I know this has been discused many times but here is what pisses me of with Rti.
My programming time is way to long... What do you guys do when programming multiple screen sizes. Ex: T2-?? , then a kx2 or a other touch screen, then a iPad. They all have different resolutions thus different GUI. Am I dumb and missing something????

I met the URC rep and he showed me that with them I don't have to start over the programming for every device. Is this true?

Don't get me wrong. I love Rti for the rest.


Just a little background on my company.
I presently do 70% 1 room solutions : 1 remote and processor
I want to expand to do more whole house systems.
I want to control audio, video, lights, alarm, and blinds.

Thanks for your input.

I can't speak much for total control, all control systems have their advantages and limitations. I'm a soon to be former Crestron dealer, and do mainly Rti these days with Urc for one room systems.

I've found that with Rti, I try to keep the interfaces the same in the system and it makes programming much simpler. Also, I do a ton of system macros, even volume commands, so when an IR code is buggy, I can fix it once and just re use it system wide.

You will get a dozen different opinions on this, a few will be wrong. I like Rti, I can make it do what ever I want. Every time I try to make a change in my Crestron system it seems like it takes me hours to make it properly.

Total control seems like control4 to me in that you need to live in its comfort zone, which is far from a bad thing In Some cases, the client just needs to be made aware of its limitations up front.

Now if Rti would just get a working sonos driver I would be a bit happier.

Good luck with the decision.

Ive yet to find limitations with Total Control.

Its likely you'll have to start with CCP (their new IP system is ccpGEN2) as Total Control is for direct Dealers only.

Like Dave said, they ALL have their pros/cons. Pick on and stick with it. Im 100% a URC shop. Have NO desire to learn and offer any other system at this time. Customers done care what we offer. They just want something that works.

I don't understand problems with different screen sizes but that's not an issue with URC. So, glad I don't have that problem lol.

Ive toyed with Control 4 and am VERY happy its not what we offer lol.

Maybe see if there is a local training for URC to see if its something you would like? They also have online trainings.

Dave, I'd like to learn more about the limitations of which you speak. I think that may be a misunderstanding? No, its not crestron but nor is the cost, training and time.

If you already do RTI why not look at Pro Control for your one room solutions although either way I see it as moving backwards

I recently made the switch and am testing it extensively in my home before i even begin to think about putting it in the field. So far i personally really like the system but one thing has been made BRUTALLY CLEAR is if you do not have a robust network in your home or your client is not willing to pay for a network you best just walk away because the system will not work, plain and simple.

I do really dislike the fact that the remotes rely entirely on WiFi and they require a 95-100% signal to be reliable assuming the router is up to the task. For a basic TC system an Edgemax router a few unifi AP's would be perfectly fine. But for a larger installation its time to move on up to a ruckus type system which easily pushes the budget of most clients.

It is becoming brutally clear now that our channel is the only type of channel that can provide clients with a proper network so its time to start learning (im learning) But it has also become clear that clients are fed up with their best buy and ISP provided routers so a robust network is starting to become an easier sell.

Just keep that in mind that you HAVE to take over the network if you go with TC or even C4.

Here is the most telling part of your issues. It takes time to develop a decent GUI! And until you are doing large multi-room systems, you won't have the templates built. It took me MANY hours tinkering around coming up with a "decent" design. Your best purchasing a GUI package that's already built.

RTI is a great solution for single room control. Where it starts to fall apart for me is with what you described, many different interfaces. It's a mistake I made when first starting out. Do not sell a bunch of different control interfaces! Stick with T1B, T2x, and iPads only (for example).

There are a lot of ways to be efficient with RTI as well! I use to have over 2000 system macros where we would add more macros every job. That coupled with Terry's Virtual Matrix driver, programming wasn't that bad. I do love Terry's driver but seriously, why the hell hasn't RTI added a similar feature??? When you have $1000 line item for a custom driver, it gets a little ridiculous!

I like RTI in my home because I can customize it to no end. But I choose something else for my customers because it was more reliable and I make more money.

I'm running a fairly large TC system off of an Air Router that is working fine. We are upgrading to Edgemax just because of the added power and the system seems to speed up a bit with that extra processing power. Combo of Edgemax and Unifi should be good for pretty much any TC system IMHO.

The trc780 doesn't use WiFi. It is a ZigBee remote.And while the new trc1080 is WiFi only, it connects almost instantly and has been super reliable in my house. I will be using 8 of them on an upcoming boat.

You must work on some big boats. I don't have 8 rooms to even put TV's in in my house.

82' boat: Salon, Flybridge, Master stateroom, forward stateroom, port stateroom, starboard stateroom, crew stateroom, pantry(which is converted to a temporary stateroom on this boat)

How long does a install on a boat of that size (or really any size) take in comparison to regular residential installs of the same size project?

I don't do systems like this in a house. But considering that everything needs to be bolted down securely and we have much less space to work in; it probably takes much longer installing on a boat.

While I don't do RTI the logic is the same. Limit the offerings to the client and it will fix your main issue.

We do the same in Crestron.

Hopefully RTI gets APEX out soon. If I was you I would try to wait to see what APEX will bring.

If you continually jump from 1 control system to another you will end up 15 years down the road and service will be brutal.

I have hundreds and hundreds of hours into my RTI interfaces and still have hundreds upon hundreds left. My iPhone layout is the most complete but every other device hasn't even been started or needs a lot of work.

It's overwhelming for sure. Times like 100. I wanna throw up thinking about having to redesign it everytime phone screen resolution changes or iPad changes. And on and on

I feel your pain