am350z

Fyi, ecobee doesn’t work for variable speed hvac systems. If you are building new, highly likely you would go with variable speed setup for efficiency and need to use manufacturers tstat. Also, go Lutron for lighting. No question.

The problem with c4 relaying on Josh and others for voice they may find themselves replaced altogether . You could build a really nice system with Sonos for whole home audio, Lutron for lighting and shades, misc vendors for doorbells and hvac all controlled with Josh.ai. Maybe even add small c4 setup just for media room. No many care about video distribution with smart tvs everywhere now.

Worth every penny if the natural language processing works. Anyone have feedback on this? I hate how specific commands have to be for Alexa. Renders voice control useless for me.

The cost of the Josh system and license is relatively trivial to overall cost of most systems if it adds significant functionality.

Never seen Josh.ai till I stumbled across their keynote on Youtube. Looks really slick and has renewed my interest in improving our C4 system. I only wish C4 had this built in. Kind of crazy you have to pay extra for a user friendly front end. The free solutions with Alexa and google home just aren’t that great.

To follow up on this discussion, recently I was trying to decide what to do with our HVAC integration. We previously had the Houselogix Nexia driver which is now broken and never really worked well to begin with. A member here has created a driver but is it worth the time and effort? Will Trane update the app so that the API is now broken again? Or do you just use the native app and forget it?

Excuse me, but who is yelling and shouting or saying they hate it? Not me, I was simply discussing pros/cons. You seem defensive.

I understand your point but not sure I agree. Our Sonos, Lutron Ra2, Nexia, Jandy iAqualink, Hue, etc have all auto-updated their apps and I have not had any issues or required significant time to keep running. I would suggest C4 requires not only money, but more importantly for me, significant time, to arrange for either in person or remote programmer. That is more the issue for me.

Good to know. Can u send me the website? But again, just another device needing fixed. I guess one just has to accept these systems need continued maintenance and updates.

No hate. Agree that part of issue is controlling devices that have limited or no compatibility. Example, the alarm. The vista 20p is supported but not 128. It was integrated with Crestron but doesn’t work well with c4. Sure, i could change the alarm panel. I am not faulting c4, just was considering if it is worth the hassle again versus just using native support apps.

Interesting. I had the rs232 when we had Crestron but upgraded to the iAqualink when we switched to c4. There is a known issue with it and reporting of heater status discussed a bit here but never fixed by c4.

Sure I can use another third party hack driver until it breaks again.

Networking is another major issue. C4 needs a robust network, not consumer grade. Heaven forbid your router goes out. Mine did, what a giant pain that was. My intention is not to bash C4 though, its as good as any automation system, just some thoughts and discussion.

Good to know about Hayward but doesn't help if you have Jandy, lol.

Surprised your MyQ is working, must have been different driver. I know many had same issue. I agree its easy fix (minus running wire which isn't so easy!) I agree better to stick with official c4 drivers but even that is problematic. For instance, they support Honeywell vista panels but not the larger 128bpt panel. And while Jandy pool control is also supported, there has been a bug in the driver they never fixed that makes it not great either. Sonos offers Apple Music and Amazon which I prefer. Also, generally prefer the gui in Sonos over C4.

In our case, the integrators have been great. Its just when an api link is no longer supported, example MyQ, there is nothing anyone could have done. C4, and all automation, relies heavily on support of 3rd party products which means there will likely be constant issues to address. I do agree for guests the system is amazing, particularly controlling AV equipment where the alternatives such as Harmony remotes just don't cut it.

Have tried that route and there are great remote programmers and support here. Still requires maintenance and work to keep fully running. Example, I just gave up on the MyQ and no longer have garage door support in C4. When Sonos support went away, the family just started using Alexa devices and now ignore the in ceiling speakers. One day the projector stopped responding. HC800 RF port went out and had to switch to IR. No big deal but one more issue.

Just a thought, but would you recommend C4 if control was the only desire? Not automation but just simple system control. Background. In our current home we replaced Crestron with C4. It has been fine but certainly not without issues. Loss of MyQ support, dead C4 Audio matrix, Jandy pool control never worked well, Trane hvac control is not great, loss of full Sonos support, etc. We are purchasing a new house with a partially abandoned C4 system. (Also, a pile of Crestron equipment in corner. Unfortunately, I see this very often.) I don't particularly care for automation but primarily had C4 installed for a single source for system control. I am really questioning just ditching C4 in the new house and going with standalone native control for various systems. Sure it is a pain to use multiple apps though this may improve as Homekit expands. The native apps are often better anyways. Example, use native Nexia for HVAC, Sonos for whole home audio, Lutron for lighting, etc. I love tech but these automation systems seem to be more and more of a pain and headache. This has been a great forum and just curious what others thoughts are. Maybe just have a small system for the theater and not whole home automation.

Lots. Main issues is a problem with heat toggle so that you never truly know if pool and spa heat is actually on. Seems to be known issue never fixed. There is also issue with toggling auxiliary devices.

Is there any pool system that Control4 is good at controlling? I have Jandy automation system and C4 integration is terrible. Sounds like Pentair is also awful. Seems odd to have a home automation system that cannot adequately control pool equipment.

Do the drivers conflict with the native Nexia app? I was told the Houselogix could not be used (when it worked) with the Nexia app.

I have the American Standard version same as Trane with Nexia. Same issue with broken Houselogix driver. Which driver are you supposed to used the bNexia or btsat?