Thanks Eric for being a Great Guy by watching these posts and helping out. I recently did a MX350 for a client that was IR only and he loves it. It was fairly quick to set up for me and works flawless.

I even used a B&K 10.1(MX700) remote to set it up for discrete power commands

I just seem to have bad RF issues in out area, small valley with lots of TV,cell antennas on all of the mountains around.

we have only had several issues with the remotes and were taken care of quickly by URC. The RF issue seems to be the real problem in our area as the IR testing of the installs work flawless.

The RTI was actually recomended by a client as he dislikes LCD display remotes and touchscreens and asked about RTI, we oredered 1 in for him and it worked so we have started using it as a main line remote for now along with Crestron.

The client with the MX350..well he uses an RTI as well in his theater. The MX350 is his kitchen remote to control his dist. audio system. He is currently considering a 2nd and 3rd for other rooms. I wont have any trouble selling them to him either as it works.

Eric, if you need a beta tester for the MRF400 I would be more than happy to test one out and give my honest opinion, let me know.

I still love the URC remotes, just didnt work $$ wise spending hours after hours troubleshooting RF

People really don't give URC enough credit. How many companies have executives like Eric who are readily available and want you to call them to help you? By doing this, you are helping the manufacturer learn about your individual issues and needs. As a result, they will develop better products for you, based on your feedback. How many companies do that? Philips...Harmony...RTI? Not a chance.

Keep in mind who OEMs URC remotes - Crestron, B & K, Sunfire, and other high end companies. You don't see Crestron with an OEM version of the T2+, you see them with an MX-3000. You don't see B & K with a Pronto, you get an MX-700. Those companies are putting their incredible reputations on the line and are not going to choose a product that will tarnish that reputation in any way. They simply have way too much to loose.

If you want to praise RTI, that's great, but there's another forum for it. If you want to express a problem and try to GET HELP with a URC product, this is the place. Some of us post in this forum to help others and some pay good money to advertise to support it. That's what keeps this site great, as well as online. Please try to be a bit more considerate toward the rest of us who have great success with URC, and also have families to support by selling those products.

I hope this puts things into perspective.



Thank you,
Damon DG
= = = = =
http://www.ProRemotes.com - Authorized Dealer & Remote Programming Services

Thanks for the offer Eric. I'll keep it in mind. In the mean time it's just cheaper, and greater peace of mind to make the switch. When the new basestation comes out, I'll have my fingers crossed.

Thanks for keeping an open mind, and stay in touch. Give me a call anytime if you run into a site where I can help.

Best Regards,

-Eric

Eric Johnson
VP of Technology
Universal Remote Control, Inc.

As long as RTI

Couldn't DIS-agree more. Becasue a company is actually SUPPORTING the CI industry, (and keeping the product from being whored out on E-bay like URC) that makes their support half as good? I for one LIKE to make a profit on what I sell, and cant do that when products are bing sold on E-bay for half of retail, or $5 or $10 more than what I pay for them.

its almost 2 different things...RTI and URC, URC has a whole line available to everone which is nice. RTI is commited to the CI industry and has only 5 remotes/wall panels now but has a few more coming

URC has quite a few and does a ton of OEM for other manufacturers

URC software is available to everyone, goes along with the remotes

RTI is a CI based remote and software is for dealers
I have given a copy of the RTI software to a client so he can edit his remote as he lives 60 miles away, I can make changes for him and email the updates to him to upload or he can try it himself. Directv changed the music choice over to xm..I had 10 calls for programming changes on URC remotes, RTI remotes and crestron,
For the guy 60 miles away he called and I walked him through it and it saved me time by not driving for an hour each way for a few changes.

Crestron and amx doesnt hand out software to non dealers, microsoft doesnt give out free software to often, hows your car?? do you have software to reset the check engine light or reset a logged fault?

Because a company doesnt allow everyone access to their software doesnt make them a crappy company

If you have a RTI remote or looking to buy one and want to play with it ask your dealer for a copy of the software..whats the worst they will do?? Say NO??? if so then dont buy one, buy a URC remote

if you are a DIY then buy a remote that you can get software for..buy a Harmony, UEI, or step up to a great company like URC, or have it profesionally done with RTI, Crestron, AMX
URC is doing a favor by allowing the software to be public and thats cool, so if they pulled the software and only allowed it to dealers only would that make them bad too??

I have said things about URC and and probably shouldnt have but it was out of frustration and Im over it now.
Eric is in here quite abit doing what he can to help out and thats awsome

Its all personal preference

I am NOT slamming URC. Frank is right though. There is a program in place to prevent this type of distribution, but as that famous old 80s saying goes "where's the beef?". Online distribution has been handled very well in general, with a few (really annoying) exceptions.

At the same time, keep in mind that people interested in the value of great support and a warranty will not buy their remote from eBay.



Thank you,
Damon DG
= = = = =
(914) 509-5360
http://www.ProRemotes.com - Authorized Dealer & Remote Programming Services

I second the fact that URC's service rocks. They go above and beyond what most companies would to assist their customers.
As previously stated my customers just prefer the MX range over the RTI range, and I always keep a open mind to other products on the market. I'm sure RTI is good, but URC's products just seem that bit better.
And I just prefer installing URC remotes, and using them.
For instance the MX-3000 is just an awesome product, and is superior to its current competition.
Keep up the good work URC, and thanks to Eric for his awesome support.
If you want to bag URC, and promote a rival, the URC forum seems like a strange place to do it???? Often makes me wonder what alterior motives exisit!!
I would never go to another forum to bag (or advertise) another product.
Look at the title of the original post!! I think it is a pity that Eric has to come here to defend what are awesome products, in their own forum!!
Think it needs to be looked at by the forum moderators. Other forums I am a member of would see this as blatant provocation.
Just my few cents. Regards all.....

You misunderstand... I wish you all the profits in the world but those profits should come from the services you offer as a CI and a reasonable mark-up on the remote. The manufacturer should however ALSO be available to support your customers. If you buy a new Mercedes isn't it nice to know that you can have that car covered by a manf warranty and have the support of service from EVERY mercedes dealer... not just the one that you bought the car from? In my experience... the people who buy expensive equipment n the cheap off eBay are probably customers you're better off without ;-)


I would also like to see Crestron & AMX software but since neither of them offer it there is really no competetive reason for them to start now. RTI & URC have several competetive products and I will choose the one that makes their software available. Just like I will buy a computer that has Microsoft software bundled with it and a car that can be serviced by any traditional service center and not exclusively the dealer.


Agreed. But it does make their product less convenient and more problemsome for ME to use. Purely a subjective opinion


Who said anyone was bad? I said I felt RTI was half as good as URC because IMO the software is more than half the value of the remote. If URC pulled their software from public use they would be on par with RTI and lose a great competetive advantage they have

The other observation I wanted to point out in this thread is that tippy & glack are both newcomers into the RTI family and from reading the boards for quite some time they are fortunate enough to be getting involved with RTI now because there have been a large number of dealers who swore off RTI forever when using the T2. Before eBay whores were a factor, RTI alienated a lot of CIs with a "deal of the day" approach and many others here have pointed out that their reason for "protecting" the software was to help win back love from the channel.

Handled well by who, URC, or RTI?

URC's 850

[Link: search.ebay.com]




URC's 950

[Link: search.ebay.com]




URC's 3000

[Link: electronics.search.ebay.com]




and finally, RTI's ANYTHING (Or lack thereof)

[Link: search.ebay.com]

Key word... REASONABLE.

See my links above. (Keep in mind, all the links above are referencing URC's "professional" line, and NOT the "consumer" line. Also references CURRENT models, not older discontinued models that no one wants anymore) So what IS reasonable? I DO make money on my services. But I also SELL the products I install. Dont get me wrong. I like the URC line. Its all I do right now. Sure, RF has given me fits recently, I just havent spec'd a RTI yet due to the price leap from URC. What DOES peeve me off however is that depending on the client, I will get shopped, and possibly accused of ripping them off when they can get them on E-bay for LESS THAN HALF OF RETAIL!

***Edit. No offense, but who are you to tell me, or any other business owner, where our profits SHOULD or SHOULDNT come from? Not trying to start a brawl, I just re-read the post, and realized your telling me how to run MY business, and where I am "allowed" to profit.

I love the fact that I could by my 5 or 10 remotes a month from ebay cheaper than through legitimate distributors. What's the world coming to?

And it doesn't matter how many you see on ebay. The only good number is none. When a customer can walk over to thier pc as soon as they get your bid and get a better price than you as the dealer, I feel violated by the manufacturer for letting it happen. I agree, wheres the beef? There is no excuse for this if you really care about your CI's and your legit retailers. RTI and many other manufacturers have proven that it can be done if you really care.

And Eric, I don't mean that YOU don't care, but I think that the buck doesn't stop with you in URC. If it did, I'm sure you would have stopped handholding and babysitting P.O'd remote dealers, and you would have actually fixed the issues instead. We all appreciate what you have done in this industry and the experience you offer, but surely, since you have been in our position, you must see why many people see your current line as sub-par when it comes to reliability. As far as taking you up on your offer to fix one of our current sites, I'll pass for now for this reason: I have followed your classes, postings, and suggestions closely for 2 years, and while it USUALLY gets fixed in the end, neither I nor the rest of the pros should have to disect your products, swap for new units, or mount basestations ungodly distances away from the equipment its controlling just to get it to do what it says it does. I don't care to waste any more time and money and cell minutes fixing the same problems again, even if I do get a free beer out of it. You must be tired of having to do this as well. Instead of dancing around on one foot and shaking a rain stick, I'd like it to just work. Right. The first time. Just like my customers expect.

So why am I posting this here? Because I wanted to discuss my feelings on these manufacturers and our industry. What other motives does a person need in a PUBLIC forum? If you can't voice your concerns and even complaints, how will companies like urc and rti and crestron and amx know what we need, and what we just won't accept? Should we just leave it up to them to figure out?

I've probably said more than I needed to, but it's been a long time coming, and now that I have something I CAN rely on, I realize just how frustrated I have been.

For all of you about to tear me apart again, I understand. You like what you like. I like urc products too, at least as a concept. I'll be biding my time waiting to use them again when there is a complete software overhaul, when you can import hex codes that are shared on sites like this (soemthing we have been asking for for a LONG TIME), when you can truly sense status of devices, and when the rf works. Until then, I'm happy with my new line.

Lol.........this is getting better. Maybe we should move this to the RTI forum?

why oh why do people come to a URC forum to bag URC????
People who are going to buy off ebay will do that whether they buy URC, Crestron, or even RTI?
People should want to buy off installers for the service. If you offer good service they will buy off you!!!! Like my customers do.
This post really needs to die a quick death, or be moved to the RTI forum.