Newbie question

[Evanston45]

I don’t see a section for newbie questions, so if I’m posting in the wrong section, please point me in the right direction!

My question is basic…we are contemplating C4 for our house, but my question is whether the native remotes for tv’s and blinds and audio etc will still work, or will I have to go through the C4 system? Like if the entire C4 system goes down for some reason or there are other integration issues, will I still be able to flip a light switch and have my lights turn on, or pick up my old Sony TV remote and use my TV? 
Also, how often does maintenance need to be done on C4 (like will I need installer to come do firmware upgrades etc yearly)?

thank you!

[Topfox]

Your original remotes will continue to work and light switches will work. 
 

Not sure really on the second question, but I’d ask your potential dealer how much they charge to keep the system up to date. Depending on their answer you might find the guys who do remote dealer actions on this site are way cheaper. My original dealer was over $100 an hr for any remote programming, even for something simple. You can save a ton working with folks here.  

[Evanston45]

13 minutes ago, Topfox said:

Your original remotes will continue to work and light switches will work. 
 

Not sure really on the second question, but I’d ask your potential dealer how much they charge to keep the system up to date. Depending on their answer you might find the guys who do remote dealer actions on this site are way cheaper. My original dealer was over $100 an hr for any remote programming, even for something simple. You can save a ton working with folks here.  

Thank you. What would require remote programming though after it’s all set up? Do you mean like if I buy a new TV or want some new scene set up? Or is there some other regularly required maintenance?

[ejn1]

15 minutes ago, Evanston45 said:

Thank you. What would require remote programming though after it’s all set up? Do you mean like if I buy a new TV or want some new scene set up? Or is there some other regularly required maintenance?

updates or maintenance if something stops working....

[eggzlot]

There are maybe 2-3 firmware updates per year - few bug fixes, few improvements, few new features.  They arent mandatory.  If your system is fine and the new features don’t move the needle, nothing you need to do

as others mentioned, its a dealer based system, so after set up, if you decide to add / swap hardware yes you’ll need a dealer involved.  Some of these things your dealer can do remotely - if they don’t offer that service there are reliable dealers here who can help you remotely.  There is software called composer home edition you can buy.  It’s a 1x fee of $149 but it includes a 1 year subscription to 4sight thats $99, so really the software is $50.  It lets you do 95% of the programming a dealer can do - but you cannot update the firmware on the Control4 Controllers/hardware nor can you add hardware (c4 or non c4) to the system without the dealer.  But want to revise/update/create a new lighting scene - you can do that within Composer Home Edition on your own with no assistance or input from a dealer.  If you have issues learning Composer or how to tackle some programming, come here, people chime in to help out.

[wnpublic]

3 hours ago, ejn1 said:

updates or maintenance if something stops working....

you should expect to need some maintenance a 2-3 times a year.  You won't just be getting Control4 - you'll be getting a switch or two, possibly some cameras and NVR, maybe some HDMI extenders, etc.  Stuff is gonna break/need an update/need rebooting.  Just part of the cost you need to figure in.

[ejn1]

32 minutes ago, wnpublic said:

you should expect to need some maintenance a 2-3 times a year.  You won't just be getting Control4 - you'll be getting a switch or two, possibly some cameras and NVR, maybe some HDMI extenders, etc.  Stuff is gonna break/need an update/need rebooting.  Just part of the cost you need to figure in.

agree, you will not be able to just set it and never have to call the dealer.   It's the C4 business model.