I have a small install company, only 2 years old, but growing fast.We do alot of A/V, phone systems, structured wire, etc but we havent done any automation.I just got a call from a builder I do alot of work for that wants to control 12 velux motorized skylights each with a motorized shade.I know these could be controlled by crestron or amx, but I am not a dealer for either (yet).I imagine that like me alot of you have branched out to other areas because of a request and learned how to do it, creating new profit opportunities. Any suggestions on how to handle this? (besides run !!) I am going to meet the homeowner next week for the audio layout and would like to have a possible solution. Thanks in advance for the help.
Deco

deco:

Tough question. Do you have any initial idea what scope of automation they are interested in? At this point my best advice is to see if you can find someone you could partner with but that requires great care too. For instance, you don't want to call someone and then find out that they are also bidding on the job. On the other hand, you sort of need to know what you are going to recommend (or at least say you could do) when you meet with him.

QQQ, Tried partnering in the past and as you pointed out I ended up bidding against the guy I brought in.
I dont want to walk away from this as the builder was a great help to me starting out. The skylights are the only automation he mentioned, but after I meet the client I will have a better feel for what he's looking for. HAI has been after me to take on their secuity/automation panel, anybody had any experience with it? I dont do security either, but maybe I should?I have been able to make a nice living and support 2 trucks and 4 employees with the product mix I have now. Do you guys do security also?
Deco

i've installed motorised shades,the models i have seen are a simple 12 volts trigger to open and close
12 volts =open 0 volts = closed you can control it with a switch or a remote control unit that as triger out, the electrician will need to bring the 110 volts directly to the curtain and you can do the rest with a cat5 from the remote unit or switch to the curtains

For automating the skylights (and other items) inexpensively, you could use an Ocelot with an RLY8-A module -- [Link: appdig.com]. The Ocelot is a programmable controller that could open/close the windows at specific times (days), or when triggered by X-10 or IR signals. You could also step up to the Leopard, which is the same thing, but includes a built-in touchscreen.

The HAI panels are excellent. They not only provide very good security, but can be the basis of a complete automation system. Most people already have or need/want an alarm system anyway, so it's usually not very hard to up-sell them to the Omni. Once you sell them on the concept, it can really snowball :-)

Then, there's the ultimate automation/control system -- Crestron...

Doesn't Vimco (Lutron) make something you could use? I am having DNS issue right now or else I would check for you.

www.vimco.com

Deco,

Do they want to hit a button and have them open or have it done automatically at pre-defined times?

Do you put IR Repeater systems in for your clients?

If so, you can use a Xantech CC12 Remote Relay that would work off their IR receivers. You would then program their IR remotes to send the open/close commands.

The CC12 is about $150/retail and would require their RC68+ remote to program it initially.

If they want them to open automatically at certain times you then need to go with the Ocelot or another control system like Tony recommends.

George

Thanks to all for the input, I have a good idea on how to handle it. I wish I had found this forum earlier in my career, as I could of saved alot of time digging for info. I have yet to post a question that I didnt receive at least one intelligent response. Thanks again
Deco