DianaT Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 Hi all. I’ve had a C4 system in my house since I bought the house 10 years ago. I am trying to decide whether I should upgrade and if doing so will give me a better experience overall. I’ve spent a small fortune on C4 over time, largely adding light switches and replacing components that stopped working. The programming costs have been so significant that I’ve been reluctant to replace my current controller, which is an end of life (or passed end of life!) HC 250. I have 3 other controllers, all HC 300s, but if I upgrade the HC 250, the HC 300s will not be usable. I have an alarm system, doorbell and doorbell camera, TVs, lights, and a couple of door locks on it. I also have one garage door on the system but the other garage door opener is newer and not compatible with C4 so I just use the app for that (Chamberlain MyQ). I tried to have my window shades on C4 but, every time the programmer got them connected, they would stay connected only for a few weeks so I finally gave up. I got the Composer HE long ago and taught myself some basic functionality years ago but haven’t used it since and don’t remember it now. Recently, my wall tablets have stopped working (one seems dead, the other can’t connect) so my dealer suggested I try rebooting the main controller, and now my kitchen light switches don’t work. (I literally have no ability to turn on the kitchen lights.) Unlike others on here, I really like the system but I’m not the most tech-competent person so I end up needing tech support from my dealer whenever there’s a problem. I’ve seen a lot of people on here talk about the benefits of newer versions of the software and hardware but I can’t tell whether they’re all just much tech-savvier than I am (quite possible) or whether the system really is much easier and better than what I have. I’d appreciate any advice or insight as I contemplate whether to upgrade (at an estimated cost of $8000+) or switch to a more basic but easier system or set of apps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 I recommend working w @chopedogg88 tmj4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neo1738 Posted September 5, 2021 Share Posted September 5, 2021 Agreed I bet you can get a lot more out of the system with really only a controller upgrade and some remote programming from @chopedogg88 or another remote programmer/installer on the forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnpublic Posted September 5, 2021 Share Posted September 5, 2021 Based on what you posted, you should not spend 8k to upgrade. Your experience has not been good, why throw significantly more money at it? As recommended above, maybe hire one of the remote dealers here to have a quick look at the system and see if there are some inexpensive fixes that can be put in. But doubling down doesn't seem like the right plan. So where to from here? Hard to say. You seem smart, so you probably know that any system that ties together "alarm system, doorbell and doorbell camera, TVs, lights, and a couple of door locks" is either going to require involvement with a dealer or require a fair amount of tech savvy, which you say you don't have. You've adjusted to using MyQ as a separate app, so consider whether you'd be happy with a mix of the consumer-friendly stuff like Ring or Google Nest, TP-Kasa or Wemo lights, etc. and just using a couple different apps (or Homekit). It's less integrated than C4, but sometimes with better features. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAV Posted September 5, 2021 Share Posted September 5, 2021 How many touchpanels? Likely to be the largest expense. And what OS are you running? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmwbball88 Posted September 5, 2021 Share Posted September 5, 2021 Just to echo what others have said. I would do a quick session with @chopedogg88 (just pm him to find rates) to see what’s what hardware wise. And yeah 8k seems a bit steep but maybe they were going to replace other things also besides just the controllers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted September 5, 2021 Share Posted September 5, 2021 What if the controllers are providing local audio? Then four controllers and a few touch screens can easily get to 8k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted September 5, 2021 Share Posted September 5, 2021 20 hours ago, DianaT said: replace my current controller, which is an end of life (or passed end of life!) HC 250. I have 3 other controllers, all HC 300s 4 hours ago, Bmwbball88 said: 8k seems a bit steep I would say 8K for 4 controllers and full reprogramming programming isn't far out at all - but the question as zaphod more or less indicated may be if you need all 4 controllers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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