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For those who have ever been frustrated by too many remote controls, imagine having one button that controls your lights, audio and video, climate and security systems and even your lawn sprinklers. Digital Residence LLC has opened a design center in Clive that allows customers to explore the possibilities of home automation technology, whether they’re considering upgrades to an existing home or designing a dream entertainment system for a new house.

A home automation system “essentially allows your home to work for you,” said David Abendschein, co-founder of Digital Residence. He and business partner Damon Deen worked for a Seattle-based company in that field for 15 years before starting Digital Residence out of their homes in 2004. They’ve spent the past year working on the design center. Once people see what a whole-house smart system can do, “they fall in love with it,” Abendschein said.

One of the most popular features is an on-screen navigator that enables a homeowner to control his or her home theater, audio and video systems, lights and other systems from a television, an iPod screen or a wireless in-wall or tabletop touch screen. Users can even monitor and access the system remotely from any computer using a secure Web page.

Entertainment systems are one of the fastest-growing areas of the business, with a typical system incorporating eight zones of audio and high-definition video. Though a high-end system that coordinates all of a home’s electronics can run $20,000 to $30,000, it’s possible to build a basic system for a few thousand dollars and then expand it over time, Abendschein said.

“Our main way of marketing and getting leads has been by forming relationships with builders in town,” Abendschein said. Given the current weak housing market, the business has focused largely on the remodeling and retrofit market rather than new homes, he said.

Digital Residence has also entered the commercial market. Currently, it’s installing a comprehensive audio-video-theater system for Iowa State University’s new basketball practice facility, and recently completed a system for Perfect Games, an entertainment complex in Ames.