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Schneider/Square D Eyes Colorado vNet Dealers
Lighting control and home automation vendors are rushing to fill the void left (temporarily??) by Colorado vNet.
The manufacturer of lighting controls, multiroom audio, media servers and home control shut its doors last week, but the company is hoping for a revival. VP of sales Mike Malone reiterated today, "There is a lot of interest and a lot of serious activity from several sources."
Even so, vNet competitors are trying to lure dealers into their camps, offering discounts and providing other incentives.
One of the most aggressive players seems to be Schneider's Clipsal group.
Representatives from Schneider have been posting enticements on industry bulletin boards, pointing out in particular that both companies employ similar (unconventional) wiring topologies for lighting control. They both also utilize a distributed architecture in which intelligence is embedded in the controllers, rather than a central hub.
Worthington Distribution, for one, is touting Clipsal as "a Colorado vNet replacement."
Promoting its three-day training in Nashville, Oct. 6-8, Worthington writes:
For these reasons, I named Schneider as a strong contender in "Who Would Buy Colorado vNet?"
vNet's Malone warns that it's not over yet. "We have people in the factory and we are shipping product and offering technical support. ... We even have engineers working on finishing projects. So the whole company is working hard to maintain the business till a new owner can take this business forward."
The manufacturer of lighting controls, multiroom audio, media servers and home control shut its doors last week, but the company is hoping for a revival. VP of sales Mike Malone reiterated today, "There is a lot of interest and a lot of serious activity from several sources."
Even so, vNet competitors are trying to lure dealers into their camps, offering discounts and providing other incentives.
One of the most aggressive players seems to be Schneider's Clipsal group.
Representatives from Schneider have been posting enticements on industry bulletin boards, pointing out in particular that both companies employ similar (unconventional) wiring topologies for lighting control. They both also utilize a distributed architecture in which intelligence is embedded in the controllers, rather than a central hub.
Worthington Distribution, for one, is touting Clipsal as "a Colorado vNet replacement."
Promoting its three-day training in Nashville, Oct. 6-8, Worthington writes:
It is always a sad time in the industry to hear a company will be closing their doors. In addition to the hard working employees it also greatly affects the dealers that have specified a system. Fortunately, the lighting topography for a Colorado vNet system will work with the Clipsal System. Clipsal offers some of the most attractive keypads on the market and only requires 2 conductors to each communicating module. You can tap and daisy chain. It is one of the most flexible wiring topography on the market. If you are unable to make the training, we are happy to help you specify and quote a Clipsal system.
For these reasons, I named Schneider as a strong contender in "Who Would Buy Colorado vNet?"
vNet's Malone warns that it's not over yet. "We have people in the factory and we are shipping product and offering technical support. ... We even have engineers working on finishing projects. So the whole company is working hard to maintain the business till a new owner can take this business forward."
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Article Topics
Blogs · Home Automation and Control · Control Systems · Distributed Audio · Home Automation ·About the Author
Julie Jacobson, Editor-at-large, CE Pro
Julie Jacobson is co-founder of EH Publishing and currently spends most of her time writing for CE Pro, mostly in the areas of home automation, networked A/V and the business of home systems integration. She majored in Economics at the University of Michigan, earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, and has never taken a journalism class in her life. Julie is a washed-up Ultimate Frisbee player with the scars to prove it. Follow her on Twitter @juliejacobson.
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