Initiating remote control using near field communications

A system, comprising:

• (a) a controllable residential device;
• (b) a home automation network;
• (c) a keypad configured for receiving user inputs for controlling the controllable residential device, the keypad comprising:
• (i) an NFC tag encoding a tag ID, an application identifier, a project file ID, a control processor ID, and information detailing physical characteristics of the keypad, and
• (ii) a button assembly comprising more a plurality of buttons having a button configuration defining a number of and arrangements of the plurality of buttons, and a button functionality defining a-control functions of each of the plurality of buttons, the NFC tag encoding the button configuration and the button functionality of the plurality of buttons;
• and
• (d) a portable electronic device comprising an NFC interface, a wireless network interface, a display, a memory encoding one or more processor-executable instructions, and a processor configured to load the one or more processor-executable instructions when encoded from the memory wherein the one or more processor-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause acts to be performed comprising:
• (i) reading the tag ID, the application identifier, the project file ID, the control processor ID, the information detailing the physical characteristics of the keypad, and the button configuration, and the button functionality encoded on the NFC tag via the NFC interface of the portable electronic device,
• (ii) opening a control application associated with the application identifier, the control application configured for communicating on the home automation network,
• (iii) transmitting the network address of the keypad and a user ID associated with the portable electronic device to the home automation network via the wireless network interface,
• (iv) generating a graphical facsimile of the keypad based on the information detailing the physical characteristics of the keypad and the button configuration and the button functionality read from the NFC tag, the graphical facsimile of the keypad comprising a plurality of selectable visual items corresponding to the plurality of buttons of the keypad and having the same configuration and functionality as the plurality of buttons of the keypad,
• (v) displaying, on the display, a generated menu page comprising the graphical facsimile of the keypad,
• (vi) executing control signals for the controllable residential device in accordance with predefined user preferences associated with the user ID,
• (vii) receiving one or more inputs to the generated menu page that correspond to actuating one or more of the plurality of buttons of the keypad,
• (viii) logging the one or more inputs to the generated menu page as logged button actuations,
• (ix) loading a stored project file of the home automation network corresponding to the project file ID encoded on the NFC tag,
• (x) associating the one or more logged button actuations with one or more control functions of the keypad, and
• (xi) transmitting one or more control signals corresponding to the associated control functions via the wireless network interface to a control processor associated with the control processor ID encoded on the NFC tag.