Control4Savant

The amount of people concerned about their privacy and security is growing at a much higher rate than not. I just got another email from Waze about their latest disaster and end users receiving photos and videos from other accounts after a downed server…

Folks dont need to be audiophiles to hear a difference in signal clarity or quality. You dont need to be a videophile to notice the difference in an OLED versus a basic LED. Being able to enjoy either just as well or caring are completely different arguments but people should understand its not rocket science.

….Hello VoicePod…

Lutron and Vantage are not a home automation systems. They are comfort control brands. They will always be a partner, not a competitor to whatever list of lux brands we make. Josh wants to be the premium software that handles them and besides hardware processors and I/O IR control, a sleek system specific smart remote other brands seem to have difficulty with is the only other hardware piece they need. They will continue to build business on integration with only few critical but really well made hardware skus.

We (dealers) have been aware. We have resources for this stuff… resources that sounds like your dealer is ignorant to. Too many “professionals” asleep at the wheel.

two 16ch amps sold.

adaptive dimmers and 260s sold

2 Keypads sold.

These Savant or other brand conversations never get far because people start making comparisons that dont relate. Everyone here seems to be an expert on the competitive brands even tho most have never seen anything besides C4. Since I believe im the only one here that makes a living using both brands, this is my input. Control4 has combo unit controllers…this is the problem. Most other brands have separated parts. We have gone over this. I dont need to upgrade basic i/o, IR/serial controllers that shouldnt need advanced software (think Shelly), they get firmware bumps just like some basic C4 stuff does (lighting and audio). So after 5/10 yers I want to refresh my system with a new OS and feature set, I just need to upgrade one processor. This IS a specific reason why and I other dealers I know have switched so this isn’t fabrication. It also makes system design easier and more scalable. It also keeps the labor/service costs down. Savant is more elegant. The hardware is better built. The hosts are more powerful. Brand specific the costs are the same. They have some 3rd party integration advantages like Ring, Apple Music, Siri Voice Remote. We (dealers) have the ability to develop/write .xml drivers on the fly for realistically anything with an open API. There are additional expensive license costs with some major 3rd party integrations (LEAP Unlimited) that would be the largest different in costs between the two brands. Being able to set your own scenes a program keypads/touch screens all via the user app is probably the most impactful difference between the UIs. Control4 has stuff like RGBW native color sliders, user/admin settings and circadian options but it takes them 5 years to catch up. Savant had a color touch screen, wifi, battery charging remote almost 10 years ago… Control4 is still trying to work out their first one. Savant has a whole consumer retail line being sold at Home Depot, Loews etc that all can integrate into the larger luxury ecosystem. None of this means that Control4 is a bad option, that you will not enjoy your home. Most importantly as discussed, your dealer will ultimately be the reason for success or failure. We dont read minds. We dont need to. These solutions are really come from the same needs as they did in 2006 before we had iPhones. The DYI group is so very small it will NEVER matter. It has never been part of the dealer model and never will be. It’s a luxury brand. Most Rolex owners dont service their own watches, Ferrari guys dont generally change their own oil, Starbucks drinkers wait in very.. very.. long lines for no reason when they could make the same coffee at home in 30 seconds.

These are for sale for $50 + shipping or they are getting trashed.

Correction, Forward phase dimmers.

Yes, this does not have to do with remote access to systems. That CEPro article is marketing sheet and dated from the press release.. Essentials and the current Savant structure was finalized at the end of last year. It’s all been broken down after dealer feedback. The super pro host no longer even a sku. Yes, id would say you are wrong. If you are comparing brand specific HA systems there are little to no additional costs. An OS lic subscription thats several thousands in cost prices out just fine when it’s going on a $600 Mac Mini that can also be just used as a PC if you are done with it. Much better value than Core controllers. The essentials is really …not. Most dont care about cloud backups. Most dont care about 2n cloud recording when they have local storage. Most dont have Ring devices. Most use brand matched equipment across the board as much as possible for stability and future support just like C4 systems. The Hybrid model is really again where it hurts, and you will see those costs come to the C4 and other environments in other ways besides a one time fee, which clients would prefer. When getting into integrations with Apple Music, Ring, MyQ etc… theres going to be new costs. A $9mo subscription is a couple grand in just a few short years. Sure. $1250 profit for sale of an integration hub is really pennies… The LEAP hub is definitely crazy expensive, but that’s really designed for large scale systems where the cost is balanced out by lesser expensive Lutron products. Not J Geiger shades and $250 dimmers that are built really, really well.

Savant has no required subscriptions. They have 1 annual subscription option (cost dependent on which host) that covers things like cloud system backups, DS2 cloud recording, Ring and Zoom integration. $500 is the max cost for the largest systems. Savant has 1-time licensing. The costs again depend on which host. A license purchase is required every OS change , 8.x to 9.x … 9.x to 10.x but there are regular x.1, x.356 updates for each OS. Single room systems have free licenses. A license purchase is required for lighting, music and power 3rd party SYSTEM integrations like Homework’s or LEAP for example. This has been Savants more drastic change in the face of increasing costs we see across the industry. The writing is on the wall for all the brands. Realistically it cuts off the bottom 20% of the dealers in a continued move to position the company as the ultra lux option in the market where Control4 doesnt compare well. It’s really a two horse race with both now having their appropriate place in the market.

Please explain how Savant how way more fees…

(4) C4 Forward Phase Dimmers (2 white 2 ivory) (2) C4 Adaptive Phase Dimmers (ivory) *sold (1) C4 Config Keypads (white) *sold) (2) C4 Switches (ivory) (2) C4 aux keypads (ivory) (2) SR260s *sold (1) SR Charging Cradle (1) Bad charging NEEO w Base Taking offers + Shipping USA/ VENMO ONLY

What in the absolute hell are you bumbling about? PCNA… right… You are an idiot.

Fair…as the admin on here im grouping you with the rest of us pros.

Your point is spoken like a true AV guy. Im not trying to imply what you do or who you are.

Spoken like a true AV guy. This is why our industry sucks at networking.

Plenty of tech commercial and consumer have needed extra steps in networking config or require individual sec. rules. Thats not new and why VLANs are important, not the other way around…and even just for traffic purposes VLANS are a standard. There a bunch of useful reasons why to use them and the only “problem” is lack of knowledge which is RIPE in our industry to be putting it kindly, we should all acknowledge that point. Again, in the same point control systems are generally complete overkill for most AV which is why consumer electronics is in the state it’s in. It doesnt negate its usefulness in any way unless it’s incorrectly managed.

VLANS dont replace firewalls…..

Uh. No, thats not the same. You need to learn more about firewall/routing rules.

Separated VLANS is like basic IT sec.

Everything you’re saying applies to any managed tech… and realistically, no they don‘t. A managed network is a managed network.

That statement is no different than having a control system.