Control4 Capabilities to Impress the Wife

You need a "barry white" button programmed



Quote:
Originally Posted by [email protected] /forum/post/16566876


The concept behind C4 is great, but the company's implementation is aweful. I have yet to see a C4 install work the way its suppose to. Zigbee Pro still hasn't been finished and that has been an ongoing issue for over a year. We have had unexpected issues using different network products over the years. A device that is suppose to be compatible one month is not the next. You have no customization of the GUI which to me is ridiculous. Before you invest in C4 please take a look at other solutions like HAI, Cinemar, Russound, whatever. We have completely stopped installing because you never know what's going to break next. An update to fix this and add "this great new feature" ends up screwing something else up. Plus why the f*** is some third party developing the iphone app and charging over $200. This was suppose to be affordable for everyone and really only affordable for people making over $100,000/year.

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For the sake of discussion... I'm sorry that you've had bad experiences with Control4 but mine as a customer for two years before signing on with a dealer have been different.


Zigbee Pro isn't in any residential applications at this time, just hospitality. It's been in process for a while and is slated for this year, and I think the additional integration with third party devices will be a great benefit.


Zigbee, like any wireless communication, must be properly planned for and there are a number of influencing factors from construction materials used in the house to the number of zigbee nodes, and signal saturation. There are great planning resources available from Control4 and I would always recommend a site survey to check for such problems before, during, and after the installation.


It does seem like there's a new router out every month these days, offering pre-n this and 108mbits that. But we've found the greatest stability by picking a router that we know that works, and using it in all of our installations big and small, and configuring it exaclty the same way. This standardization ensures that we have a solid network backbone at each of our sites, and we dont have to worry about whether or not brand-x router has an issue with network communications. A good network is the key to Control4 stability.


The navigator is customizeable at this time, just not supported. I have skinned it myself and we offer this service to our customers. Version 2.0 has widely been rumored to include an update to a flash based interface, which will allow a greater degree of easier customization.



Yes, the current UI is a little stale, and there are some proxies that need to be updated (no ps3 icon for example), however the big benefit to the "canned" ui is that my wife can go to any control4 job and know how to work the system, without knowing what equipment is there or the "inner-workings" of it.


I agree that there has been some bug-squishing going on, but I have yet to see any electronic device that doesn't have that problem, be it dynamically updateable or not (see disc compatibility with blu-ray players, Windows updates, etc). However the stability and overall quality has increased that I have seen, along with the additions of great features like Rhapsody or the TED Energy manager interaction. In regards to the Control4 My Home application, my understanding is that Control4 let them develop it so they could spend internal R&D time on the residential Zigbee Pro upgrade and the new UI interface, as well as the partners shown at CES and the hospitality expansion. As the Joker said in The Dark Knight, "If you're good at something, never do it for free." I'm sure the cost is being split between Control4 and ControlUI - and ControlUI has been good about including new updates for free and pretty quickly.


I disagree though about the "floor" of $100k being the minimum. Everyone prioritizes their finances differently. You see it when people in "nice" homes drive "beater" cars, and vice versa.


In conclusion, yes Control4 may not be for everyone, just like Cinemar, CQC, HAI, AMX, and Crestron aren't - otherwise there would be no competition if everyone was happy But I do think there are a few dealers and customers that will disagree that they have yet to see a "Control4 install work the way it's supposed to".


I don't speak for Control4. If any dealers or customers or interested parties have any questions about Control4 I am open to help to the best of my abilites.