ok guys, need some input. been selling prontos(1K,2K,3K and Pro) for years. lately customers have been mentioning the Niles units. What are pros and cons of each? Be as concise or verbose as you please. Any and all input will be appreciated. THNX

This message was edited by TJG55 on 10/03/03 16:17.

Intellipads and Protos are 2 separate worlds. I dont understand how you want to compare the two.....

Intellipad- In-wall Button based keypad, Limited Memory, seems to bump random commands once you fill the memory with no warning and is dificult for most clients to use due to the nature of the limited hard buttons available. Good for basic system control from another room.

Prontos- Hand held touchscreen user interface with vitually no IR limitations. The remote outputs exactly what you program into it.... For the most part anyway....

TJG55,

Are you sure you don't mean Intelli-control?

yes, sorry, just repeating customers comments. I should have checked.

The biggest advantage the intellicontrol has is sync with the components so it knows the on/off state. This is really only an issue if you can't find discrete IR codes. It also has RF capability built in so you don't have to buy an extra module. On the other hand the touchscreen can be labeled exactly how you want it instead of the prelabeled keys the niles unit comes with and is a lot less expensive. An option you can do is just buy the MSU of the intellicontrol without the niles remote and use a pronto to control it which gives you the best of both worlds with a slightly higher cost.

I still feel its an apples and oranges comparision... Well, the RF Reliability on both products is similar(Both mediocore at best)the Niles will run twice as much as an RF Outfitted ProntoPro once they are both professionally programmed.

My thoughts are if somone is interested in a Intellicontrol once they know the costs involved, they are surely going to pay the extra it takes to get a real control system (AMX or Crestron.

The Button layout on Intellicontrol is in desperate need of a re-do. The way the keys are labled does not keep up with todays HD Tuners, TiVo's, and DVD-R's..... I'd rather sell a cutomer a MX-800. RF Range is better, and never have to worry about the button lables confusing a client that just spent $2000 with me and cant work his system....

And for status tracking.... Well, unless your dealing with a lot of old electronics, thats not much of a concern anymore... You can buy a new VCR for the price of some of the power sensors you'd put on a VCR to track its state.....

Intelli Control's are designed to be 100% (If programmed and hooked up correctly) This means if a child (or a technologically challenged customer) hits every single button on the remote they won't screw up their system, resulting in less unneccesary service calls. The intellicontrol remote is a 43 hard key RF based unit. It has a main system unit (M.S.U.) that hides in your equipment rack and holds all the programming and recieves the RF sigals. If the batteries die or the power goes out it holds all its programming indefinately and knows how to reset your a/v components if necessary. One major drawback is that you can't create buttons like you could with a pronto style remote, you're locked into the 32 function hard keys, but you are able to label the 10 master keys what ever you would like though. One COOL! solution to this is to use a pronto style remote that can output RF and have it talk to the Niles intelli control M.S.U. Now you have a customizable display remote that you don't have to aim at an IR sensor. With the sync abilities of the intellicontrol it knows what component is on and what's off. Combine it with components that have discrete IR codes (on/off & input codes) and you now have a remote that goes through macros extremely fast and reliably.

Other things to take in to consideration regarding the intellicontrol are; installers must have a laptop with them on jobsite for programming / troubleshooting. You must also buy the Niles Intellifile programming unit. Every component that is being controlled must have an IR flasher attached to it. Components that don't use discreet on/off IR codes should have some type of syncing device attached to it (available though Niles).

The Intelli Control is a good control solution for anyone who wants something more reliable than a pronto but dosn't want to spend the money to get into Crestron or Elan type controllers. Combine a pronto and the Intelli Control M.S.U. and you have a extremly customizable, reliable and user friendly remote. I have an Onkyo CHAD w/ an Intelli control M.S.U. and it works flawlessly. Good Luck and e-mail me any other ?'s you have on the Intelli Control.

Impaqt...can you explain this to me? We sell a ton of both, with programming, and I've yet to see the ITC cost TWICE as much...in fact, our cost, and therefore the cost to the end user, are within $30.00 of each other BEFORE you add the RF module to the Pro, then IT becomes the more expensive unit...I suppose IF you added a ton of sync sensing hardware (APC-2, AC-3...etc...) then MAYBE you could have the ITC be 2X as expensive...I reality, most of our customers are out the door with either for about the same price, after programming and tweaking.

Have you tried an intellicontrol recently? The new antennas for RF are greatly improved and IN NO WAY support you claim of marginal RF ability when compared to the P.Pro...the intellicontrol RF buries the pro...

avdude

We use both together. They make a nice combination.

No, I have not installed one recently. and I do not plan on doing so.

Perhaps the RF is better now........ When I was doing them 6-7 years ago, the Range was bad. but thats not the primary reason I wont do them.

The button layout on the Intellicontrol is static. and those static buttons do not make sense to clients. You cannot reasonably control Tivos, HD Decoders, or DVD-R's with an Intellicontrol. The button layout just does not make sense to people for those application. Since 95% of my jobs use at least one of the listed items, that makes the Intellicontrol Obsolete.

For a universal remote to be worth the investment, anybody should be able to use it with minimal trainng. when buttons that are labled in ways that dont logically correspond to the command they are firing, it makes the remote difficult to use.

Maybe my logic doesnt make sense to you... Thats OK with me.... I'd just rather install a Marantz RC9200 over an intellicontrol any day of the week. I know when the next whiz bang gadget comes out a year from now, I can design a control page that incorporates as much control as the client needs, and the layout will make perfect sense to my customer. I dont have that comfort level with the Niles piece.

How do you guys teach Intellicontrol RF codes to a Pronto?

According to Niles we have sold more Intellicontrollers than anyone north of the Missouri River. We have not had a client yet that has complained about the design. If you want better button layout use a Pronto with it. It is still less money than an AMX or Crestron System.