable
Three quarters of the home was connected in this first stage, with the remaining rooms deliberately left ready for a future PIXIE expansion when the budget allows. The PIXIE Gateway and Master Link programming mean additional devices can be added to existing scenes and schedules without rewiring or starting over. A Sonos audio system is already planned as the next addition to the ecosystem.
The brief for this Morley home was to deliver a genuinely smart home experience across a newly built three-bedroom, two-bathroom property, while working within a realistic household budget. The homeowners wanted mood lighting, voice control, automated sensors, and a security setup, but not at the cost of completing the entire home in one go. The challenge was to prioritise the right spaces, deliver a system that felt complete and polished from day one, and leave the remaining rooms ready for a seamless second stage.
Connectivity presented its own complication during commissioning. The property did not yet have a permanent internet connection established, which is a requirement for linking the PIXIE Gateway to Google Home and completing app-based setup. Chris Petrig solved this by temporarily supplying Starlink internet on site, allowing the full commissioning, scene programming, and Google Home integration to be completed before handover.
The scope also extended well beyond smart switching. The project included LED lighting throughout, additional socket outlets, Ethernet cabling, a CCTV system with AI-powered facial recognition cameras, a dual-camera doorbell, and a wall-mounted television. Coordinating all of these elements across a new build, while keeping the smart home layer coherent and user-friendly, required careful planning and methodical installation sequencing.
Chris Petrig and the team at Petrig Electrical and Communications built the smart layer around PIXIE dimmers, switches, sensors, and a central Gateway, all tied together through Google Home and the PIXIE app. Dimmers were installed across the highest-impact spaces: the entry passage, master bedroom downlights and chandelier, ensuite, living room, dining room, kitchen pendants, and pantry. PIXIE switches handle the front and back garden lighting, the alfresco ceiling fan, the garage LED batten, and the ensuite exhaust fan, with a timer switch added for the ensuite toilet exhaust.
Sensor placement was strategic. Two external PIXIE sensors activate the garage strip lighting and front garden spotlights automatically, while three indoor 360-degree sensors cover the entry passage, garage interior, and walk-in robe. These sensors mean the lighting responds to movement through the home at night without the homeowners needing to touch a switch. Two RGB colour-changing strips in the kitchen add a vibrant accent or party scene, and low-level kickboard lighting in the ensuite and master bedroom provides a calm, soft glow for those quieter moments. A PIXIE Double Socket Outlet with Multi Function Switch in the ensuite gives one-touch or two-touch control over the low-level lighting and RGB strip, with separate colour presets already programmed to each owner’s preference.
The PIXIE smart double power point above the ensuite bench, the wall-mounted touch panel in the main living area, and the network bridge complete the control layer. Master Link programming was used to schedule gentle low-level lighting through the passage and kitchen during the late-night hours, so the home feels considered and calm at every hour of the day.
The homeowners returned to a property that was ready to impress from the moment they arrived. Saying “Hey Google, I’m Home” triggers their favourite music and brings the welcome lighting to life, setting the tone before they have even put down their keys. From the touch panel in the living room, or from anywhere via the PIXIE app, they can adjust dimmers, activate scenes, check the doorbell cameras, and manage every connected device in the home.
At night, the system looks after itself. The passage dims to ten percent, the kitchen strip glows softly in a custom colour, and the sensor-triggered lights activate only when and where they are needed. When the time comes to expand the remaining rooms, the infrastructure and programming are already in place to make that next stage feel just as effortless as the first.
“We wanted to hand over a home that genuinely wowed the customers on arrival, not just a collection of smart switches. Commissioning through Starlink on site meant nothing was left unfinished, and the Google Home integration landed exactly as planned.”
Chris Petrig, Petrig Electrical and Communications
The Morley project is a strong example of what thoughtful, staged smart home installation looks like in practice. By prioritising the rooms and automations that would have the greatest daily impact, Petrig Electrical and Communications delivered a system that feels complete, polished, and genuinely useful, while keeping the door open for future expansion. With PIXIE at the core and Google Home as the voice layer, this is a home that works as hard as the people living in it.