All Articles Tagged Industry Insider

Julie Jacobson | 01/09 11:29 AM, 4 Comments

My name is Julie and I have been to the Consumer Electronics Show 19 times. I don't necessarily choose to go. It just sort of happens to me. I fight it, but then I find myself on a plane to Vegas and the next thing you know I’m living on peppermint candies and high-priced steaks, fending off PR people from obscure toy companies, and nursing a Chapstick hangover long after the show closes. I can't say that I've always enjoyed fancy meals during CES. In the early days, EH Publishing… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 10/20 06:04 AM, 3 Comments

Back in 1994, when we launched CE Pro, most integrators came into this business by way of home security or car audio. Then came the stereo guys and electrical contractors, followed by the IT pros and commercial integrators. So where will the next wave of CE Pros come from? Would you believe … retailers of furniture, bedding and major appliances? That’s my conclusion from the recent PrimeTime Expo hosted by Nationwide Marketing Group, a buying group that represents over 3,000 dealers selling a broad range of products – bedding, furniture,… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 07/07 07:38 AM, 7 Comments

We have such passion in our industry that I guess I assumed folks could actually sell the audio, video and other gear that makes their own hearts go pit-a-pit. Many of them can. At least many of them can close a good deal once a client walks in the door. But does any company in our industry have a culture of selling? I haven’t seen it. Our collective inability to sell became clear to me after attending an outstanding - and I mean phenomenal - training session at Vivint (formerly… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 12/16 08:27 AM, 3 Comments

Have you seen the ADT Pulse ads, where a harried mother is grocery shopping with three rambunctious kids before dropping the little girl off at ballet practice? She says, “My family always keeps me busy. That’s why ADT Pulse is so great. If I forget to arm my security system, I can do it right from my phone.” Currently, more than a dozen similar commercials are running on the Internet (seriously, are all kids that boisterous?) but they’re destined for the national airwaves soon. Not far behind is Xfinity (formerly… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 11/12 07:34 AM, 3 Comments

A lot has changed in the 16 years I’ve been covering home automation. We now have sub-$500 touchscreens, smart phones that double as home controllers, metadata, and a computer – or 10 – in every household. But then, some things never change. It’s remarkable how such a dynamic industry can, at times, be so stagnant. Standards Sixteen years ago, everyone thought that if we could just agree on a single home control standard, the category would explode. Every device from every manufacturer would interoperate, installation would be a breeze, R&D… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 10/28 09:28 AM, 6 Comments

I don't know how this happened, but I purchased an annual plan with my pest-control guy for something like $600. That was three years ago, and I've renewed every year since. As a rule, I don't buy plans. We have AAA and we pay for monitored security because my husband is in the security business and we can get it at wholesale. But that's about it. Even after spending a fortune to repair a heater that crapped out on a Sunday in the middle of winter in Minnesota, I didn't… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 10/12 06:53 AM, 7 Comments

I have this new friend in Minnesota – we’ll call her Nancy because that’s her name -- and she had a few girls over for dinner recently. As if that weren’t newsworthy enough, when I entered her beautiful house for the first time I found it loaded with Crestron automation (“Oh, is that what you call it?” she asked), Lutron lighting, whole-house audio and a lush home theater. Disappointed that Nancy would not adopt me, we moved on to happier topics: dogs. Furry creatures soon gave way to talk of… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 09/01 08:13 AM, 14 Comments

CE pros often jump to all sorts of conclusions about their customers based on assumptions about what their customers should be. In the process, they may totally mis-bid a job, fail to explore innovative new products, and tick off their clients. Are you making some of these false assumptions about clients and prospects? Customers want – or should want -- the very best automation they can afford. If you follow Mark Sipe’s online chronicle of a $500,000 installation, you’ve heard this assumption ad nauseum. Dealers have proclaimed exactly what percentage… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 08/02 08:06 AM, 1 Comment

Presto’s computer-free email system Ever since we began to cover home health technology - especially solutions aimed at seniors and their caretakers - we've been asked by integrators how they can break into this market. Normally, the discussion starts with personal emergency reporting systems (PERS) like alarm-call pendants, and then moves quickly into full-fledged home monitoring systems that help seniors live more independent lives. Which solutions are the best? What are the liabilities? Is training required? How do you customize a system? Do fall detectors really work? What is the… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 06/04 08:43 AM, 7 Comments

“We can’t compete with Best Buy. They’re doing $99 installs.” Have you heard that before? Said it? Guess what: Best Buy and Geek Squad are not doing $99 installs. The price for mounting a 42-inch-or-larger TV starts at $350. For that, the geeks will mount the TV, conceal the wires in a wall (assuming single stud bay), hook up two video components, program a satellite or cable remote to operate the TV, and teach you how to use it. Add $50 to connect to the network, and $99 each for… View this story