Despite Absence from CEDIA, Elan Still Supporting Industry

MESSAGE FOR CEDIA!!!!!!

Are you seeing this! Do you see what this means! Will you get a clue about your own association! While its been great that CEDIA has seen the great growth over the years are they really in touch with the community! By that I mean the dealers and the manufacturers.

Have they adjusted their OLD thought process and tried to do anything to work with the times. To me I say NO. Other associations have grown and you see them integrating into other media outlets for exposure and promotion of their industry and association. CEDIA has 1-2 minor things and they feel WOW Look at us!

We all saw this coming a couple of years ago and feeling the financial pinch. Have they adjusted their show costs, per square foot, training room costs, freight fees and all the others. The answer is NO. So now it is forcing manufacturers to move outside and begin their own things to get the most value for their dollar.

Its time for CEDIA members to take a long look at what CEDIA is doing for everybody and VOICE YOUR THOUGHTS. To see as many as we are cutting back, not exhibiting, partner exhibiting etc should be telling them something…...

It certainly is telling me something about the growing trend of dealers and manufacturers who feel the value isn’t the same anymore. Let’s all remember how many of us stopped going to CES because it didn’t provide us the ROI for our time and investment.

I agree with what Joe is speaking on. The people who control the industry( Dealer/installer ) are just going with the flow…Instead of going in a new direction.

Elan’s Road Show was a joke compared to the knowledge gained at CEDIA.  The whole thing was a sales seminar.  The great thing about CEDIA and Elan in the past is that we get to meet the engineers or tech guys that actually work on the product and ask them questions that your regional sales rep has no clue about.  We also get to see the product in action not just sitting on a table for us to look at.  Elan’s decision to not show at CEDIA was a mistake.  I see signs of bad weather ahead for Elan unless they some how get their product IP based SOON!  That via touch panel is pretty dated and so is that hack job windows CE touch panel from Home Logic!!  Elan needs to clear that horrible dated product line and get something innovative!

Jeff,

I agree the Road Show lacked detailed training, etc. and was more of a new product line sales training, however, their HomeLogic product is extremely stable compared to the competition’s systems that we have removed from client’s home at their request due to non-stability issues.  When combining an Elan system with a HomeLogic system the amount of programming is easily cut in half if not more and can be programmed completely offsite.  Combine that with their iPhone interface, which is bullets, and you have very happy clients with a system that simply works, compared to other systems that require constant tweaking, etc.

Brad,  you’re right I’m pretty impressed that the Home Logic system actually works.  Especially since the product itself looks like it was designed over a weekend of some really good beer!

Combining Elan and Home Logic is a HUGE mistake!  You loose all the benefits of an IP system when you do that.  While it may work it’s a huge disservice to your client and yourself.  Maintaing two User Interfaces’s is not only confusing to your client but a pain to your programmer and to the guy who answers the phone when your client calls and says his touch panel doesn’t work.

The iPhone interface is about the only UI worth while from Home Logic too bad you can’t make any money selling iphones.

Jeff,

I see what you are saying when combining the two together.  I should have went into more detail.  When we do a HomeLogic/Elan system we always quote HL tablets or 8.4 inwalls from HL and do not use any of the Elan touchscreens or interfaces.  I agree, two different interfaces just confuses the customer.  We like the way the HL interfaces set up in minutes with almost minimal programming compared to the Via! 6.4, etc. We like the way the HL intergrates with the Elan S-12, etc.

Is this where the CEPRO blog gets it content now, from OTHER blogs? There’s only two reasons not to show up at the biggest residential trade show in the industry:

1. You think it’s a sh*tty show, a waste of time & money, and don’t feel it’s worth your marketing $$.

or…

2. You don’t have the money to invest

You pick…

Jerry,  In Elan’s case I pick number 2.  They’re a sinking ship with outdated technology from the 90’s.   

Brad, I’m glad to hear you don’t mix the two because Elan sure would like you to do so.  You have to admit the Home Logic product looks horrible compared anything else around, UI and hardware.  Who designs a control system to go into a low voltage can???  I like the S12 too,  but it’s way over priced!  You shouldn’t use it with a Homelogic system because its a waste. A lot of features go unused if you’re not using elan touch panels.  It should actually handle 12 zones, but it doesn’t w/o buying another one.  Compare that to an Autopatch switch and you will see what I’m talking about.