South Africa C4 user Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 I am literally days away from ordering hardware for my beach house (light switches (keypad dimmers), two EA5s, numerous EA1s, SR260s etc. Are there any rumors about new hardware being launched? The last thing I want to do is order stuff now and here about some super cool new stuff at CEDIA... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcovach Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 What have we learned about pre-announcements so far? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Leeds UK Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 I get over excited Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggzlot Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 not that i have an answer - but minus the anywhere intercom app - when they announce something solid at CEDIA is it available for sale ASAP or with a future date? CEDIA is what 6 weeks away? But if they say we have a new lighting and its available in December for shipping - can you wait? It is a rhetorical question, I do not really have an answer but something to ponder. Announcement may not mean for sale the next day? Or in C4's case it does? If 6 weeks won't make or break your timeline, maybe hold off, can't hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lippavisual Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 FYI, Intercom app has been the only thing announced at Cedia that hasn’t shipped directly after the show. For controllers, I don’t think anything new would be coming. The EA series is still pretty “fresh”. Same with lighting. I don’t see any overhauls for those devices in at least a few years. Hoping the big thing will be a redesigned interface with more capabilities, like bringing back page flips on TS’s, some customization capabilities, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Leeds UK Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 the EA controllers were announced and came to market in January (when ever) they was not announced at CEDIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lippavisual Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Limited stock was available directly after. Big shipment came later on to fill demand and stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BraydonH Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Two EA5 with multiple EA1's? What do you need so many controllers for? Seems like ALOT. On Screen Navigator is pretty much dead to me and my clients at this time. And if you had one HDMI output of an EA5 to a video matrix that will be more than enough. Perhaps that many controllers for audio outputs? But the EA5 can provide 4 independant streams which is usually more than enough even on a project with 16 zones of sound. Because controllers get discontinued and replaced I prefer to sell IOX's which seem to hold up better to the test of time. Usually even on 6+ figure jobs with 100's of drivers and zigbee devices a single EA5 has more than enough power to run the whole project. I usually do 1 EA5 + multiple IOX even for the largest projects. Just curious why someone would need more than one controller at this point other than OSD or extending zigbee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegreatheed Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Control4 sometimes releases hardware and features during ISE as well.https://www.iseurope.org/why-exhibit-at-ise/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Africa C4 user Posted July 30, 2018 Author Share Posted July 30, 2018 33 minutes ago, BraydonH said: Two EA5 with multiple EA1's? What do you need so many controllers for? Seems like ALOT. On Screen Navigator is pretty much dead to me and my clients at this time. And if you had one HDMI output of an EA5 to a video matrix that will be more than enough. Perhaps that many controllers for audio outputs? But the EA5 can provide 4 independant streams which is usually more than enough even on a project with 16 zones of sound. Because controllers get discontinued and replaced I prefer to sell IOX's which seem to hold up better to the test of time. Usually even on 6+ figure jobs with 100's of drivers and zigbee devices a single EA5 has more than enough power to run the whole project. I usually do 1 EA5 + multiple IOX even for the largest projects. Just curious why someone would need more than one controller at this point other than OSD or extending zigbee. Thanks everyone for all the useful input. Some good questions here that I will take up with my dealer. I must say, I virtually never use the OSD anymore either... I think that one EA5 is the director and the other will be the Zigbee server. I am not sure if that is overkill... it is a large system (around 16 audio zones, 9 video zones, lighting, blinds, underfloor heating, alarm etc. etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallom Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Sounds like a fun project, but 2 EA5 will be overkill IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonic30101 Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 54 minutes ago, mallom said: 2 EA5 will be overkill IMO. Maybe a bit, but it does give a lot of audio streams since he is doing 16 audio zones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C4tune Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 The OSD was the reason I fell in love with control4. Although the look could be revamped... I’ll probably retreat it. I don’t even know how it could be improved? Maybe icon on top that indicates if a wake up is activated? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 6 hours ago, BraydonH said: I usually do 1 EA5 + multiple IOX even for the largest projects. Just curious why someone would need more than one controller at this point other than OSD or extending zigbee. What do you mean by IOX? The Z2IO? And don't you need controllers if you want to feed audio if you don't have centralized wiring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcovach Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 I/o extender 6 hours ago, South Africa C4 user said: Thanks everyone for all the useful input. Some good questions here that I will take up with my dealer. I must say, I virtually never use the OSD anymore either... I think that one EA5 is the director and the other will be the Zigbee server. I am not sure if that is overkill... it is a large system (around 16 audio zones, 9 video zones, lighting, blinds, underfloor heating, alarm etc. etc. Even if the primary ea5 controller isn't central (or in a metal rack), it should still run the director and zigbee server. An ea1 could be placed more central in the dwelling and be set as the zigbee co-ordinator. Its not necessary for another ea5 to do that. I would definitely ask some questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcovach Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 45 minutes ago, zaphod said: What do you mean by IOX? The Z2IO? And don't you need controllers if you want to feed audio if you don't have centralized wiring? IOX= i/o extenders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Why IOX vs Z2IO? For serial? Relay contacts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveControl Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 @South Africa C4 user interesting thread. I have EA5's (*single*) in each of my homes (actual home, holiday homes) and they are similarly complex. The EA5 does a fantastic job and when looking at the resource monitor its not really taking a beating. For audio I use a audio matrix which is far cheaper than a EA5 and of course they work well. I like dedicated equipment that are there for a purpose i.e. Audio. As for the OSD, I use it A LOT - I just don't see the point of a T3 I have tried to research why its better than say an iPad with the app. I was in the USA last week and bought myself the Amazon Fire 10 and 8 tablets with their new doc's which are awesome and work well with the control4 app as well. What do you see as the game changer or killer feature of the T3 vs a mobile device (iPad / Amazon Fire / Windows Tablet etc). For me the killer feature of those tablets is that you can do other things if you need to and it's not proprietary . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcovach Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 8 hours ago, zaphod said: Why IOX vs Z2IO? For serial? Relay contacts? The IO extender has 4 serial, 8 ir, 8 relays and 8 contacts. It blows away the Z2IO but the Z2IO is great for a small retrofit situation where the zigbee mesh can be relied upon and you may only need some IR outputs, contact or relays. Garage door control, as an afterthought, could be an example. Some people use MYQ while some would prefer contacts and relays. The Z2IO would be good for that if the zigbee mesh was adequate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 The IOX sounds like overkill as a replacement for an EA-1 which would presumably be at the site of a TV and other AV equipment. I can see the need for a serial port or two but even those are becoming less required as more and more equipment has IP connectivity. But do most rooms need that many sensors or relays? Especially if they are secondary or tertiary TVs in places like a kitchen, bedroom, office, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Africa C4 user Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 12 hours ago, ILoveControl said: @South Africa C4 user interesting thread. I have EA5's (*single*) in each of my homes (actual home, holiday homes) and they are similarly complex. The EA5 does a fantastic job and when looking at the resource monitor its not really taking a beating. For audio I use a audio matrix which is far cheaper than a EA5 and of course they work well. I like dedicated equipment that are there for a purpose i.e. Audio. As for the OSD, I use it A LOT - I just don't see the point of a T3 I have tried to research why its better than say an iPad with the app. I was in the USA last week and bought myself the Amazon Fire 10 and 8 tablets with their new doc's which are awesome and work well with the control4 app as well. What do you see as the game changer or killer feature of the T3 vs a mobile device (iPad / Amazon Fire / Windows Tablet etc). For me the killer feature of those tablets is that you can do other things if you need to and it's not proprietary . Some great points. I have 4 T3s in my home and am putting 5 in at the beach house. I am not convinced that they are value for money but I find that we use them quite a bit. We probably don’t use all 4 but the following are key uses: Main Bedroom T3: used for intercom to DS2, convenience for cameras, music, security, lighting and irrigation. I probably use this slight more than my iPad despite the fact that my iPad lies next to my bed most of the time. Entrance Hall T3: domestic uses this for answering the gate DS2. I also use it occasionally for cameras, controlling gates and garages and music. Patio T3: my real white elephant... the cost per use (after 4 years) is probably north of US$100. As I type this, I think that my gardener may use it once a month for irrigation (but he could just as easily use the Jacuzzi T3). Jacuzzi T3: I rarely have my iPad out at the Jacuzzi, so this gets used a fair bit for music, cameras and some settings. Can I say that spending money on these was the very best thing to do... No! Can I say that I love having them on the wall and always on... yes! And, they are all also great digital photo frames... it would be nice if I could play different photo streams on each (appropriate to the area). Wishlist item! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twmoonly Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 2 hours ago, zaphod said: The IOX sounds like overkill as a replacement for an EA-1 which would presumably be at the site of a TV and other AV equipment. I can see the need for a serial port or two but even those are becoming less required as more and more equipment has IP connectivity. But do most rooms need that many sensors or relays? Especially if they are secondary or tertiary TVs in places like a kitchen, bedroom, office, etc. The IO Extender is intended to go on the rack, No need to hide ea1's behind the tv for local control of devices. One IO extender replaces 2 EA1 in terms of ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Africa C4 user Posted August 1, 2018 Author Share Posted August 1, 2018 I thought the IO extenders were end of life? And can’t go beyond OS2.9? Or is there a new piece of hardware? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcovach Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 V2 is the newer one but both still work with the latest OS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallom Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 46 minutes ago, South Africa C4 user said: I thought the IO extenders were end of life? And can’t go beyond OS2.9? Or is there a new piece of hardware? I don't think you can go beyond 2.9.X even if you have the V2. (not sure) But it kinda make sense since it only needs to use basic proxies for IOs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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