November 11, 2026 · 6 min read · Crestron
Crestron Home or custom Crestron: which one do I have?
The app on your phone, the equipment in the rack, and who can change what. Three clues that usually settle it.
The short answer. Look at three things: the app you use, the processor in the equipment rack, and what your last programmer could do for you. A Crestron Home system is configured in a standard way, so a trained dealer can usually open it. A custom Crestron system is written as a program for your house. IntegrateIT, a Crestron dealer in Overland Park, Kansas, with an in-house programmer, tells the two apart for homeowners across the Kansas City metro in a no-cost on-site assessment.
Both are called Crestron, and both can run a house well. They are built differently, and that decides who can service them. People ask this question after a dealer leaves, after buying a house, or when a quote for a small change looks too large.
Why the difference matters
Crestron Home describes the house as rooms, devices and scenes that are set up through configuration. A new dealer can usually take it over and read what is there. A custom system is a written program, and the program is a separate file from what runs on the processor. We cover that file in what to do when a programmer will not hand over the program. Knowing which kind you have tells you whether that file is the key to your house.
Clue 1: the app and the screens
Start with what you hold in your hand. Crestron Home has its own app and interface, with rooms, scenes and devices laid out in a consistent pattern. A custom system draws its own screens, so the touch panels and the app can look like nothing else, with the dealer's layout, icons and wording.
- If every room looks the same and the controls follow a standard pattern, that points to Crestron Home.
- If the screens are drawn specially for your house, with unusual pages and your own names for things, that points to custom.
- If both exist, such as a standard app plus a few custom touch panels, say so. Houses do mix.
This is a clue and not a proof. A custom interface can be built to look familiar, and a standard one can be given a custom skin. A technician confirms it on site.
Clue 2: the equipment in the rack
Every Crestron house has a control processor, usually in an equipment room or closet, with a network switch nearby. Crestron has made several processor generations. Our Crestron service page describes the widely installed 3-Series and the current 4-Series family. A 3-Series processor is older equipment, and older systems are often custom. Either generation can sit under either kind of system, so the label alone does not settle it.
Read the label on the processor and write the model down. Take a photo of the whole rack, too. Do not unplug anything, press reset buttons or rearrange cables to see what happens. We want the system exactly as it is.
Clue 3: who could change it, and how
Think back to the last change. If a dealer added a room or changed a scene quickly, and it looked like settings work, that fits Crestron Home. If the change meant the programmer taking the program away to edit, compile and send it back, that fits custom. A custom change is a programming job. A Crestron Home change is closer to a configuration job.
| What you notice | Points to | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Standard room layout in the app | Crestron Home | A new dealer can usually open and read it |
| Screens drawn specially for your house | Custom | The source program decides what can be changed |
| 3-Series processor in the rack | Older equipment | The processor alone does not settle it, so check the program files |
| 4-Series processor in the rack | Either | The processor alone does not settle it |
| Every change needed a programmer to edit a file | Custom | Ask who holds the source file |
What to do with the answer
If you think you have Crestron Home, a new dealer can generally take the system over without reading code. If you think you have a custom system, the first question is whether the source program exists. Ask the old dealer in writing, and ask for the touch-screen project files and custom modules too. Our article on adding a room to an old Crestron system shows how age and generation affect what can grow.
If you are weighing a move, keep Crestron or move to Control4 explains what carries over and what does not. In both cases the first step is to name what you have.
Mixed and grown systems
Some houses do not fit either label cleanly. A system can start custom and gain a Crestron Home layer, or be extended by a second dealer years later. Each change leaves its own files and its own habits. This is one reason we read the whole system and do not stop at the first clue.
It is also why paperwork helps. A proposal, an as-built list or an old invoice names the products, and the names often say which kind of system the dealer sold you. Gather what you have before the visit, even if it looks incomplete.
Where a technician fits in
On a no-cost on-site assessment we find the processor, read its label, look at the interface and the rack, and tell you which kind of system you own. We note the processor, the devices and how the existing program behaves, and we tell you which kind of system you own. The Crestron service page sets out the steps, and you can plan a site walk when you are ready.
About IntegrateIT. We have integrated hundreds of homes across the Kansas City metro since 2021, and work across the Midwest and South Florida by scheduled trips. Our showroom and design center at 15108 Glenwood Ave, Overland Park, is open by appointment, with a Control4 Certified Showroom, Lutron lighting and shades and Josh.ai working in it. Control4 Platinum Dealer with a Control4 Certified Showroom · Crestron dealer · Lutron Certified Dealer, HomeWorks Certified and Ketra Certified · Josh.ai dealer.
Daniel Alon, co-founder, IntegrateIT. Overland Park, KS. November 2026.
Further reading
Where to go next if this article gave you the framework but you want the brand- or install-specific depth.
- Service: Crestron service · Kansas CityProgramming, repair and takeover of Crestron Home and custom systems.→
- Crestron dealer · Kansas CityWho writes the programming, and what to ask any programmer.→
- Article: programmer won’t hand over the programWhat the program is and what can be read back.→
- Article: adding a room to an old Crestron systemThe checks that decide whether an older system can grow.→
- Article: keep Crestron or move to Control4What carries over, what does not, and how we decide.→
- Service: system takeoverHow we take over a system another company installed.→
Not sure which Crestron you have?
Book a no-cost on-site assessment. We read the processor and tell you which kind of system it is.
Questions
Questions we hear
How do I know if I have Crestron Home?
Look at the app and the touch panels. Crestron Home presents rooms, scenes and devices in a standard layout. If every room looks alike and the controls follow one pattern, that suggests Crestron Home. It is a clue and not a proof, so a technician confirms it by reading the processor and the system on site.
Is a custom Crestron system worse than Crestron Home?
No. Custom systems can do things a standard platform does not, and many run very well. The difference is who can service them. A custom system depends on the source program, and a new programmer needs that file or has to rebuild the logic from how the house behaves.
Does the processor model tell me which one I have?
Only in part. A 3-Series processor is older equipment, and older systems are often custom. A 4-Series processor can run either. Write the model down from the label and let a technician read the rest.
Can I move from custom Crestron to Crestron Home?
It can be done, but it is a project and not a setting. The existing program does not convert into a Crestron Home configuration on its own. We assess the equipment first, then tell you what carries over and what is rebuilt.
I bought a house with Crestron. Who do I call?
Start by photographing the rack and the processor label, and gather any paperwork or passwords the sellers left. Then book an assessment. IntegrateIT is a Crestron dealer in Overland Park and takes over systems other companies installed, including in the Kansas City metro.
Should I factory reset the processor to find out?
No. A reset can remove the program that runs the house, which is the one thing a new programmer may need. We cover this in our article on whether to factory reset a Crestron processor.
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