BACKING BESPOKE?

SIMPLE MINDS?

Can programed and pre-programmed systems live together?

Cliff Stammers, EI regular, experienced programmer and founder of Clever Rooms, takes a look at the state of play in programming and commissioning.

A lot of thought has been given in recent months to try to understand where our industry is today. Not to mention, of course, where it is going to be tomorrow. And at the very forefront of this attempt to continue to make sense of our work is the subject of how users interact with increasingly complex automation systems. How then to make integration systems as unfussy as possible as the products that they control become ever more diverse. Let’s take a quick look at how one manufacturer is tackling this conundrum.

In this age of ‘Out of the Box’ preconfigurable systems, there has been enormous investment made by companies to simplify how their products are controlled. A full-scale charge away from bespoke programming has been going on now for quite some time. In the case of Crestron, for example, it’s long been their particular holy grail to be able to dispense with the third-party programming services that have been baked into their product range since the company was founded 50 years ago. There have been many attempts over the years to make things easier for their customers to successfully deploy their products. But none of these ever really took hold. Not, that is, until Crestron Home was launched over five years ago. Finally, for Crestron, it seemed that here was a product that had found a way to deliver that most elusive of goals: programmable product without the programming.

But how successful has this been? Is it still a fad, or is it something more profound? Is it really a fundamental sea-change in the way that our industry has evolved, or will it all eventually revert to type? My view is that it’s all of these things. Like the concept of control systems itself, there are dozens of ways to look at it.

There’s no doubt that the issue of bespoke programming had to be addressed. For too long service-providers had been struggling with good intent to make ephemeral ideas into cohesive working realities, chiefly because yet another project had overrun, and the next one down the line needed maximum attention already. This meant that focus was difficult to maintain. Couple this with a degree of belligerence from programmers when called upon to release the code they had written, the consequence of which was effectively to hold clients to ransom over code that they owned… well, then something had to happen.

Seen in this light then, it’s clear that a way to make the commissioning of a system an inherent part of the actual installation of one was always going to be a smart idea. To take the functionality of an integration system away from a prickly programmer and place it into the hands of a competent installation engineer, seemed like a thoroughly good move. And Crestron Home is probably the most successful interpretation of this that our industry has achieved in recent years.

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But how effective is it really? And don’t end users always want more? Yes, of course they do. They always will. So can any of these preconfigurable systems keep up with the crazy demands that are going to be placed upon them? By and large, yes, they probably can. But how much flexibility is there to be had in deploying pre-considered automation products? In short: can they do everything straight out of the box? Pretty much. But all of it? Everything? No. I doubt it. And that is why I reckon there’s a strong place for both types of control systems in the market today.

Let one embrace the other. Pre-configurable systems are a great way to get your foot in the door. And they’re the best, most succinct example of what your company can deliver in as efficient a manner as possible. After all, what speaks louder than words? Actions, right?

And once your pre-configured system is faultlessly delivering time after time, without any hiccups and glitches whatsoever, and planting an endless supply of smiles on your customers face: you’ll be able to confidently ask, is there anything else you require? How can I make your life even easier, lovely customer?

I guarantee you’ll be asked to bring a control system programmer along with you to your next meeting, at which point we can collectively dazzle your clients with our nifty skills and magnetic personalities, instilling confidence, and purpose in everyone in the room. Sort of.

Clever Rooms cliff@cleverrooms.co.uk 07801 298471

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