Joleary Posted August 27, 2019 Share Posted August 27, 2019 Looking for help designing / installing a new system in an existing house. House built in 70s or 80s. Also, can anyone help me understand what the differences between the Control4 dealer levels (red, gold, platinum)? Located in London, Ontario Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Lowe Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 The levels purely indicate sales volume. It has no indication on the skill, service, or quality that dealer provides. A platinum dealer could be someone installing track homes, but outside of programming a simple av system they are maxed on their skills. Vice versa a red dealer could be extremely custom and skilled and do such low volume as their projects are immense and time consuming. The best advice check the dealer locator on control4.com and interview with as many dealers as you possible can. Get some one with a great track record and understands the vision you want not their own. At the end of the day you have to live with the system not them. Best of luck and enjoy the new home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joleary Posted August 31, 2019 Author Share Posted August 31, 2019 Thanks for the reply and advice! Any other advice on how to best set myself up for success? Should I go out and get a bunch of equipment (eg. Wireless door locks, Lutron lighting, Sonos speakers) then find someone to integrate it all together? Or better to get someone to do it all at once? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK1 Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 On 8/29/2019 at 4:03 PM, Matt Lowe said: The levels purely indicate sales volume. It has no indication on the skill, service, or quality that dealer provides. A platinum dealer could be someone installing track homes, but outside of programming a simple av system they are maxed on their skills. Vice versa a red dealer could be extremely custom and skilled and do such low volume as their projects are immense and time consuming. The best advice check the dealer locator on control4.com and interview with as many dealers as you possible can. Get some one with a great track record and understands the vision you want not their own. At the end of the day you have to live with the system not them. Best of luck and enjoy the new home! This has not been my experience, especially with takeover jobs. Generally the lowest level of Certified indicates the dealer does do a modest amount of business but in my experience usually has "OK" skillset which is reflected by the modest amount of projects they work on. You often see this in dealers that have their primary lines of business in security or electrical. I would advise to focus on Gold or higher level of certifications where at all possible - it demonstrates a greater level of commitment and product knowledge. Of course YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSTRONG Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 10 hours ago, Joleary said: Thanks for the reply and advice! Any other advice on how to best set myself up for success? Should I go out and get a bunch of equipment (eg. Wireless door locks, Lutron lighting, Sonos speakers) then find someone to integrate it all together? Or better to get someone to do it all at once? It depends on how much work you want to do. If you have the knowledge, tools and software to correctly install , program and setup the devices, then go for it and just hire a remote programmer here for control4. If you want a turn key solution and can find a qualified local dealer that may be your best bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK1 Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 Buying gear without a system design in place first would be backwards. Work with a local dealer to design your system first. Or work with a remote dealer from this forum - this can work well and inexpensively if you have decent technical knowledge or an appetite to learn and be involved. For example, if you went out and bought those wireless locks without that design in place, you'd be returning them pretty quick because only wireless locks purchased from Control4 are Zigbee Pro enabled. Gary Leeds UK 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Lowe Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 On 8/30/2019 at 9:12 PM, Joleary said: Thanks for the reply and advice! Any other advice on how to best set myself up for success? Should I go out and get a bunch of equipment (eg. Wireless door locks, Lutron lighting, Sonos speakers) then find someone to integrate it all together? Or better to get someone to do it all at once? after interviewing a few dealers these should be give you system designs and estimates. This will give you an idea of what you are looking for and be honest with them in what you are looking to do and what you are wanting to spend. I personally have a mix of several brands and systems all integrated into control4. However this has caused issues over the years and i have loss function where as the Control4 product has gained even more options. Sonos is a great example as in the last few years the integration seems to have backpedaled. However they are working to improve it as much as Sonos allows. Phillips hue lighting has also seen more issues. So in short if you want a reliable rock solid system stick to tightly integrated and certified products that have been certified for years. Even if you decide to do the DIY approach hopefully you can meet a local dealer to provide design, the basics, and support. Myself and other great remote programmers are also available to help, but our job is more difficult with out a great person on site to do the system design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joleary Posted September 2, 2019 Author Share Posted September 2, 2019 Thanks everyone! I’ve met with one dealer so far and it seems like the best approach is to have a few dealers over for a site inspection and go from there. Appreciate the feedback! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Lowe Posted September 2, 2019 Share Posted September 2, 2019 47 minutes ago, Joleary said: Thanks everyone! I’ve met with one dealer so far and it seems like the best approach is to have a few dealers over for a site inspection and go from there. Appreciate the feedback! enjoy the ride down the rabbit hole! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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