Mav-Jason Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Wow... just read this thread and I have to wonder, is it maybe too 'easy of a line' for dealers to cross in order to be accepted? The reason I ask that is I have personally worked on 5 different C4 systems now (none of which have done start to finish, all upgrades/ add on's) and the programming and installations have all gone very smoothly... and the only training I've had so far is from the more experienced techs within our company. I will be at the C4 trainings eventually, to get the 'real deal' trainings, and certified or whatever you want to call it, but it is a very straight forward process from what I've seen/ completed thus far. What I'm getting at is that the system seems extremely easy to install AND program. Granted I've been installing/ programming home automation products for about 8 years now, and I'm also a computer geek :-) but C4 is very straight forward and dare I say SIMPLE. Are their really people out there THAT uneducated handling this stuff? WHY?I hate to see someone bashing a great product because their installation experience was horrible, but this does seem to be on C4... and I'm saying that as an installer of the system. I hope someone (higher up's) reading this will take that into consideration for the future. C4 is cool stuff, but it has to work (and NOT take 12-18 months to install... (OMG'zorz) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 From what I've seen with the product, it's very "computer based" for a lot of the dealers who used to be focused on selling TVs and dvd players and protection plans. It helps immensely to be a computer-oriented person, to understand that the foundation of networking is important to the product and how to program efficiently. I see both sides of the fence here. I have experienced awful dealers, dealers who will only sell me gear but are not able to help me program, and an excellent dealer who can in 30 seconds see what was "fixed" twice before, and fix it the "right" way. So I think it's important as has been said to communicate which dealers are the "bad" apples and to either help them bring their program up to par, or use a known good dealer. Now knowing this firsthand, I would stress to check a dealer's past projects and references. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboKuake Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Yep. Not just A/V anymore. Guys need to know IT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derickson1472 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Hi,Just my two cent's....and I say this knowing I would love end user support...but I know it will never happen (I alone probably would have called Control4 hundreds of times by now with questions if I was allowed...but hey, that is what makes this board great!)My overall experience with the install was good, it took a while to get all the kinks worked out, but in the end we did and I love the system for the price point!!!!Even at the lower end, I still paid about $16K for mine, what I've learned:Do your research! I should have googled "Control4 Forum" and found this site before the purchase. I then could have asked for a recommendation of an installer for where I live. The dealers who are on this forum are the best, as they are interested enough in Control4 to watch all our questions and help us for free. These are the guys you want doing your install!I've had bad electricians, plumbers, ect...all who got a license to sell...it comes down to research and recommendations before you buy anything for your home (including a home automation system).One Option for Control4 - Have a company sponsored forum, that you tell people about on your product packaging. When you buy a TIVO (Apple does the same thing, actually on their web site), they tell you about their user forum. There are always enthusiasts who love the product, and will answer tons of questions for free. That is what this site does, but some people probably don't find it.I love this site, and LOVE the free advice I get. Thanks to all the dealers and users out there that help!!!ThanksDave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derickson1472 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Just wanted to correct myself on one thing - TIVO does offer links to user forums off their web siteApple though does not. They control the support articles that you see, it is not end user driven.Either option though might help end users a lot. Just a thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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