Whew, we made it to the tail end of 2020! While this year has certainly thrown some curveballs at the residential AV industry, our colleagues across the U.S. and around the world have done an amazing job of keeping spirits high and heightening efforts to better balance family and career time. Since we here at CE Pro know our readers have had other things on their minds besides catching up on the latest industry happenings, we’ve curated a list of the most popular stories we’ve hosted this year.
While this year’s list has a few stories that are less relevant now due to those stories focusing on early actions related to the coronavirus, in general articles were selected based on social media engagement, total number of views, and industry impact. But don’t worry, there are still quite a few that are well worth revisiting!
Here’s our list of the most popular stories of the year:
#1: $18M Las Vegas Doomsday Wellness Bunker Is Mind-Blowing
It seems our readers have a certain penchant for doomsday bunker stories, seeing as one of 2018’s most popular stories shared the theme. That being said, this installation is truly special. Using nothing but the technology available to them over 40 years ago, this homeowner created one of the first underground wellness bunkers.
The going price for this late 70s 15,000-square foot subterranean mansion is around $18 million, so while it may not be in the tax brackets of most of our readers, it stands as an example of what homeowners and integrators can accomplish together when prompted.
However, it’s certainly not very advanced by modern standards. The wellness lighting is not programmed, so it does not change automatically with the time of day. In order to change from day to night or from dawn to dusk, the user has to physically flip the light switches on multiple banks of fixtures, each one containing four separate colored fluorescent tube bulbs.
#2: How to Get Your CARES Act Money
While this story was originally featured on our site back in March when the coronavirus was brand new to our readers, it still remains one of our most heavily trafficked stories of the year.
The story highlights what integrators and business owners should have known in order to receive federal CARES Act money, including going over qualifications, the amount of loans integrators can ask for, loan forgiveness, and more.
#3: Smart Tiny House Loaded with $25K in Technology
Tiny homes have certainly become a major trend among hip Millennials and cash-strapped Gen X’ers, and the integration industry has responded appropriately.
Looking for proof? By far one of our readers’ favorite articles from 2020 was this one on a tiny house absolutely brimming with smart home tech, including a suite of smart appliances from GE, Google Nest security cameras, an LG smart TV and more…all packed into just 370-square-feet!
#4: 12 AV Receivers that Bring the Theater Experience Home
The movie theater industry is undoubtedly experiencing some financial struggles during the pandemic due to more families choosing to stay home and stream a movie rather than risk going to a theater, and with that shift integrators have seen a sharp spike of interest in home theaters.
In his article, editor Bob Archer highlights some of his favorite AV receivers that are well-suited for home theaters, providing an overview of each product and why each one is worthy of consideration during your next install.
#5: Inside Tom Brady’s New Crestron-Controlled Smart Home
It has been a whirlwind year for legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady. After squatting at Derek Jeter’s house following a move from New England to Tampa Bay, Brady was in need of a new waterfront home to call his own. Thankfully, local integrators were ready and willing to turn his chosen home into a smart home paradise, complete with a Crestron home automation system, home theater, security video surveillance, motorized shades, and a state-of-the-art AV system that carries throughout the entire home.
#6: Federal Govt. Labels Integrators as ‘Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers’
This is another good example of a post that may not have as much of an impact now as it did back in March, but this story on the U.S government declaring integrators essential workers was extremely important for our readers this year.
With so many unanswered questions heading into the nationwide coronavirus outbreak, it was nice for business owners and workers to know definitively how they stood. This article is also included because it really struck a chord with our audience on Twitter and Facebook, making it one of our most shared stories of the year.
#7: 2020 CE Pro 100 Brand Analysis Showcases the Industry’s Top Manufacturers
Integrators from across the continent visited our website this year, all searching for information on the highest rated brands according to the CE Pro 100.
This year, categories such as Lighting Fixtures and Water Leak Detection soared in their uptick across the leaderboards from last year’s numbers, the first time CE Pro tracked those categories. The same goes for security-related areas that we began tracking a few years ago such as Access Control, Cybersecurity/Firewalls, IP Surveillance Cameras, Smart Locks/Deadbolts and Video Doorbells as that sector continues to innovate with products that play well with control systems. Check it out!
#8: Digging into Vivint’s Staggering Raw Numbers
Vivint has remained one of the most talked-about companies by our readers ever since they went public on the NYSE at the start of 2020. So it’s natural people were interested when the company pulled back the curtain a bit and allowed integrators to see its growth in 2019. The company reported over 1.5 million subscribers by that point, and an average of over $60 in RMR per subscriber!
#9: Hands-On: Sony VPL-VW915ES 4K Projector is Value King
While editor Bob Archer’s hands-on product reviews often garner a lot of attention from our readers both on CEPro.com and in the magazine, it’s rare that one becomes this popular. It helps that Sony has been on a bit of a hot streak with its projectors lately, receiving rave reviews for projectors like its VPL-VW995ES.
While the $19,999 VPL-VW915ES projector may not be what some call a “budget” option, it helped set the bar for what integrators expect from high-end 4K projection systems. The product definitely left an impression on Bob. As he mentions in his review, “…Anyone looking for a high-performance home projector simply needs to narrow their search parameters down to one word—Sony.”
#10: Texas-Size Backyard Project Dazzles with AV Options
This Texas backyard is not your ordinary suburban paradise. Integration company Elite AV took over a year to get everything completed, adding features like Control4 keypads, Somfy solar screens, an Epson projector, and more!
The real trick to the install came from coordinating with contractors, the pool company, and the homeowners to make sure everything would be done simultaneously. It all worked out in the end, and now the homeowners are able to kick back in their new home without any added disturbances.
