Two weeks my a$$

So...when do you suppose URC will release the Android app for TC?

URC and RTI are out of the comparison. For me they are just an universal remote.

AMX and crestron could be compared.

Now, who's 40 years in the market, makes OEM lighting control, HVAC, shades, speakers, amps, receivers, cameras, door locks, i could be here for hours...

Answer is crestron. They make everything you need- seamless integration, no need for 3rd parties.

Whoever says that crestron is not realible, does not know how to design it or program it. A real crestron system well programmed will work forever.

Savant i dont know much, but seems to me that is expensive, super complicated to program if you're doing stuff different from the drag and drop, and it relies on other companies for lighting, hvac, etc etc. The chance of glitches are much higher.

My go to is Colorado vnet.

Sorry I am going to have to disagree with a lot of things in this post.

Like some other posters said it real depends on your clientele and your company.
What is the focus of your company and how much talent do you have working around you. Is your focus small to mid size jobs or are you only going after large projects? A lot of it real comes down to the programmer/s you have working for you. A $4k touch panel is just a paperweight if the programmer doesn't know what the hell he is doing.

If you have limited programming experience Crestron and AMX is probably not the right answer for you. You might want to start with URC, Control 4, Élan, etc... And work your way up.

I have experience programming almost all the major brands (except for Savant) and they all have their positives and negatives. I love Crestron and sold it for years, but I work for a fairly small firm that currently doesn't offer it. It just doesn't make sense for our company right now.

Companies like urc do offer solutions beyond just a universal remote. For example, the total control system in my house has two way feedback for my HVAC, Lutron Radio RA2, Lutron Shades, Sonos, and volume for all of my zones. I also have a whole bunch of custom automated macros using contact closures, sensors, etc... And I programmed it all in less than a day. I'd like to see someone program a Crestron system that fast... Been in for a year and a half and had two issues (one was a surge).

Quick story...

I was at a training last week and ran into a guy a used to work with for years (selling Crestron) and the owner of the company he works for. We were talking a lot of shop and when I asked about Crestron he said "I wish I never picked up the line". They happen to be one of the best Crestron dealers on the east coast. Never thought I would here the two of them say that.

The negatives of Crestron (or AMX) are that they require a lot of training and experience to be installed and programmed correctly. When it's done right it can be amazing. When it's done incorrectly its a god damn train wreck. I have also been through the whole in house vs outside programmer thing and in my opinion in house is the way to go. Not to mention the whole... Well the company I bought the system from went out of business and I don't have a copy of the file, gotta start from scratch.

It seems threads like this always turn into pissing matches. My brand is better than your brand. And what you sell is a joke.

To answer the original post. Crestron is the most reliable system and provides the greatest performance (if designed and programmed correctly) in my OPINION!

In regards to cost. That's a little harder to answer. C4, TC, and Elan give you a lot of what Crestron offers for a lot less money, so its a great value. If the customer wants ultimate flexibility than Crestron might be the answer. So that's up to the customer to decide.

They all offer around the same levels of margins, but if you sell more you make more. You also need to calculate other factors into figuring out margins. We did a cost analysis of a receiver line that was extremely profitable from a cost perspective. We dropped the line after we figured out that we were making a 5% profit margin on it after we subtracted all of the free service calls, repairs, loaner receivers, etc.. Not to mention all of the lost business.

At the end of the day I think it all comes down to one thing making sure your customer is happy by providing them with a system that is easy to use and reliable. By choosing a control co that matches your customers needs and that you can comfortably program. Which is what makes it the BEST for both sides.

I should have just kept it simple instead of my long rambling thread.

Asian Pro. Best system ever. Period.

Not bored, I'm honestly interested in the forum's opinion. I just went through URC's total control training and was impressed by it's versatility. I love how their sensors can trigger macros. So many possibilities!

I worked for 5 years as an A/V installer in my early 20's, took a job in healthcare, and now I'm back in A/V. I only have experience with URC but I'm about to get training in Savant also.

I was just wondering what people thought about the other control systems on the market. Thank you everyone for your responses!

In all fairness, I must tell you that I have not read the set of responses here, nor even the original post, which past experience tells me I will probably find amazing and humorous when I get to them. That's the kind of members we have here. But I'll offer a perspective with a separate question. Try to answer it:

What's the best car to buy?

Hot Wheels

They all suck.

X10

Yeah, for a serious answer, Crestron is the best.

I will never take the Crestron classes and will never spend a moment trying to learn their unbelievable product numbers or penetrate what must be a system for how they think them up. I will avoid situations where Crestron is a possibility unless the system is HUGE. That's because the amount of learning involved in just starting to use Crestron is also HUGE. A huge project allows me to farm out the Crestron part and stick to the rest of it myself.

So there's one answer, which others who don't use Crestron might agree with... the best system is Crestron and I will never use it!


There are dogs that make sundaes and shakes? How many are lost to chocolate poisoning?

I understood your reply and I'm ridiculously hard-headed about how things are written. Of course I already know the story, too.



And here you go -- the best system is Crestron and it doesn't make sense to offer it.

There is no "best" because there is no one situation.

I'm with Mr. Stanley

They all have issues!

And what I just put myself thru again, after 20 plus years in the field
"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler."

If the system being controlled is "simple" that's less for the control system to muck up.


Dave

You are correct and the CI who can tolerate the crappy software and hardware and still make money wins.

When did you stop carrying Onkyo?