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Thanks all.

Thanks all,  seems like folks are still using fiber.  Assume no one is having any HDMI handshake occasional issues with above?   Thanks again.  I have ethernet run to the projector as well but think its Cat 5e...

Hi,  I'm curious what folks are installing nowadays for long HDMI projector runs (eg 25-30') where you need to get full 4K HDR transmission?   When I set up my projector 7 years ago, I had a tough time getting a solid full resolution signal / HDMI handshake that distance and finally landed with a fiber optic cable with baluns but its starting to get a little glitchy.   Are there new HDMI extenders via Ethernet that really do a good job?  Or new fiber options? 

Thx

Ubiquiti Unifi is butt simple....  Only if you try and manually optimize wifi,  it can tricky or if you do advance networking.... but still relatively easy vs alternatives.   If you have trouble with Unifi, suggest not worrying about posting and hire someone.

2 hours ago, krris said:

Melbourne , australia

I'm sure you will not have a problem there getting a great dealer!

16 hours ago, krris said:

I am working on that and should have one soon. 

where are you located?

Have you got a Control4 dealer relationship established yet?

Good to hear a few customers being contacted.   There have been other threads hitting this topic and the efforts of c4 going direct to the consumer (eg the real customer :)) for input seem to be very limited.   I've been a C4 customer for a long time on two different continents with more than one installation and cant recall a single survey to my recollection.   I still think C4 gets the overwhelming input from the dealer as a marketing strategy. 

16 hours ago, nxr said:

Many thanks. Given I have the Araknis router already and Unifi LTE modem wont work with it, any suggestions of what might 

Check pricing on Cradlepoint... It's not cheap and more of an enterprise solution.   For the price of one of their modems,  you could change your entire system to Unifi and pay monthly fees for a year on their LTE modem    Point taken though.

16 hours ago, chopedogg88 said:

Please explain. "speed is max at 300mbps per website" 

Sorry, their site said speed test results through OVRC was capped at 300...  Seems like the router can do full gig speeds but not sure its throughput capability with full firewall enabled.    Some entry routers loose throughput (USG included) with full firewall features enabled.   As another mentioned, I think the UDM Pro is a step up in feature set and capability than the 310 as a comp.

16 hours ago, chopedogg88 said:

Does the Araknis offer dual wan with fail over? Isn't that the whole point of this thread? OP ie asking what is a good LTE modem to use for is failover config...? 

Yes agree but some routers with dual WAN capability do not have the ability in the router OS to enable Failover WAN easily (or maybe at all) so was asking the question.    I mean automatic WAN failover not the user redirects direct to a secondary WAN.   I have a Mikrotik router that has dual WAN but requires a MIT PHD to code the failover to work in the Router OS.   Unifi is pretty simple with a menu selection.

16 hours ago, chopedogg88 said:

I have a pile of USG routers in my office if anyone wants a good deal on one. I use both Araknis and Unifi and have had to change out (upgrade) several USG for a variety of different issues. Havent had a single Araknis have an issue. 

Probably because i don't know what I'm doing, havent been through unifi training!? 

Other Unifi networks I've installed have no issues at all... You just never know when you're gonna get a hardware failure i suppose. 

 

My first router with Unifi was a USG which I had for 3-4 years with no issues,  that same USG is at friends house for a year with no issues.   You probably have more deployments to pull your opinion from but my experience has been solid.    Lots of comments on USG reliability here so I'm sure valid but then Araknis as had comments as well.   

58 minutes ago, chopedogg88 said:

Araknis 310 and UDM Pro both priced right around the $400 mark fwiw. 

Ok,  thanks for correction.   Does it offer dual wan with failover?

FYI,  speed is max at 300Mbps per website so that is probably more of a comp to the USG Gateway at $110 speed wise.  Both have dual WAN with failover.

4 hours ago, nxr said:

Hello, I am trying to sort out a way to have cellular backup to my broadband connection. I have an araknis two wan port router but can’t seem to find a cellular modem to attach to it. I previously had a NETGEAR LTE one but it was very unrealiable. Also, does anyone know whether the USB port on router is active such that I could use a USB network card. 

If you switch to Unifi, you would have a router that was easy to configure in a failover mode as @Dueport mentioned above plus Unifi sells there own LTE backup modem that can used for cellular backup...   Probably would have both for less than the price you paid for your Araknis setup.  Don't think your araknis gear gives that type of flexibility but maybe it does.

11 minutes ago, chopedogg88 said:

Or you can use a z2io which is also a mesh extender for around $180 msrp new. Personally I prefer to install a dimmer or keypad dimmer to extend the mesh if it works from a logistical perspective... That way you get some use out of it other than just extending the mesh. 

Z2io does have relays, contacts, IR and also a temp sensor though, and with lack of MyQ cloud integration I do often use a z2io in the garage anyways to control the MyQ motors and provide mesh extension. 

Thanks, I have a z2io in my garage and it is always weak signal strength.   It has C4 lights within 10 ft of it.   Not sure why its not meshing more reliably.

I have a corner of my home and garage that is very weak...  Any cheap options to extend coverage?  I have a couple of old HC250's lying around but not sure if that will do work with the latest OS in this capacity.  Thanks.

Ditto Audioengines.. If you get the A2's, get the small stand that pivots them up slightly.   In that price range they cant be beat.   If you want to step up in cost and size there are additional options..

45 minutes ago, RAV said:

Other than standalone Lutron RA/Homeworks (non app based), not sure I can think of another major component of HA that isn't reliant on network.

My point was is it "reliant" on a more advanced network than most home owners have the competency to manage themselves... 

29 minutes ago, Control4Savant said:

lol. HA can run on very dumb networks without problem. 

above post seems to assert otherwise unless I'm reading it wrong....

@Andrew luecke was just reflecting that your list really is all about networking for the most part…. And the items you list are really beyond most people I know capability (and probably many dealers). So really what you are saying is to have a stable and resilient HA system,  you really need to relinquish control and management of the home networking function?

16 minutes ago, SRQUser said:

What you are asking for is pretty much how I spent my career - assuring that if our Distributors did not live up to our standards, they would be terminated. THen it was my job to make sure we never got into Legal trouble for doing so.  99% success rate.   I would expect that C4 does in fact have certain standards and oversight over their dealers, but how much enforcement is unknown.  In my case, I blame my builder at least as much as the C4 dealer since the builder cut corners, and I assume he passed that philosophy on to the dealer (and then he didn't pay him).  

The best way to ensure this is for C4 to develop some relationship directly with their customers,  eg through surveys, focus groups, follow-up calls, etc.   My sense is they don't do anywhere near enough of this (many of us have been C4 customers for years without a single survey, call etc).   This is often a problem with 100% dealer / distributor models where companies confuse their channel partners as the customer.  

On 1/8/2022 at 10:02 AM, SRQUser said:

Ha - finding a better dealer is the problem.   As I mentioned, two highly recommended dealers came in here & said they wouldn't touch this since the wiring from the low voltage installer is such a mess.

Just found another issue this morning that installer did wrong. We never know when someone rings our DoorBird doorbell. We are switching to Ring.  But when we removed the Doorbird, not only did we find the wrong wires there, but there are supposed to be antennae on the device - they were not there - the antenna connections were capped. Thus we never received the WiFi signal!  This guy was a disaster!   He was our builder's friend.  Sarasota, FL

If the DoorBird was connected via POE , you would not have the antenna installed if I’m not mistaken.

3 hours ago, TundraSonic said:

#1 - Realistic Expectations. A simple light switch is the most reliable way to control a light. A simple dumb dimmer is less reliable. A WiFi controlled dimmer less reliable still. A WiFi and HA controlled dimmer even less reliable. A dimmer controlled via cloud is ...

Technology and automation is great but the more complicated something is the more unreliable it will be. This should never be an excuse for poor quality products, poor installation or poor configuration but is something that people need to keep in mind.

On top of this then is a semi-reliable network upon which a system like C4 rides. Ethernet/TCP/IP is at it's foundation a best effort protocol. 

 

 

Agree.   Sounds like a thread asking what can go wrong in a HA system vs how can a system be resilient to some of these issues would have been an easier thread

I was kind of hoping that this thread would yield a few base system designs that C4 new customers could build with a credible sales pitch that the dealer intimacy is very low...  There are a lot of customers out there that dont mind paying someone else a reasonable service fee but absolutely hate having someone else be in "control" of their home functioning or enjoyment and hate having to chase down folks multiple times in a year to achieve this.   And as systems get more extensive, cross more types of devices, requires more third party elements, then the dealer involvement goes up but in those cases it would be far more likely for the customer to understand this and accept it. 

1 hour ago, Dunamivora said:

Fair. I guess I am assuming on your definition of 'low-touch'.

What is the minimal you expect in interactions from a dealer in your ideal system? (Assuming a dealer is required for updates, additions, and troubleshooting).

I think everyone has their own definition, but several friends that I know who are not tech savvy and have a C4 system, my sense was that anything more than 1-2 times/yr that had to call a dealer would frustrate them to no end.   

Some may be mitigated with a more transparent sales call on the front end.... Eg This basic system of x is very stable and only needs my intervention in these scenarios.. If later you want to expand with these things, then more frequent dealer involvement is needed unless I manage turn key these elements (eg network)...

28 minutes ago, Dunamivora said:

I don't know of any dealer that updates without being paid either in a service contract or in a one-time service charge.

Automatic updates are invisible, but very limited in scope.

I wasn't assuming all parties aren't being paid for services rendered...

4 minutes ago, Dunamivora said:

Coming from the manufacturer side and seeing security implemented, anybody that 'sets up and forgets' a modern smart system is potentially leaving a security hole in their network. Every device should be on their latest version and entirely removed if it hasn't had a software update, firmware update, or patch within the last three to six months.

good point,  but C4 updates and C4 driver updates can be done by the dealer at some interval behind the scenes and invisible to the customer I would think...