I thought about starting this thread myself when I heard about the builder program.
Forgive me while I ramble.
It doesn't seem that every device that presently works with LifeWare is 2-way (more on 2-way in a minute)
It seems the only really cool implementation within LifeWare is WSD. No one's control system is truly open as i've stated in a recent thread. It seems WSD is what is required to really make LifeWare standout. How many companies are currently employing WSD? How many will in the near future?
The problem any software based company is going to have within the AV industry is the AV industry is used to pushing boxes and that is where the profit lies as well as in labor. In the computer industry the hardware has become a commodity and it seems it may do the same in the AV marketplace. LifeWare and a few other companies are betting their futures on this.
The last thread I posted in talked about using the right tool for the job. It makes sense that many IT type companies would be interested in this product because it fits a business model they are familiar with. Most CI's are not ready for that level or type of commitment!
To sidetrack the thread a bit look at Stardraw Control. It looks like a great front end can do most if not all of what AMX/Crestron can do. The only catch is you must assemble your own hardware ala CQC - no big deal but how many CI firms are ready or willing to offer that level of commitment to their customers? What happens to the customer if said CI firm goes under? That is worse than some AMX/Crestron progammer holding the source code hostage! Some in the IT world are used to this model of custom pc's for a specific job, many are not. I mention Stardraw Control because it is based on Microsoft .net and will likely in the near future include WSD and is fully customizable.
To play devil's advocate for a minute I do believe that many of us CI's need to get our heads out of the sand.
1) We've needed recurring revenue for a while. LifeSupport is a good thing as is whatever Control4 is calling theirs.
2) There is a good possibility that hardware will become a commodity - most of it already has. Software is where many will head.
There is nothing particularly special about AMX or Crestrons hardware and it's not very expensive. What is expensive about those companies is the touchpanels, accessories, and programming.
(Still playing devil's advocate) I'm not sure Lifeware's business model is inherently flawed they just haven't found the sweetspot yet and CI's are still rebuffing software. Either LifeWare and other companies haven't figured out that CI's want hi margin hardware they can sell reliably & consistently with fantastic dealer support, or CI's haven't figured out that the market is changing and we're on the wrong bus!
Sidenote: I heard there is an large MDU project in Philly where the integrator is using placing mulit-room audio, lighting control, and LifeWare in every unit. That takes a lot of balls for an unproven product!
The argument of whether or not windows can be used succesfully in home automation needs to be given a rest. How much industrial automation is done on the windows platform on a globa scale - TONS! See Rockwell, GE Funoc, Schneider and the list goes on. A lot more heavy hitters in industrial automation than our industry. It may also be a glimpse of where we are headed.
LifeWare is a bit too vague in their descriptions of what they do and how they do it.
It seems that often in our industry we sell too much sizzle and not enough steak and yes AMX/Crestron have plenty of meat but they are only as good as the Chef (programmer). There are too many instances where Mr & Mrs customer want to keep up with the Jones's who have this fancy flashy control system and we gladly give it to them without properly determining their needs and wants and how we can mesh those two together. I've seen more fancy unusable touchpanel designs than ones that are simple and inuitive (not just from the big 2). Just because you or I think it's usable doesn't mean our clients think so. Most clients who are asking for full blown customization are sold on the wow not the how and eventually it comes back to how. How many of the AMX/Crestron crew out there have had to go back (for free) and change something their client didn't like even though initially they said that was what they wanted?
If you remember my post a few days ago I stated the last thing many customers want to do is come home and see an interface that looks just like the one they just left at work. I asked one of my best clients yesterday if he had a problem with that. His answer was he works in XP 10 hours a day, is good/comfortable with it and has NO problem coming home to see that same interface on his TV. He could absolutley care less about ANY customization - he just wants it to work right the first time and easily find what he is looking for.
2-Way control is overrated. In many cases useless other than eye candy. Let's take lighting control for example and see how/where this can also lead to additional system complexity & client confusion. Do you show feedback for EVERY load on a panel (a complete waste). Do you show what scenes are currently active on a panel (not very useful) - you already know what those scenes are when you select them). If you use a floorplan on your touchpanels it is either not possible or just plain stupid to show all lighting loads. Your 2-way feedback is did the light come on or not. Most lighting control systems on the market are very robust and if the light doesn't come on then you know you have a problem. When lighting companies start putting cat5 on their cans so you know when a bulb burns out then maybe it would be useful (not really).
Volume control is another bit of eye candy. The remote controls that people have been using for decades don't offer feedback, the knobs/displays on most receivers is unreadable from a distance so it's more of a sales tool than anything. Your ears will tell you where you want the volume. How many homeowners NEED to adjst the volume remotely. The amount of people in this forum that complain about tactile feedback and the fact that you have to look at a touchscreen speaks volumes (no pun intended).
It's great for metadata, security system status and that's about it. If you press mute and nothing happens, feedback wouldn't help you. I think more of us need to differentiate between feedback and monitoring. Anything that can be monitored it makes perfect sense. Everything else is just flash - not bad but not necessarily useful.
Questions about the builder program:
Who sets system pricing for the builder?
When DA and plasmas, and speakers are included in the package, who's are they? If they are not my goto brand then why should I help sell LifeWare and not my other vendors products.
Do I lose margin on those included items because you've presold the builder on system cost?
What incentive for me is there to come in and upsell a customer that was undersold by BB in the first place and most likely did poor system design and planning? (that will significantly increase the likelyhood after the sale that either the customer will be unhappy with LifeWare and unhappy with BB. It also means if there is a significant problem the referred integrator will not get the job.)
The lifecontroller is only part of the top 2 packages which brings us right back to putting your control and everything eles on the same platform. XP can be compromised if the computer (controller) is on a shared network with other computers even if your not using that computer (controller) for surfing the net/email.
Why would you tell builders that they don't need to run structured wiring! Everyone on here should know the only way to have relibale wireless is to have a proper wired infrastrucure! Even if you are using powerline what about future devices? A dedicated wiring topology would always be better. To tell builders they don't need structured wiring and then to put your system on top of it. What if the powerlines aren't where we need them. What happens when it's time to start stream HD and the bandwidth available on powerline is saturated? You have got to be joking!
OT: Ernie once said he wouldn't want to pay extra money for structured wiring (in extra locations & 2x2) if he wasn't sure he was going to use it. I don't agree with that philosophy anymore. You do that already with electric. Most of us don't use all of the outlets in our house but we sure pay for them and we pay to put them in places where we need them when they aren't. No significant difference as far as utility goes.
