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ContENTS
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MEET THE BOARD CEDIA'S new Board of Directors talks strategy
Integrate and educate Mexico's Inteliksa builds systems — and trains new techs
lights, SHADE, ACTION! You don't have to be an expert in lighting to bring in more bucks
ENERGY MANAGEMENT We ask members for their take on the future of power and energy
The iOT: Friend or foe? The Internet of Things means opportunity — and risk
Time is MONEY Here are four tools to save time and raise profits
PRO LIABILITY INSURANCE A Q&A on coverage that’s often overlooked
THE builder's VIEW What do builders and designers look for in an integrator?
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A WINNING STRATEGY Thanks for picking up this issue of CEDIA Communicates. We have big news on multiple fronts: Our strategic plan has been crafted, and we’ve begun implementing it — and our global headquarters building is going up quickly. But most importantly: Our members continue to do tremendous, astonishing work. You’ll meet one of those members in the pages that follow, an integrator from Mexico named Enrique Granados. His company, Inteliksa, has won several CEDIA Awards, and Enrique has personally introduced CEDIA training as an education programme in one of the leading universities in Mexico. This issue also includes some terrific business advice: Leslie Shiner weighs in with a piece entitled “Time is Money: Four Tools to Boost Your Profits,” and lighting and shading expert, Jan Eden tells us how to incorporate those elements into your next project. We speak to a general contractor and an expert designer on what they look for when they’re finding an integrator to work with. There’s more, of course — literally too much to mention here. We just hope you enjoy reading the publication as much as we enjoy putting it together for you. All the best,
Tabatha O’Connor CEDIA Global President and CEO
Contact
Unit 2, Phoenix Park, St Neots Cambridgeshire, PE19 8EP, UK Email: info@cedia.co.uk Telephone: +44 (0)1480 213744 www.cedia.co.uk
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7150 Winton Drive, Suite 300 Indianapolis, Indiana 46268 USA Email: info@cedia.org Telephone: +1 800.669.5329 www.cedia.net
Front cover image: Inteliksa Integración Autopista Mexico - Queretaro 3069-C, Int. 3B San Andres Atenco Tlalnepantla, 54040, Mexico Telephone: +52 (55) 5026 6969 Email: ventas@inteliksa.com www.inteliksa.com All material in Communicates is the copyright of CEDIA and any reproduction of said material would require written permission from the publisher. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of content published, CEDIA cannot accept responsibility for any factual errors that may occur. CEDIA cannot accept responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors.
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NEWS IN BRIEF 2018 TECH FORUMS CEDIA kickstarted its tour with a Tech Forum in London on Tuesday 24th April. The one-day event took place at CodeNode, the UK's largest venue dedicated to technology events in the heart of London. Exclusively for the London event, CEDIA hosted a keynote session that saw David Mudd focus on the impact of the Internet of Things on the industry. CEDIA welcomed AWE, Genesis, LG, Lutron, Meridian Audio, and RGB as seminar and exhibition sponsors of the 2018 events; they contributed to an industry-leading seminar programme that ran throughout the day. Exhibiting sponsors, Energenie, Flint Insurance, Focal, LILIN, Niko, OneAV, and Redline showcased their latest products to attendees throughout the day. Following the first Tech Forum, CEDIA will now be touring the rest of the UK.
• Bristol | 22nd May • Edinburgh | 13th June
CEDIA AND KNX JOIN FORCES CEDIA has announced a reciprocal agreement with the KNX Association to develop closer collaboration on training and additional initiatives which will add value to technology integrators. “Integrators in the connected home sector are broadening their skill sets to meet homeowner demand for entertainment technologies that can be integrated and controlled with HVAC, lighting, and security systems on a single platform,” says Matt Nimmons, Managing Director of CEDIA EMEA. “In light of this trend, it makes sense for CEDIA to build a stronger alliance with the KNX Association. The partnership will bring valuable benefits to members of both our organisations, with access to KNX training and an exclusive discount on the ETS Inside software tool.” With KNX appointing CEDIA as an official Training Centre, members will now be able to attend the KNX Basic training course at CEDIA’s training facility in St Neots. This course explores all aspects of the principles of the KNX protocol and includes both theoretical learning and hands-on programming exercises to build the attendees’ understanding of and confidence with the KNX system configuration tool, ETS. The course concludes with an examination to test the knowledge gained which, once passed, will qualify the candidate as a KNX Partner. By the end of the course, attendees will understand the principles of the KNX Communication protocol and how to build, configure, diagnose, and examine a KNX system. “Training has always been a key factor for success for us” says KNX President, Franz Kammerl. “The cooperation between CEDIA and KNX will redefine the availability and impact of training for AV solutions and smart homes. Thanks to the KNX certification scheme for training centres, CEDIA has the possibility to further extend its training portfolio, addressing a completely new type of professional. We will support CEDIA in providing this new training opportunity to its members in various countries, starting with the UK.”
• London | 16th October • Leeds | 13th November www.cedia.co.uk/cedia-events
As part of this new partnership, CEDIA members can receive an exclusive discount on the KNX ETS Inside product licence, reducing its price from €160 to only €60*. The ETS Inside software tool allows set up, monitoring, and management of a KNX home installation from a mobile device. CEDIA will be hosting the KNX Basic course on weeks commencing Monday 21st May and Monday 24th September 2018. The price for this course is £649 + VAT for CEDIA members and £799 + VAT for non-members. www.cediaeducation.com www.knx.org *Available for 3 months
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EXTENDED ACCESSIBILITY FOR ECS CARDS CEDIA is now making it easier for CEDIA members to obtain an ECS Home Technology Integrator Card by extending availability through two additional CEDIA Certifications. Previously, only those who had a current Technical Certification were eligible for an ECS card, but this has now been extended to CEDIA’s Network and Designer qualifications as a recognised related discipline. “An ECS card is essential for anyone working in our industry for many reasons” comments Matt Nimmons. “It not only confirms that the cardholder meets the required level of health and safety awareness, but it also displays their industry qualification. The card is also a valid identification for gaining access to a construction site or customers’ property. By expanding the card to cover the Networking and Designer certifications, we are hoping to facilitate site access to more industry professionals and further raise the public profile of CEDIA certifications.” Fully affiliated to the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) scheme, the ECS card is a simple and effective way to obtain access to construction sites and provide proof of identity and qualification levels. Integrators in possession of an ECS card can stand out from competitors and display their occupation and CEDIA Certification with pride, as well as verifying their awareness of on-site Health and Safety regulations. CEDIA members can take their ECS assessment in CEDIA's training centre. CEDIA’s one-day Health & Safety course is designed to help integrators understand the required site competency skills, with clear guidance and documentation to protect integrators, their business, and company employees on site. At the end of the course, delegates take a 30min ECS assessment. Anyone with a valid ECS health and safety assessment and a current CEDIA ECS-T, ESC-N, or ESC-D certification will then be eligible for the ECS Home Technology Integrator card available through CEDIA. For those new to the industry, CEDIA has also introduced a oneyear Trainee ECS card available for those going through CEDIA's Smart Home Technician or Smart Home Designer Tracks. To qualify for this card, integrators will need to Pass their ECS Health & Safety assessment. To make it easier and more affordable for integrators to gain access to an ECS card, CEDIA has developed an exclusive package deal. For just £199, members can take any of CEDIA’s Certification exams, the Health & Safety assessment, and receive the ECS card upon qualifying. www.cediaeducation.com
NEW APPOINTMENT CEDIA recently welcomed Fiona Tonyin to the EMEA office. Fiona previously worked at Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service a Business Support Assistant, and has a background in marketing, website design, and general admin. She joins CEDIA as an Education Co-ordinator, and will be responsible for organising the courses and training in the education team.
NEW MEMBERS CEDIA welcomes 39 new members across EMEA this quarter… FINLAND > Kruunuradio Mareksound FRANCE > Agath Prestige Distribution France INDIA > Concrete Audio Milan Sales Corp IRELAND > TECHFIT ITALY > Arata Service SRL MAIOR JERSEY > PGAV SOUTH AFRICA > SIAV UNITED KINGDOM > Adair Acoustic Design Alltrade Aerial & Satellite Ltd Armillo IT Services Ltd Atlantis AV Solutions Ltd Bang and Olufsen - Belfast BEOSOLUTIONS Brightmark Solutions Ltd Cablegold Limited CLEO (Connecting Life & Everyone Online) Consider it Done Ltd Cotswold Smart Homes Ltd Electrical-Magic Encore Home Technology Heriot AV ICT London Impression AudioVisual Ltd iSight Systems Ltd JCL Living Systems MGB Electrical Solutions Ltd Mike Roberts Electrical Services Ltd Orbit AV PCKWIKFIX PRZM Limited Rior AV Ltd Sonic Syndicate Ltd SyncTrix Ltd. Your Smart Home Ltd
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CEDIA'S NEW STRATEGIC PLAN Three years, three major areas of focus
CEDIA’s new strategic plan looks to grow the association as an industry leader in education, standards, and best practices, and collaboration with the building and design trades.
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Throughout this planning process, we looked long and hard at how to move the needle for the industry and for CEDIA members.
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n early February, CEDIA unveiled the outputs from its new strategic plan that will prioritise the work of the association over the next three years. That project was the culmination of months of meetings, research, outreach to members — and more than a few passionate discussions. Every CEDIA staff member and board member was involved in the process at some point along the plan’s development, from crafting segmented polling queries to the formulation of the plan’s language to direct, one-on-one contact with stakeholders. The entire process was guided by strategy expert, Dr. Rebecca Homkes, whose bona fides include her work as a teaching fellow of strategy and entrepreneurship at the London Business School and a previous gig as director of the London School of Economics Centre for Economic Performance, where she remains a fellow. Rebecca is also an active executive-level strategy consultant and helps lead an investment company in Silicon Valley. Her papers have appeared in the Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Foresight, The Government Office for Science. As Rebecca told us back in May 2017, “This strategy work is all about better defining and understanding the industry that CEDIA as an association serves, which customers we are going to serve, and the value proposition that we are going to offer those customers.” She then outlined her process further, urging patience — and caution. “When it comes to developing strategy, there is a tendency to go immediately to actions and priorities, but what you need to do (especially in a fast-changing industry) is define the bounds of the industry and the key things that are shaping it. The front end of this process is all about defining and understanding the industry and being clear about the set of assumptions we are making about it. We have narrowed in on understanding the customers we should serve and what we need to do to better understand our value proposition to those members.” In short, Rebecca helped answer the question: How can an association of CEDIA’s size best help the members of its industry?
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THE RESULTS The final plan aims for significant advances and leadership in three key areas: • Education • Increasing professionalism though standards, guidelines, and best practices • Deeper engagement and partnership with the design and build community “The strategy process provided an unparalleled opportunity to align the values, interests, and input of all of CEDIA’s key stakeholders,” says David Humphries, CEDIA chairman. “We have been able to build consensus on what success should look like for CEDIA at the end of this strategy and how we as an organisation will get there.” CEDIA Global President and CEO, Tabatha O’Connor adds, “CEDIA is committed to members and their success, and this process created clarity around the priorities that provide the most meaningful benefit to them individually and to the industry as a whole.” EARLY IMPLEMENTATION: EDUCATION GOES ON THE ROAD The association began implementing the new plan even before details had been released. Volunteers and staff members have been fanning out across the globe to bring training to its members while redoubling its efforts to provide the right online materials. “CEDIA will seek to enhance the overall education experience through refining, curating, and developing new, relevant, and compelling courses,” Tabatha elaborates. “This will include an improved digital experience as well as expanded regional education offerings.” As of this writing, CEDIA has already scheduled over 50 regional training events in 12 countries, including the U.S., Canada, and Europe, as well as India, Mexico, Colombia, Australia, and China. CREATING STANDARDS, DEVELOPING BEST PRACTICES, AND DEFINING GUIDELINES It’s easy to express the association’s lofty goals — especially in this arena. Naturally, putting those words into practice requires a fairly monumental effort. Step one: Creating standards, developing best practices, and defining guidelines to elevate professionalism and drive member and industry success. Step two: Keep it simple. “We know time is a limited resource, so we will distil down these technical documents to deliver the information in a way that is quick and easy to understand and can be immediately implemented,” Tabatha explains.
CEDIA will also collaborate with manufacturers to better understand emerging technologies and how CEDIA education can enhance awareness, understanding, and implementation of these new technologies. DEEPER ENGAGEMENT WITH THE DESIGN/ BUILD COMMUNITY Again, this was a process that was already underway — the connection between CEDIA’s members and the building trades was clear and intuitive. CEDIA already has its Outreach Instructor programme in place, and this leg of the plan means that the association’s COI efforts will see more dedicated resources. Another continuing effort: CEDIA’s presence at next year’s annual Design and Construction Week show in Las Vegas. The CEDIA Technology Solutions Pavilion at the annual trade show puts residential tech solutions in front of 80,000 architects, builders, and designers. “Throughout this planning process, we looked long and hard at how to move the needle for the industry and for CEDIA members: We determined that it was by building awareness and creating demand for CEDIA members’ services with architects, builders, and designers,” says Dave Humphries.
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We will be deeply engaged with relevant standards bodies to create and influence the direction of industry standards.
But the efforts don’t end there, according to Dave: “Additionally, we plan to engage in an integrated marketing campaign, including hiring a media relations company specialising in this area to ensure that architects, builders, and designers know who we are, what we do, and why they need to work with their local CEDIA member.” The CEDIA Board and staff members — while relieved that this first bit of heavy lifting is complete — know that the development of a strategic plan isn’t a static thing. Developing a map for the future in an industry as changeable as home technology is never a “set it and forget it” proposition. But having a clear list of directions in hand to move forward has focussed everyone on the tasks ahead. Tabatha sums it up: “We are incredibly energised about the future — for both our industry and our association.”
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MEET THE
A new HQ. A new strategic plan. And a lot of new ideas.
CEDIABOARDOF CEDIA’s 2018-2019 Board of Directors began work in January, and their first order
DIRECTORS of business: Approve the Executive Committee and appointed Directors. With all 13 members in place, we’d like to introduce you to each of them individually.
David Humphries
Giles Sutton
Chairman
Chairman-Elect
Atlantic Integrated
James + Giles
Rockleigh, NJ, USA
London, UK
Dave Humphries founded Atlantic Integrated in May 2003. His prior experience was with Lutron Electronics over a 15-year career. Dave has served as CEDIA Chairman-Elect and Board Treasurer, is the past president of IPRO, and is a veteran of the United States Air Force. What’s your number one priority during your tenure on the Board? Simply put: The effective implementation and refinement of CEDIA’s three-year strategic plan. The strategy process provided an unparalleled opportunity to align the values, interests, and input of all CEDIA’s key stakeholders. We have been able to build consensus on what success should look like for CEDIA and how we as an organisation will get there. Throughout this process, we looked long and hard at how to move the needle for the industry and for CEDIA members: We determined that it was by building awareness and creating demand for CEDIA members’ services with architects, builders, and designers. We plan to engage in an integrated marketing campaign, including hiring a media relations company specialising in this area to ensure that architects, builders, and designers know who we are, what we do, and why they need to work with their local CEDIA member.
Giles Sutton completed his degree in Sound Technology at Paul McCartney’s prestigious Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA). After graduating, he spent several years designing recording studios and cinema systems before moving into the smart home industry as a system designer. Giles founded James + Giles in 2006 and is a CEDIA Certified Electronic Systems Designer (ESC-D) and is on the Sonos CI Council. What about your experience makes you uniquely suited to serve on the Board? I have been an active CEDIA volunteer since 2004, so I believe I have a firm understanding of what the membership really wants from CEDIA. I have had the honour of guiding the association through some significant milestones — including global integration by serving as chairman of CEDIA EMEA — so I’ve been a major part of what has made CEDIA the global association it is today. My number one priority is to help raise the standard of work being carried out by companies in the industry, increase the value of CEDIA to its membership, and recognise companies who excel in certain areas. Through the refocus of our mission, from show organiser to industry association, our strategic planning work, and new membership initiatives, we are becoming the association that you want.
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David Weinstein
Rob Sutherland
Secretary
Treasurer
Lutron Electronics
Inspired Dwellings, Ltd.
Coopersburg, PA, USA
London, UK
David Weinstein is Lutron’s Vice President of Residential Sales, responsible for leading sales across the company’s consumer-facing channels. His work with Lutron included roles as senior sales manager, sales director, and sales vice president. Prior to Lutron, he was employed at Yusen Associates, where he rose from salesperson to president. If you had thirty seconds to speak directly to CEDIA’s members, what would you say? CEDIA is a global organisation founded on the principle of assisting all our members to be more successful in their businesses through education, training, certification, defining standards, and providing services to support workforce development across the industry. Our 2018 Board of Directors is made up of a diverse and talented group of global industry professionals who generously donate their time to guide and support the CEDIA staff. Our staff, led by CEO Tabatha O'Connor, is working incredibly hard to communicate our evolving and increasing value proposition to our industry members and to deliver new and differentiated value to our membership. Take the time to get to know the new CEDIA. Think about getting involved in a committee or serving on the board in the future. Our industry is poised for significant growth, and CEDIA is the organisation that can help to positively impact your business.
As managing director and co-founder of Inspired Dwellings, Rob Sutherland has built his company and reputation through the smooth and transparent delivery of projects. With more than 20 years’ experience managing in the private sector and a comprehensive background in corporate IT, Rob has personal experience project managing extensive global infrastructure projects for large corporations (BP, BT, and M&S). What’s your number one priority during your tenure on the Board? As treasurer, I think that I have two significant priorities: To work with Tabatha and Laura Bond to produce a budget that will deliver our strategy, and to work with the rest of the Board and the CEDIA team to make sure the strategy is delivered. I think that CEDIA is at a turning point as an organisation (as we are no longer a trade show organiser), but we have a unique opportunity to carve out a future in training, standards, and engagement with our members and community. To deliver this we have a leadership team and a Board that is highly motivated to succeed.
Dennis Erskine
John Buchanan
Immediate Past
Meridian Audio Ltd
Chairman
Huntingdon, UK
Erskine Group, Inc. Draper, UT, USA
Dennis Erskine is an award-winning THX® Certified Professional Theatre Designer and Acoustical Engineer. Dennis is a CEDIA Certified Home Theatre Design Specialist, subject matter expert and CEDIA Certified Instructor, and member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the Audio Engineering Society (AES), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). What’s your number one priority during your tenure on the Board? My priority during my final two years as an ex-officio board member is to provide any assistance as may be needed by the Board, the Executive Committee, and the Chairman.
Ex-officio, non-voting member
Appointed CEO of Meridian Audio in 2014, John Buchanan is an honours graduate of the University of Strathclyde and has 20-plus years of international business experience working with market-leading professional audio and consumer electronics companies. John is married with two daughters. His interests away from work include rugby, cycling, and golf. What’s your number one priority during your tenure on the Board? Technology is temporary; quality should be permanent. As a CEDIA Board Director, I will be a passionate advocate for the opportunities that CEDIA technology integrators can generate by focussing on higher quality standards and higher performance solutions. I will seek to ensure a professional, unified approach to communicating CEDIA’s value proposition to members, their end-clients, and important influencers in related industry sectors.
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Henry Clifford
Ken Erdmann
Livewire LLC
Erdmann Electric, Inc.
Richmond, Virginia, USA
Springville, UT, USA
Henry Clifford founded Livewire in 2002. At 18, he started his first company at the University of Maryland — an IT company specialising in web development and network administration. During Livewire’s growth, the company has acquired three competitors and is now the largest integration company in central Virginia. What’s your number one priority during your tenure on the Board? To help CEDIA members improve their businesses and maximise the benefits of membership. Our new strategic plan is all about helping members improve their businesses. It’s going to take time and hard work, but I couldn’t be more excited about the direction we’re heading in. I started my company from nothing 16 years ago, and I experience many of the challenges and pain points our members experience every day. I love our industry and hope to help bring the voice of the integrator to our Board efforts.
Ken Erdmann has been a Utah state-licensed electrician since 1978. As co-founder and part owner of Erdmann Electric, Inc., he’s always been involved in the low voltage and systems integration component of the company. Ken has served as a CEDIA instructor, committee chair, subject matter expert, and volunteer leader. In 2012, he was made a CEDIA Fellow, and was honoured that same year with the CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award. What’s your number one priority during your tenure on the Board? CEDIA's membership faces many challenges; as an integrator myself, I think I understand what the challenges are. As an industry association, CEDIA represents the integrator, the trade supplier, and other associated members. As a Board, we have an obligation to speak for our members. I am a firm believer that the mission of CEDIA is to educate, certify, and elevate its members. We will build world-class, relevant education, establish a metric for that education with certification, and give the membership the tools to promote themselves as the go-to source for the customer's technology needs.
Omar Hikal
Hamish Neale
Archimedia
Crestron EMEA
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Cobham, UK
Omar Hikal is a co-founder and board member of Archimedia, a multi-award-winning technology installation company. Omar was CEO of Archimedia from 2006 to 2014 and is currently CEO and head of brand strategy of The Brand Company. He has been a member of the CEDIA Board of Directors since 2014.
Hamish Neale’s history with CEDIA goes all the way back to working at a hi-fi store in Auckland, New Zealand in 1999. Over the years, he attended CEDIA Expos in Australia, the UK, and America. During his time on the EMEA board, he did all that he could to help CEDIA give even more back to the membership and industry.
What’s your number one priority during your tenure on the Board?
What’s your number one priority during your tenure on the Board?
Since I joined the EMEA Board in 2014, my aim has always been to make CEDIA a central player in the success of its members. For years, fellow Board members have had to suffer my pleas that we should “educate, regulate, and communicate,” and I believe that our new strategy will help us focus on adding value to our members by doing exactly those three things. Our aim must be to support our members by making them better at their jobs and by ensuring that specifiers know our members and our industry.
Ensuring that we stick to and deliver on our strategy. Execution is the hardest part of any strategy and we, as an organisation, need to stay focussed on the well-crafted plan that we have developed in conjunction with Dr. Rebecca Homkes. As a member of the CEDIA Strategic Advisory Council, I am personally proud of my contribution to the strategy and especially our definition of the industry that we serve: “Professionally designed and installed technologies integrated into the residence that help one interact with the residence (but not technology for the sake of being connected).”
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Tabatha O'Connor
Matt Scott
CEDIA Global President and
OMEGA Audio Video
CEO
London, Ontario, Canada
Indianapolis, IN, USA
Tabatha O'Connor serves as an ex-officio, voting member of the CEDIA Board by virtue of her position as global president and CEO of CEDIA. She joined CEDIA in 2002 and became COO in 2015 before her promotion to her current position this year. What about your experience makes you uniquely suited to serve on the Board? I know the ins-and-outs of CEDIA incredibly well, having spent a total of 14 years as part of the team, managing virtually every department. The last two years I spent as COO really helped prepare me for this new role. During that time, I worked closely with the Board and managed all governance, as well as having handled the responsibilities for the overall day-to-day running of the association.
By age 12, Matt Scott was running full PA systems. Fresh out of high school in 2001, Matt started OMEGA Audio working in the house of worship market as a consultant before expanding into the commercial and residential markets in 2007 as OMEGA Audio Video. In 2011, he cofounded AVNation.tv, a media company covering the AV industry. If you had thirty seconds to speak directly to CEDIA’s members, what would you say? CEDIA is here for you! Across our membership are people of all backgrounds and companies of every size. It is my belief that CEDIA wants to help you succeed, wants you to be prosperous. BUT, that depends on you! You have to take advantage of everything CEDIA has to offer! You need to get involved; you need to become active. If you just pay your yearly dues and expect something to magically happen, you’re doing it wrong. Yet, when you get involved and contribute to your CEDIA community, the benefits are innumerable. Get involved! Join the community! We’ll welcome you to the family!
Heather Sidorowicz
Joe Whittaker
Southtown Audio Video
The Thoughtful Home
Hamburg, NY, USA
Wentzville, MO, USA
Heather L. Sidorowicz is president and owner of Southtown Audio Video based in Hamburg, NY. Southtown Audio Video has been one of Commercial Integrators’ Top Higher Ed Integration Firms, and in 2015, Heather was selected at as one of their 40 Influencers Under 40. She has mentored for the University at Buffalo’s Centre for Entrepreneurial Leadership programme and was part of Allstate's Minority and Women’s Emerging Entrepreneurs Program. What about your experience makes you uniquely suited to serve on the Board? We hear you. CEDIA now has their strategic plan in place. Knowing first who we are in today's ever-changing world of technology allows us to move forward with confidence. CEDIA understands its past, respects it, and is ready to rise to meet the future.
Joe Whitaker has nearly two decades of experience in custom systems integration, design, and implementation in both the residential and commercial markets. He is one of the most proactive members of the Control4 community. Joe has also helped in product design, development, creation, and pre-production testing with top manufacturers like Sony, Stealth Acoustics, SONOS, and many more. What’s your number one priority during your tenure on the Board? My number one priority is representing our technology integrators. My company and I represent the largest portion of our membership in scale and size. We are the “every-integrator!” My priority is to be clear in my representation of those that voted for me and weighing every decision I make based on how it would affect my company and my peers. Whether it be strategic, outreach, or workforce development, I’ll put on my owner’s hat and ask, “How will this affect my business?” I plan to continue with the same objective I’ve had since first joining the board: Putting the members that make this industry great first.
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CEDIA enjoyed an incredibly productive few days at this year’s Integrated Systems Europe. The show provided a great platform to connect with the industry and for CEDIA to deliver a packed CEDIA training programme. It also gave CEDIA’s new President and CEO, Tabatha O’Connor, and her team a fantastic opportunity to meet with members and outline the association’s new strategy.
CEDIA Celebrated A Successful ISE 2018 “CEDIA experienced a phenomenal ISE 2018” comments Tabatha. “We are so proud to be co-owners of this amazing event. Our training programme featured more than 50 classes, across business and technical topics, and certification examinations that were very well supported by the industry. Our booth was buzzing with visitors finding out more about our new strategic plan, meeting friends from the CEDIA community, and making great, new connections. Our exciting programme of CEDIA Talks on the booth also proved extremely popular.” This year, all CEDIA training classes were purpose-designed to support technical and business skills with not only classroom-led teaching, but practical, hands-on experiences and e-learning. Education highlights included a full-day Advanced Home Cinema Design and Rack-Building workshops, as well as a two-part acoustics treatment training. Other sessions across the programme covered topics such as power management, power conditioning, local generation and storage, and POE, as well as using VR for smart home designs, high resolution audio, lighting control, video displays, and much, much more. Meanwhile, business owners benefitted from insights provided by Leslie Shiner, the renowned U.S. author, speaker, and trainer, with a range of invaluable courses targeted to project managers and business owners. On the CEDIA booth, visitors were introduced to new disruptive technologies and thoughtprovoking topics, with a number of CEDIA Talks taking place each day of the show. The 20-minute sessions were brought to you by the CEDIA Technology Council, with many leaving standing room only for
attendees. These talks are now available on the CEDIA YouTube channel: “CEDIAHQ.” Mike Blackman, Integrated Systems Events Managing Director commented: “ISE 2018 has been a great show that has delivered on all fronts. The number of registered visitors by the end of the show had reached 80,923, an increase of 10.3% on the 2017 edition. Exhibitor numbers were also up to 1,296, of which 294 were first time exhibitors at the show. On behalf of ISE, I’d like to thank all our attendees, exhibitors, partners, and our co-owners, AVIXA and CEDIA. This combination has made ISE what it is today and ensures that we are able to build on our successes year on year. “The residential side of the show is, and continues to be, extremely important for ISE. With the backing of CEDIA, ISE 2018 provided leading solutions in the world of residential systems and home automation. The Smart Building Conference continued its success this year, with a dedicated residential track packed with exciting talks led by authorities and key figures in the smart home space. “With floor space already confirmed for ISE 2019, which currently stands at 103% of the total booked for ISE 2018, the event shows no signs of slowing down. Importantly, almost 20,000 visitors attended the last day of the show, and overall, over 30% of the total attendees were visiting ISE for the first time, a key benchmark for exhibitors in their quest to develop new sales. “Plans are already underway for ISE 2019 and we look forward to welcoming all of the fantastic integrators and manufacturers back to the RAI Amsterdam. We will see you from 5th – 8th February 2019!” If you missed the training programme at ISE, CEDIA offers year-round access to the most cutting-edge residential training through its website — www.cediaeducation.com — as well as in-person classes hosted at the training centre, an inspiring space to learn the latest in trends, business practices, and technical training.
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T H E C E D I A AWA R D S V E N U E S :
From a Baseball Diamond to an Aussie Bay to Egyptian Busts Honouring the best of the best in technical excellence, product innovation, and individual professionals within the home technology industry, the CEDIA Awards are always a highlight in the industry calendar. Now that the entries are in and judging’s underway, here’s info on the 2018 Awards ceremonies.
SET SAIL AS AWARD WINNERS CEDIA will be celebrating the winners of the Asia Pacific Awards at the annual awards evening on Thursday 23th August in Darling Harbour. Darling Harbour offers a splendid waterside location in the heart of Sydney, Australia. From first light to starry nights, there’s always something taking place, creating a spectacular atmosphere. Attendees to the Asia Pacific awards ceremony will make their way through the harbour to a nearby hotel, where they will enjoy an evening of celebration. Immediately after Integrate 2018, guests will join CEDIA for a cocktail reception starting at 6pm. Following the networking session, CEDIA will turn its attention to the awards by announcing the category winners for this region.
AWARDS ON THE DIAMOND Taking place on the Wednesday evening of CEDIA Expo in San Diego, the Americas CEDIA Awards will light up Petco Park on 5th September. Home to the San Diego Padres baseball team, Petco Park — dubbed “The world’s best ballpark in America’s finest city” when it opened in 2004 — combines the best sight lines in baseball with stunning views of San Diego Bay and the city’s skyline. Attendees will have the opportunity to mingle with industry peers during an opening reception by the second and third bases between 7 and 8pm, before heading to left field to enjoy a three-course plated dinner and to find out who the 2018 winners are. The evening will conclude with a networking session along the third base line.
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FIT FOR INDUSTRY KINGS AND QUEENS The EMEA and Global Awards winners will be celebrating their victory at the British Museum in London on Thursday 27th September. The British Museum offers the perfect environment to toast technical excellence and product innovation, where the splendour of CEDIA members’ projects will no doubt rival the Museum display. Fit for industry kings and queens, the blacktie event will commence with a cocktail reception in the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery, giving members an opportunity to network with their peers amongst symbolic objects, stylised deities, and architectural pieces from ancient temples and tombs. An imposing stone bust of the great pharaoh, Ramesses II, presides over the room, which also features the world-famous Rosetta Stone. The elegance of the venue will no doubt ensure an evening to treasure. The Awards dinner will be hosted under the spectacular glass roof in the Great Court at the heart of the Museum. To conclude the evening, a post-ceremony celebration will follow back in the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery.
For more information, visit www.cedia.net/awards
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PRODUCT FOCUS
Projectors Barco Featured in Meridian’s new dedicated media room, Barco’s Medea projector is the brightest UHD laser projector at its price point, with 5500 lumen for true HDR playback. In living spaces where light coloured walls and light control is limited, the Medea projector ensures a truly impressive image and dynamic contrast to create an engaging and immersive experience to help clients experience their favourite movies in the best way possible. Perfect for both home cinemas and media room applications, the compact, quiet-running Medea gives integrators flexibility with five lens options available.
www.meridian-audio.com
Epson The visuals in AWE’s cinema room are provided by an Epson EHTW9300 projector, which boasts exceptional image quality by supporting 4K content and intelligently enhancing 1080p. Epson’s 3LCD technology delivers bright and rich colours accurately. The Epson EH-TW9300 provides amazing picture quality for the ultimate home cinema experience. With 4K-enhancement, 3LCD technology, and HDR support, this projector provides an image worthy of the latest and greatest films. The TW9300 produces 2,500 lumens of brightness, with a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The simple setup and motorised lens adjustment control ensure installation is smooth, allowing customers to enjoy their favourite films with no delay.
Digital Projection Digital Projection™ was the first brand to the 8K projector party at ISE earlier this year, but what is lesser known about the British projector manufacturer is that they were instrumental in the invention of Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology, which is now employed by a number of other great projector brands. This technology forms the basis for its E-Vision 4K projectors that offer razor sharp visuals and 7,500 lumens of brightness. These projectors have been designed with a solid-state illumination source that promotes a “fit-and-forget” approach, so while many will opt for the cheaper options with hidden degradation costs, all of the costs of an E-vision are incurred at the time of purchase.
www.pulsecinemas.com
www.awe-europe.com
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JVC
Sony Sony's digital cinema projectors feature advanced Silicon X-tal Reflective Display (SXRD) panel technology that delivers native 4K resolution images. SXRD projection offers rich, inky blacks, as well as clear cinematic motion and image smoothness. Improvements to the panel's reflective silicon layer now mean even better light control, for precisely reproduced shadows and blacks. High Dynamic Range (HDR) video offers an expanded brightness range that delivers more realistic, highcontrast images and brilliant colours. The projector is also compatible with both HDR10 and Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) formats. Motionflow ensures smooth, clear on-screen action, even when viewing 4K content. Extra frames are added to reduce blur while maintaining brightness in fastmoving scenes. Cinema purists can choose True Cinema mode to retain the original 24 fps frame rate of genuine movie projection.
The JVC DLA-X9900BE D-ILA projector lets viewers see the details even in the brightest highlights and darkest shadows with the new 4K e-shift5 technology that employs completely new algorithms to realise even higher definition and improved 4K picture quality. The projector is designed to deliver dynamic HDR images with several manual controls, including HDR Auto Picture mode, Picture Tone, and Bright/Dark level gamma adjustment, added with an all-new colour profile that is 20% brighter. The projector complies with the HDMI/HDCP 2.2 standard and features user-friendly technologies to create images that match the viewing environment and enhance viewing experience.
www.invisionuk.com
www.marata.co.uk
Projection Screens Draper Draper ReAct is an ambient light-rejecting fabric that enhances colour and contrast in situations where a complete room blackout is either not possible, or not desired. The “Clarion” fixed screens are available as standard in a range of sizes, from 92" to 133", ensuring you will get the perfect screen for your home cinema environment. There are also “Adaptive” tab-tensioned electric versions ranging from 86” to 104” with virtually any other screen size available in both models to order. On the Clarion fixed frame version, a black Vel-Tex covered aluminium frame forms an attractive 3.8cm border around the screen. Without the need for snaps or tools, the fabric attaches seamlessly to the frame to form a perfectly smooth viewing surface. The Vel-Tex finish eliminates all reflections on the silver/ grey screen which has the same 1.0 gain as a matt white screen.
www.awe-europe.com
Display Technologies With a knitted, white, wide viewing angle, and a highly acoustically transparent image surface, the Reference Display Technologies range of screens are the ideal solution for the ultimate movie-watching experience. Custom designed and manufactured in the UK, DT screens can be installed with ease thanks to their easy build technique, allowing integrators to save time and money whilst delivering stunning images for dedicated theatres and media rooms alike. Front loaded image surface means that DT screens can be installed straight onto the wall, reducing the risk of dirt and damage, as the screen frame is already mounted before the screen surface is fitted. Acoustically Transparent Reference image surfaces are fully UHD compliant, delivering crisp, vibrant images without any moiré effect.
www.meridian-audio.com
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Karma-AV Ultimate Screens offer dealers enhanced levels of performance, convenience, and transparency. Its range of UK-made, 4K-ready, acoustically-transparent screens is designed for easy installation in a 4-stage process now adopted by other screen manufacturers. The majority of other brands require the screen to be attached to the frame and tensioned face down on the ground, risking damage to the velvet frame and screen material. The innovative Ultimate Screens design allows this process to be completed in simple stages after the frame is attached on the wall. Simply assemble the frame and then hang on the wall using the mount brackets. Insert the black fabric backing into the screen frame’s fabric retaining channel using the supplied fabric tool, and add the 4K Acoustically Transparent screen fabric into the fabric retaining track. Lastly, add the front velvet screen borders.
www.habitech.co.uk
Screen Excellence
Projecta Projecta’s HD Progressive vinyl screen surface is designed to deliver seamless optical fidelity from multi-mega pixel populations. It’s optimised for a range of ambient light conditions and labtested to accurately reflect resolutions all the way to a whopping 16K. The new ‘HD Progressive 1.1 Contrast’ screen surface provides a deeper reproduction of black and an increased reflectivity to enhance brightness in moderate ambient light conditions. The Projecta DescenderPro is a ceiling recessed-projection screen that combines new installation features with a new motorised Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) surface option, in addition to the high resolution HD Progressive materials. The entire roller assembly just clicks-in after installation of the case. Projecta’s Parallax 0.8 ALR is now available in the Tensioned Elpro Concept and Tensioned DescenderPRO, so even an ALR material can be rolled out when projection is needed. Parallax features an advanced optical lens system that rejects light, rather than only diffusing light.
www.habitech.co.uk
New for 2018, Screen Excellence presents Reference Advanced and Contrast Advanced screens. Advanced is a new line that allows on-wall assembly of the projection screen, negating the need to build the screen on the floor of the home cinema. This makes the integrator’s job a lot smoother and helps to avoid the screen getting dirty or damaged. The process is also incredibly fast with quick and effortless tensioning along all four sides. Post installation, it’s easy to remove and rehang the screen for quick servicing of any items like loudspeakers. MediaTime, a new retractable drop-down screen with acoustically transparent material, offers a great solution for projection in media rooms. The Premium Enlightor Neo woven material provides excellent contrast in a moderate ambient light environment. The motor mechanism is silent and unique to MediaTime, the tab tensioned ‘bat wing’ edges are completely hidden from the customer’s view.
www.cavd.co.uk
Screen Innovations Zero Edge meets a custom, motorised, portable cassette. Solo Pro is rollable Zero Edge with 2 years usage on a single charge and can be used anywhere you need it. At Solo Pro’s core is an intelligent lithium powered motor that is capable of being recharge 500 times, lasting 2 years on a single cycle. To recharge, simply click the magnetic power cable to the cassette and you’re done. The Solo Pro cassette is available in a wide variety of colour options. Therefore, you can closely match the décor to one of 12 colour options to further enhance the “Zero Edge” look, making the Solo as unobtrusive as possible on the viewing experience. The Solo Pro is available in most materials from Screen Innovations, including Slate and Slate Acoustic Transparent, Pure Grey, Pure White, and also the 360 Rear-Pro. Having no cables to power the screen means it can be used almost anywhere, making the room planning even easier.
www.invisionuk.com
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Screen Research With many home cinema components, the quality can only really be judged once it has been calibrated by a professional. With projection screens however, nearly all of the hard work is done at the R&D and manufacturing stages. Screen Research™ has worked hard to uphold the highest standards in home cinema. Its proprietary screen fabric Clearpix™ is patented, as are a number of its screen motor mechanisms used to deliver fantastic masking options throughout the range. Add to this THX and ISF certification and you have a screen brand that raises the bar and forms part of many CEDIA award-winning home cinema projects.
www.pulsecinemas.com
Severtson Screens Severtson Screens’ innovative SAT4K Screen Material paired with its customisable Thin Bezel Frame provides dealers and customers with a perfectly fit screen that is tailored precisely to the available wall area. The success of the Thin Bezel SAT4K is due to customer and dealer demand for a sleek modern frame that closely resembles the look of a flat screen TV. The ability to transport the frame unassembled significantly reduces the cost of shipping. Severtson Screens’ tightly woven SAT4K material (and TAT4K for ambient light environments) has filled the demand for an acoustically transparent material. This allows the speakers to be hidden behind the screen with nearly zero Db loss and an exceptionally clear image, enabling the maximum wall space to be used for the viewing experience to create a truly remarkable cinematic experience in the home.
www.cavd.co.uk
SIM2 The SIM2 CRYSTAL 4 UHD HDR projector achieves excellent picture quality through the partnership of the latest 4K UHD 0.67” DLP® chipset from Texas Instruments and SIM2’s advanced video processing technology for a crisp, natural, and colourful viewing experience in UHD HDR format. A high-power 300W lamp enables SIM2 CRYSTAL 4 UHD HDR to provide up to 2.500 ANSI-lumens on-screen. The SIM2 CRYSTAL 4 UHD HDR is the best solution for mid-size homes and media rooms. The SIM2 CRYSTAL 4 UHD HDR features a stylish ‘madein-Italy’ design: a distinctive, contemporary cabinet enriched by a luxurious crystal finish by designer Giorgio Revoldini. Available in Black Crystal glass.
www.invisionuk.com
Stewart Filmscreen Stewart Filmscreen’s new Gemini™ is a twin roller projection screen system with dual aspect ratios to accommodate HDTV (16:9) and CinemaScope (2:35) viewing experience. Watch sports by day with the Phantom™ HALR™ ambient light rejecting screen or movies the way Hollywood intended at night with the StudioTek™ 130 G3 screen for dark rooms. The Gemini™ provides the best of both worlds for home cinema viewing experience, day or night.
www.stewartfilmscreen.com
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…that is reliable and stable
HOW TO DESIGN A KNX SYSTEM
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For a system that is quickly approaching its 30th birthday, KNX has proven consistently that the original concept and design of the system was ahead of its time given that the underlying structure of a KNX system has barely changed since its inception. That isn’t to say it hasn’t been updated and modernised to suit the everchanging automation marketplace, but the basic topology Mark Warburton and structure of Technical Director the system remains at Ivory Egg the same.
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efore we look at this structure and the benefits it brings to an installation, let’s quickly define what KNX is.
KNX is a standardised system and protocol that is used by over 440 manufacturers to ensure their building control products are interoperable. It’s a decentralised system that is commissioned from a single software, and it was designed from the outset for lighting, HVAC, shading, sensing, and monitoring applications in both residential and commercial buildings. Although the systems work over multiple communication mediums, the most common is the wired communication bus. This medium operates over a standardised twisted-pair cable with a single pair sharing both the 29VDC operating voltage and a superimposed AC control signal. As the system has a scalable topology, a KNX installation can be comprised of 58,384 devices. That’s pretty big when you consider that a device usually has multiple channels, such as an 8-channel dimmer or a 24-channel relay. To get to the biggest KNX system with the full number of devices, we need to start with the smallest possible system that is formed of 3 devices: a bus power supply (with integrated choke), a sensor (some form of input device such as a keypad or PIR), and an actuator (an output device such as a relay or dimmer). These devices are connected directly to each other via KNX cable. To commission the system, you would also need a USB or IP interface, but this isn’t required for the system to operate. These first devices form a single line segment which can have a total of 63 devices connected to it. After that, a line repeater can be used to create a new segment that can have another 63 devices. A total of three line segments can be connected to form an overall line with 255 devices. The line repeater has an optical isolator that passes the communication messages but blocks the DC operating voltage. Because of this, a PSU is needed on each line segment. This approach is one of the key reasons why KNX is so reliable, as a failure of one PSU will not impact the other lines in the system.
Figure 1 KNX Line with 3 additional segments
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But we still have a long way to go to get to the 58,384 devices mentioned above. The next level to be added is an area which is used to connect 15 lines together. For the connection, a line coupler is used, which works in a similar way to a line repeater (in fact, it’s the Figure 2 KNX Area with multiple Lines same physical devices but running a different application). However, instead of just repeating traffic, it is programmed to only pass traffic that is required elsewhere in the system or is relevant to the line below. This filter table is what allows the KNX system to operate at a relatively slow speed, which massively increases the distances messages can travel, but still allows for so many devices. It ensures the individual lines don’t get overloaded, so all messages from devices are received and actioned on time, every time. At this point, we have expanded the system to a size that can cope with even the largest residential system and, in fact, most commercial systems as well. But there is another level above that allows us to link 15 of these areas together. Again, the connection between the area and this backbone line is made with a line coupler that uses its filter table to ensure that traffic from one area of the installation doesn’t impact on any other areas.
Figure 3 KNX Backbone line linking multiple Areas
We now have a system architecture that can support 58,384 devices, all done in a way that ensures the system is reliable and stable. For anyone checking the maths, up to 49 devices can also be located on the area and backbone lines, which is where devices communicating to multiple lines or interfacing to other systems are commonly located. However, the reality is very few KNX installations will reach this size, and very rarely will it all be done with the standard twisted
pair cable. It is more likely either the area line or the backbone line will be distributed over IP, an approach which is much easier to manage when dealing with such large buildings. Even on smaller projects, introducing IP as a layer to KNX makes interfacing other systems — such as AV control — simple. It is also necessary for remote commissioning and maintenance. There are two primary methods of connecting via IP — multicast and tunnelling. Multicast is the method used to link together multiple areas or lines and can also be used for native KNX IP devices. As all interfaces communicate to the same multicast address, the broadcast nature of the KNX bus remains. For a single device to connect to KNX, a tunnelling connection is used Figure 2 KNX Areas communicating via an IP Backbone which operates over UDP or TCP. On either connection, the format of the KNX IP messages are standardised and in the same format as the twisted pair bus, making the connection of third-party systems seamless. This scalable and adaptable topology is one of the fundamental reasons why KNX is so reliable and stable. With each line having its own PSU and line couplers managing the flow of traffic throughout the system, any device failures or damage to the installation will only affect the line it is on, not the rest of the system. When considered as part of the wider benefits of having a standardised open protocol and hundreds of manufacturers on board, it’s easy to see why KNX continues to be the preferred platform for intelligent building control throughout Europe and, increasingly, around the world.
www.ivoryegg.co.uk
@ivoryegg
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TRAINING & EVENTS CALENDAR May 3
9-10
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14-15
RIBA Roadshow
Essential Install Live
Consultative Selling Skills
Home Cinema Design Fund.
Bristol
Sandown Park, Epsom
CEDIA, St Neots
Pulse Cinemas, Stansted
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21-25
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22
23-25
Introduction to CAD
KNX Basic Training
CEDIA Tech Forum
CEDIA, St Neots
CEDIA, St Neots
We The Curious, Bristol
CEDIA Tech Forum Hilton Embassy GolfLinks, Bangalore
CEDIA Training Hilton Embassy GolfLinks, Bangalore
June 9-10
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13
Build It Live
CEDIA Outreach Instructor
CEDIA Tech Forum
Bicester, UK
CEDIA, St Neots
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
13-14
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21
25-29
Lighting Design and Control
RIBA Roadshow
CEDIA Outreach Instructor
Boot Camp
AWE, Epsom
London
AWE, Epsom
CEDIA, St Neots
July 2-6
9-11
16-17
17-19
Technical School
Networking School
Home Cinema Fundamentals
ISF Level I, II, III
CEDIA, St Neots
AWE, Epsom
AWE, Epsom
London
18 Developing a Competitive Commerical Strategy CEDIA, St Neots
Book training at www.cediaeducation.com
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Become a
uControl everything. The only matrix-powered universal remote app able to control BT, Virgin, AppleTV and pretty much any display.
HDANYWHERE.COM
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I AM CEDIA ENRIQUE GRANADOS, INTELIKSA INTEGRACIÓN Who are you? My name is Enrique Granados, and I am the Director of Inteliksa Integración. We are located in Mexico City and serve the entire country. Give us some background on your company. Inteliksa Integración was born in the garage of my father’s house more than 30 years ago. In those days, my father was dedicated to the repair of electronic equipment. That was the basis of our company. Over the years, in the early ’90s, we moved into custom installation,
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mainly for houses. Since then, our company has participated in hundreds of residential and commercial projects. Today, we also serve other business areas such as refrigeration and energy efficiency for supermarkets. It sounds like you’ve been at this quite a while. I was literally born doing this. Since we were kids, my brother and I helped dad in his business. At 15 years old, we were already executing, managing, and installing complete residential installation projects. I have been
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I WAS LITERALLY BORN DOING THIS. SINCE WE WERE KIDS, MY BROTHER AND I HELPED DAD IN HIS BUSINESS.
doing this for 20 years. What’s your favourite project and why? My favourite project is undoubtedly Villa Cristina in 2008 — it was our first "big league," sixfigure project. That integration was a perfect combination between a technology-loving client, a daring architect, and an innovative company. It included more than 32 audio zones, 22 video areas, five home cinemas, fully integrated controls, and more than 70km of cable. Between us, we created a dream house in Acapulco Bay. It was our first finalist project in the annual CEDIA Awards. Which home technology do you consider the most important today and why? In recent years, we have experienced a technological revolution. Without a doubt, IPbased technology is and will be a reference for the foreseeable future. The importance of having everything connected will make our lives simpler and more productive.
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How long have you been a CEDIA member? We have been a CEDIA member since 2009. What do you consider your biggest achievement as a CEDIA member? We have won several CEDIA Awards — this drives us year after year to keep our company at the forefront. But my biggest personal achievement as a CEDIA member has been to include CEDIA as an education programme in one of the leading universities in Mexico. (Find more info on this at right.) Which CEDIA benefits do you take advantage of the most, and why? Education and the annual CEDIA Expo are key, but for me, it’s mainly about networking — being in constant contact with manufacturers and colleagues in the industry. You mentioned education — what courses have you taken? In the beginning, I took all kinds of courses and certifications that focussed on technical skills. In recent years, I’ve concentrated more on strategic courses of business management and sales. Honestly, I’ve lost count of how many courses and certifications I have taken. What’s the biggest issue for home technology businesses today, and how can they deal with it? The evolution of technology has made many solutions more affordable to the average consumer. The control of houses has been simplified, which some people believe has diminished our industry, but I disagree. As entrepreneurs, we must evolve together with technology: our industry must be professionalised in every way. Customers look for companies that provide solutions and excellent service.
If there was one thing you could change in the industry, what would it be? Eliminate unprofessional companies that damage our industry. When they do a bad job, they give people the impression that an automated house is a headache, when in fact it has become a pleasure for its inhabitants — even a necessity. If you weren’t in the home technology sector, what would you like to be doing and why? I love sports. I would have liked to have dedicated myself professionally to cycling. What does 2018 hold for your company? We face every year in a positive way — so I think it will be a great year for Inteliksa Integración and the entire industry!
Inteliksa Integración Autopista Mexico - Queretaro 3069-C Int. 3B San Andres Atenco Tlalnepantla, 54040, Mexico
www.inteliksa.com @Inteliksa
Enrique and CEDIA’s Contributions to Universidad del Tecnologico de Monterrey After a pilot programme was launched using CEDIA’s educational materials, Enrique was invited to teach courses on residential and commercial automation. Enrique tells us: “I had a big challenge: Build the course content from scratch, search for bibliographical references, and find a textbook for the class. CEDIA gave me the building blocks of the course — through the book 'Fundamentals of Residential Electronic Systems,' it was possible to create a course that would serve as a reference to students interested in the world of technology as it applies to homes and commercial spaces. Today, there are about 100 students who have taken the subject and some of them are already working in Mexican integration companies, all with the educational base CEDIA has provided.”
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SYNERGY TECHNOLOGIES LEAVES AN EVERLASTING IMPRESSION
Synergy Technologies has successfully created a luxurious media room as part of a home renovation, providing the client with a space to escape the worries of daily life. Synergy Technologies was rewarded for its outstanding work at the 2017 EMEA CEDIA Awards, where it took first place in the Best Media Room, Level III: £80,000 and Over category, and was also named Best Media Room — Global, when it was up against all media room winners from the Americas, Asia Pacific, and EMEA awards.
The client turned to Synergy Technologies to create a sanctuary that delivers an immersive AV experience. After spending time at the integrator’s showroom, the client took a keen interest in the AV performance that could be achieved, as well as the room design, acoustics, and comfort levels. To meet the requirement for superb performance and immersive sound, Synergy Technologies specified a B&W 800 Diamond Series system with a McIntosh MX-160 processor to deliver perfect 3D audio. After experiencing a Cinemascope front projection system at the showroom, the client decided
against a large-screen TV. Synergy Technologies opted for a DILA projector to achieve the best contrast and black level performance. Due to ceiling height limitations, neither a fixed nor motorised projector enclosure could be accommodated. As a solution, the projector was positioned close to the seating; however, the noise level is acceptably low. Optimised for movie viewing, the 21:9 aspect Screen Innovation projection screen in the Cinemascope format provides the largest screen size for the viewing distance and allows for the wide viewing angle of the room layout. Simplicity of operation held prime
importance, as the room was to be used by all family members, so Synergy Technologies leveraged innovative GUI methods to achieve this. The client requested an understated environment that exhibited luxury through minimalism, but with the fit and finish of a custom-tailored suit. All furniture surfaces were carefully selected to avoid screen reflections, and a dark, neutral colour palette was chosen for superior contrast and immersion. Synergy Technologies concealed the surround speakers behind the wood-finish, perforated acoustic panels. The integrator carried out
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EQUIPMENT LIST • 3M CAT 6 cords • Airtel decoder box • Apple TV • Arkos Light LED downlights • Atlona HDBaseT transmitter/receiver kit • Artnovion acoustic absorber finish • AudioQuest HDMI cables • B&W speakers and subwoofer • Cineversum BlackWing Three projector • Crestron touchscreen controller and 3-Series control system • Guildford of Main acoustic fabric • Ideal Lux lamps • Kaleidescape Strato 4K media player • Lumagen Radiance 4240 ceiling projector mount • Lutron GRAFIK Eye QS lighting control and keypad • Lutron roller blind blackout shade • McIntosh AV processor and power amplifier • Oppo 4K Blu-ray player • Pakedge 9 port switches • Screen Innovation 123” fixed projection screen • Sonos Connect network streaming zone player • Sony Playstation 4 • TP-Link Bluetooth receiver • Transparent Audio Plus Series cables • Vicoustic acoustic panels • Western Digital NAS drive
THE OVERALL AESTHETIC OF THE ROOM, AUDIO AND VIDEO CALIBRATION, AND PERSONAL TOUCHES MADE THIS PROJECT STAND OUT FROM OTHER REGIONAL WINNERS.
extensive listening tests as well as frequency response measurements to identify the best speaker positions in the panels. They carefully tweaked the wall elevation design and the distance of the speaker baffle behind the acoustic panels to achieve a completely invisible appearance, with no discernible loss in sonic performance. The client previously had an underwhelming experience with the network installed in his home — due to internet speed issues, he needed to restart his router and access points from time to time and also switch between different ISPs. To provide a much better solution, Synergy Technologies replaced the entire home network with a Pakedge solution configured with self-healing capabilities, achieved through the BakPak solution and an intelligent online power distribution unit (PDU). To cater to inconsistent
ISP performance, the integrator set up two ISP connections in a loadbalancing configuration. Audio and video traffic is now prioritised, and a guest network is also set up along with 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz Wi-Fi. Synergy Technologies checked all the boxes with this project and created a fun yet practical and multi-functional media room. The overall aesthetic of the room, audio and video calibration, and personal touches — like the variable-height coffee table that can double as a dining table during movie watching — made this project stand out from other regional winners. The judges were particularly taken with the attention to detail on specifics, such as the acoustic treatment and the precise calibration of the speakers behind it. Not only were the judges impressed by this project, but so was the client — who has been enjoying the room ever
www.synergyav.com/residential
@synergyavtech
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CHALLENGE Lighting and Shades in a Whole-Home Integration
AND SOLUTION Jan Erik Eden
A look at how two companies — Atlantic Control Technologies and Rockville Interiors — team up to produce spectacular results
The prospect of selling lighting control and automated shade solutions can have technology integrators salivating. These categories swell profits by maximising sales dollars and adding a “cool factor” for clients. Watching a home spring to life is truly captivating, but, although this technological wizardry may operate simply, making it work is another story. Implementation of these offerings is difficult and requires expansive expertise. On top of that, project management hours will stack up as designers, architects, other trades, and even clients (if you can believe it) will have input. So, the question is, do you need to be a superstar to take advantage of both the added dollars you’d see selling the stuff and added “wow” you’d gain as a lighting and shading expert? Don't try. The truth is, it’s nearly impossible to provide enough depth and breadth of expertise at the same time. To overcome these hurdles, Mike Ross of Atlantic Control Technologies and Ilan Fulop of Rockville Interiors have been teaming up for years to service high-profile clientele. Rockville provides the shades, and Atlantic takes control post-installation. The partnership has a perfect synergy as both sides bring a deeper knowledge in their respective categories than would be attainable otherwise. “It is important to stay focussed and not get spread too thin,” Ilan says. “It is a huge advantage to work alongside Atlantic Control.” In turn, Mike says, “I trust Rockville will deliver a flawless product every time. They are completely autonomous and don’t require any management.” The results of their efforts are apparent as referrals continue to pour in. One project in particular, commissioned by renowned architect, Robert Gurney, illustrates how the DC duo can provide simple and elegant solutions. Unique to this modern brick home were three-storey tall windows, glass channels, and breezeways connecting various parts of the home, LED lighting fixtures throughout, and even a home cinema. In addition to these unique features, the client expressed the need for simplicity and total control of both natural and artificial light. The team got to work, and hundreds of hours later the results were spectacular.
Operations Manager, Atlantic Control Technologies
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After using our systems, many clients react by saying, "I don’t know how I lived without this.” “They wanted almost every shade recessed into the ceiling. Technically, we had to figure out pocket size, determine the surrounding detail and finish, match hardware, consider service accessibility, recess channels, and even install some shades using scaffolding on stairs,” says Ilan. With over 100 window treatments in the home requiring special consideration, this was an extremely tall order. Ilan rose to the occasion by asking all the right questions. “Knowing the key players and when or when not to loop them in for approval” was critical in delivering a superlative product. With the shades in order, enter Atlantic Control Technologies. “Like the 85%to-95% of new clients who have not had lighting control before, conveying the overall concept was difficult,” says Mike. “But when they understood how cumbersome switches at every egress point would be, they embraced the idea. After using our systems, many clients react by saying, ‘I don’t know how I lived without this. I used to walk around and turn off all these switches, now I hit one button.’ This simplicity is a revelation to clients, and presenting the positive attributes, convenience, cost savings, safety, and cool factor further solidifies the sale.” A unique challenge on this project was giving the client total control over the
combined ambience of natural and artificial light. This was achieved using recessed and in-room lighting fixtures, as well as two layers of automated shades: privacy and blackout. Mike created a range of lighting scenes, from the brightest possible with all fixtures on their highest setting all the way to completely dark with the use of Ilan’s blackout shades. Privacy shades and dimmers were then set for any mixture in between. “The approach is to tune each room to the level required for the task at hand,” Mike says. Like total control, the team provides clientele with other features too. They collaborate on aesthetics, overall performance, and more. “Automating the shades transforms the client experience from something that they rarely touch into something that they use multiple times a day,” says Ilan. If you make a foray into these categories, research the best providers in your region and build a partnership. Be forewarned of the extreme amount of expertise and management required for each. For the stalwart integrator, however, the payoff will be worth it.
www.atlcontrol.com @AtlControl
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VIRTUAL
REALITY REVOLUTIONISING SMART HOME DESIGN Hamza Abbas
Business Development Director at Andrew Lucas
When you’re showing a threedimensional design to a client, there’s a fundamental problem: You’re showing that client a flat screen. This is an issue that extends across the design and construction industries, and includes architecture, interior design, lighting design, and technology integration. While a potential client can usually get some idea of how something might look when they see it on a screen, there remains a disconnect between what they are seeing and what they are trying to imagine. This is where virtual reality (VR) can come in. VR strips away the barriers between the observer and what they are observing, letting them step inside a design and engage with it in a more natural way. VR is hardly a new concept. The first ever headmounted display was created in 1968 by Ivan Sutherland and Bob Sprull at the University of Utah. The first commercial manifestations (and first notable failures) came in the 1990s, when gaming companies including Sega and Nintendo dipped their toes into the water. However, it wasn’t until 2016 — and the launch of several VR headsets from the likes of HTC, Oculus, and Sony — that the technology was finally ready for mass market consumption.
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By creating it first in virtual reality, an integrator can let a homeowner sit in their home cinema room and watch a film before the room is even built. While it is primarily known as a gaming technology to many people, it is in business — rather than consumer — applications where the more useful ways of maximising the potential of VR are being found. For example, NASA has used the technology to prepare prospective astronauts for zero-gravity living, hospitals are using it to train doctors on how to respond to pediatric emergencies, and VR is even being used to make the gym-going experience more palatable by turning one’s workout into a video adventure. What’s more, virtual reality is far from a flash in the pan, sales-wise. Total sales from the five most popular VR platforms in 2016 equalled 6.3 million units; conversely, when the iPhone launched in 2007, Apple sold only 6.1 million units in its first year — and we all know what happened next.
VR IN ARCHITECTURAL AND SMART HOME DESIGN There are a few interesting ways in which virtual reality is starting to be used in the smart home sector. The first — and most obvious — approach is to replace a costly physical showroom with a virtual reality equivalent. This can offer a few unique benefits. Firstly, this reduces the initial outlay needed to demonstrate various systems to a user and gives companies that cannot afford their own showroom a chance to compete with the bigger players. Secondly, it allows multiple technologies to be featured sideby-side and compared directly. If, for example, an integrator specialises in both Control4- and Crestron-centred smart homes, then they could create an environment that allows the user to switch between the two systems at the push of a button and explore how each will alter the way they manage their home. Another way that virtual reality can be used is
to give potential clients the chance to explore previous projects already completed by the integrator, without that integrator having to request permission from their previous customers. Instead, a highly realistic replica of the property can be created in VR, allowing a user to explore how previous systems have been installed and letting them interact with various technology solutions, as if they were walking around the property itself. Home cinema design can often be a major sticking point in a smart home project, as the client can struggle to understand what the final result will look like. By creating it first in virtual reality, an integrator can let a homeowner sit in their home cinema room and watch a film before the room is even built, letting them see how their money will be put to good effect and allowing them to make any adjustments before the build even begins. Dynamic lighting can also be used to excellent effect in this scenario, showing how the room will transform throughout the viewing experience. VR is quickly becoming a popular tool for architects and interior designers and is being used during the initial design phase for proofing purposes and as a way of communicating concepts to clients and third-party partners. On projects where the architect is already using VR, it becomes reasonably easy to include smart home technology without the cost for the overall experience rising extortionately — making it a cost-effective way to inspire a client about the technological possibilities for their project.
HOW DOES IT WORK? The beauty of incorporating virtual reality animation into the property design process is that the 3D design files already generated by
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architects and designers serve as a starting point. These files — which can be built from the likes of SketchUp, Vectorworks, 3DS Max, and even 2D plans — are taken by a VR design studio and placed into a rendering engine, such as Unity or Unreal Engine. The files are then built upon to add realistic textures and dynamic environmental effects (such as weather conditions, lighting, and sound) and then exported as a VR environment that an end user can load up on their computer or smart phone and freely explore.
WHAT'S NEXT ON THE VIRTUAL HORIZON? While VR in its current form is already a very useful tool for those in the design and construction industry, there are several new technologies on the horizon that will make VR an even more accessible tool for designers and end users alike. Of particular interest to home cinema designers and AV specialists is the integration of 3D audio into virtual reality experiences, allowing designers to showcase exactly how adding an extra height layer can really improve the listening experience. It could also be used to better isolate sounds within a house, making the most of VR designers’ ability to place audio in a specific area. One example could be showing how traffic outside a window could be heard while a set of tripleglazed windows are open, but not once they have been closed automatically by the user.
There are two areas in which VR will improve greatly over the next couple of years — field of view and screen resolution. With the former, the recently announced StarVR headset has already expanded on what has, up until now, been the standard (110°x110°), with a 240°x130° viewpoint capable of showing IMAX movies within virtual reality. Currently, the resolution of the top-end VR headsets is being held back by the processing ability of the computers powering them and complicated by the fact that two images need to be generated simultaneously to create the VR effect. While the best headsets right now are able to deliver an image at 1080×1200 per eye, the next generation of headsets, led by the HTC Vive Pro, will significantly improve on this, making for much more realistic experiences and more opportunity for designers to work on optimising the quality and detail within the environments they create. Virtual reality might be a nascent concept for the smart home, but it is becoming increasingly popular for businesses across many sectors, including architecture and construction. Expect to see a number of integrators taking the plunge with virtual smart home design over the coming year — and reaping the marketing and promotional benefits that come along with it.
www.andrew-lucas.com @smarthomelondon
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INDUSTRY Q&A
ENERGY
MANAGEMENT How would you describe the energy management and control opportunity for home technology integrators? HD I would say that it is commonly overlooked. Integrators need to upskill and move with the demands of today’s smart buildings. Delivering AV, lighting, and blinds just isn’t adequate anymore. Information is power and the more data you make use of in a project the better. Energy management — if visualised in a user-friendly manner — can be a powerful tool in energy conservation and usage. In an eco-friendly house, this is a vital function for efficient operation. There is a place for it in our everyday houses and should not to be overlooked when designing for future-proofing. MML Energy management and control are great tools that integrators should consider adding to their projects. As our customers are passionate about technology, they are always interested in having the ability to control and see how much energy they are consuming in their homes. We are selling smart homes, so we believe that it is a great feature for a home to monitor your consumption to help you save energy.
How important are technologies such as smart thermostats and smart meters? HD These technologies are very important. Smart thermostats incorporate some clever algorithms to assist in keeping the heating as efficient as possible by warming up and cooling down with optimal transitions in relation to ambient temperatures, for instance. They also include devices for remote control. With the latest multifaceted devices, users can also use their smart water meter for billing and monitoring of water consumption, and also detect leaks in the system. MML Smart thermostats are very important in connected home projects. They allow you to optimise the usage of your air conditioning system by monitoring the temperature of the property at all times — therefore, not heating or cooling the home when it is not necessary. Smart meters allow you to monitor how much energy you are spending in your home, so that you can be aware of the performance of your home and control your energy consumption.
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”
Renewable energy presents an up-front cost, but over time it will eventually pay for itself.
”
Hamish Douglas (HD)
Mauricio Mejía Lamprea (MML)
Operations Director of Sagar Smart Homes
How easily can these technologies be integrated into a connected home installation? HD There are several IoT and wireless solutions available that are very easy to integrate into existing systems. It’s always best to do a bit of research on the existing devices on a project to ensure a smooth integration. Not all devices work quite as well as advertised, so users shouldn’t be shy in seeking advice from industry experts or dealers experienced in handling different products. MML These systems are easily integrated into the home, as there are many protocols that are now compatible with automation systems. For example, IP compatible devices are becoming more common. There are also wireless protocols, such as Zigbee and Z-Wave, which can make integration of these systems easier.
CEO of Home Tech
How prevalent are other renewable technologies, such as ground source heat pumps, solar panels, and rainwater harvesting? HD Most of our projects outside of the UK incorporate some type of renewable energy technology. We include quite a lot of future-proofing for solar because our clients often ask us for the possibility to add panels in the future. But this is definitely something we’d like to see more of. There’s huge potential to integrate energy generation into smart homes and with the rising popularity of electric vehicles, household energy loads will be on the increase.
What’s your advice for controlling and integrating these systems? HD Do your due diligence. As the integrator, you will always receive the first call for any problems. Renewable technologies all have multiple data points required for efficient system operation. It only takes one of these to fall outside its working parameter to lock the system down. CEDIA offers great training courses to get you up to speed.
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MML I would suggest always using an automation system that is able to integrate all your devices, so that your customers can monitor, control, manage, and interact with it from one control system. The other key point is to make the system as easy to use as possible. You don’t want to complicate your client’s life with a system that is difficult to use.
MML People are now more aware of environmental issues and are looking forward to living in a more clean and sustainable way. This provides integrators with the opportunity to integrate smart homes with renewable technologies, while also delivering an energy control system for the customer's smart home.
How would you assess the future of local power storage, supply and management into the connected home? HD It’s something we are very passionate about at Sagar Smart Homes, but in the near future, unless its born from necessity, it seems to be more as a luxury item for our clients as there is a reasonable price tag that comes with it. As storage technology improves and becomes more affordable, people will realise the payback quicker, which will make it a lot more viable. Future-proofing your system by ensuring your initial design can incorporate these additional features is important. Renewable energy presents an up-front cost, but over time it will eventually pay for itself and so over many years, the reduced household power bill will cover initial outlays.
@HomeTechCol
www.hometechcolombia.com
@SmartHomesLive
www.sagarsmarthomes.co.uk
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IoT: The Internet of Things — and the Internet of Opportunity and Trouble, Too A snapshot of a recent CEDIA Tech Council Podcast on the IoT
Ed Wenck
Content Marketing Manager, CEDIA
One of the more striking CEDIA Talks given at ISE 2018 in Amsterdam was delivered by David Mudd, Business Development Director for the Internet of Things with the British Standards Institution (BSI). In his work with BSI, David’s uniquely qualified to talk about IoT, its promise and problems, and — most importantly for our purposes — how it relates to the home technology industry. David’s talk inspired a CEDIA Tech Council podcast that dropped not long after ISE wrapped.
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David was careful to focus first on what IoT is really all about: “People tend to latch onto concepts like, ‘Oh that's kind of where you can control your lights and your heating via your phone, isn't it?’ “The real value of IoT is beyond that.” For David, IoT carries the promise of what’s long been a CEDIA mantra: It’s not a collection of gadgets; instead it’s a means to providing an experience. “It's your home learning, understanding your habits, your preferences. Knowing what the ambient light is. Knowing what the weather forecast is going to be. Knowing the price of electricity and gas. Delivering the absolutely perfect environment for you, without you having to even touch your phone. That's where the real value is, and that's where it starts to get exciting for anyone in the smart home automation market.” “Ultimately the internet of things is an enabler — it doesn't actually do anything.” The caveat: “It's where the digital meets the physical, and we mustn't lose track of the fact that it's still physical products that have to deliver that service that we need.” WHY IOT PROJECTS FAIL Now to the reality of the unrealised potential of the Internet of Things: According to an article published by medium.com, Cisco polled “1,845 business and IT decision-makers in mid-market and enterprise companies” and discovered a whopping 75% failure rate among their IoT deployments.* The reasons for failure culled from Cisco’s survey included:
FROM THE PODCAST Dave Pedigo: Do we really need technology that’s connected solely for the sake of being connected? My example has always been the hairbrush. There is a connected hairbrush that tells you whether or not you're brushing your hair enough. I have one of those too, it's called a mirror. David Mudd: One of our comedians over here in the UK jokes about the smart toothbrush, which tells you how long you've been brushing your teeth. He says, "I know. I was there."
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Long completion times
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Poor quality of the data collected
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Lack of internal expertise
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IoT integration
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Budget overruns
For David, however, it’s something else — a root problem that could likely be the initiator of all the aforementioned issues. “The biggest single reason why IoT projects fail? It's not down to the particular technology, or to one group of people not speaking to another, or whether the technology wasn't a good enough quality, or what have you. “It almost always comes down to a lack of a clear strategy. Where someone thought either, ‘We need to jump on this bandwagon. There's a quick buck to be made here,’ or, ‘Unless we integrate this thing now, we're going to lose out,’ or, ‘We've got one shot here, or we don't get another chance for five years, so let's just stick it in anyway and see what happens.’ It's that kind of attitude, thinking we'll just make it up as we go along, that causes the problems, rather than the technology per se.” David offers a striking example of an IoT device designed for home automation that came to his lab that did not measure up: “We tested one of the first smart locks. It was amazingly smart. You could watch what was going on from anywhere. You could email somebody a key to get in. All very amazing technology. “Our guys broke into that lock in 30 seconds. “I can't give away the details of how they broke into it, but those guys are trained to look at a lock as a lock. If that lock doesn't perform as a lock, it doesn't matter how smart it is. That's the
*[SOURCE: https://medium.com/iotforall/iot-projects-have-a-75-failure-rate-ce8101432c25]
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thing I'm seeing more and more with all this technology: People focussing on that connectivity — a) for the sake of it, and b) at the expense of the quality of that product in its primary function.” THE KEYS TO THE RIGHT DEVICE “There's two areas of concern here,” David notes. “One is, does the product function as it should?” Here’s where the expertise of those in the CEDIA channel comes in. “In your market, you guys are the experts. In terms of the quality, of the functionality of the products that go into smart home automation, you guys are the experts. Likewise, when it comes to the true value, it's also down to your knowledge of your customer.” And is that customer likely to be impressed by the many modes of amazing functionality a device might have? “There is no point in that,” says David. “The number one thing: The product has to be useful. Number Two: It has to be easy. Easy to use, easy to set up, easy to troubleshoot. “Then thirdly — and this is kind of a minor third compared to the others — it has to have the ‘wow factor.’ Normally the wow factor is tied into the first two. It's that I just click my fingers, or I do this one thing, and I have things exactly how I want them.” But again, “wow factor” doesn’t mean a device needs “a lot of added bells and whistles — the customers can see through that. This is where you can take your knowledge of that end customer — and what they truly see as valuable — and use that to drive the development of suitable applications that are a lot more than the kind of simple ‘gadget boy’ stuff.” But that doesn’t mean having the very latest solution for the sake of being cutting-edge. “Alternatively, if you're looking to defend your corner against the onslaught of this technology, you've got to focus on, what does that really give you?” David asks. “What does that really give the customer? You know your customers the best, and that is still your key differentiator, whether it's the quality of the products, or whether it's the value of that connectivity. “In the realm of smart home technology, you really need to focus on your knowledge of the customer and those things that bring something of value to them.”
Find this podcast and more at cedia.net/ podcast. “IoT and Security” with David Mudd is Episode 47, 1808 on iTunes.
www.bsigroup.com
@BSI_UK
ISSUES OF RISK The podcast also delves into the issues of security — and danger — when it comes to the notion of having billions of connected devices communicating (and potentially infecting) one another. David sees three key issues when it comes to the potential big-picture problems presented by the IoT: 1. Can connected devices be stopped from functioning or actually made dangerous? The last major one I was aware of was a nation-state level of attack against a power facility. The attackers were able to get into the alarm and the safety side of things, disable the alarms, disable the safety devices, and then target the power generation to cause that to malfunction and actually destroy the facility. In so doing, they triggered some of the alarms and caused a shutdown. One can imagine that same kind of thing potentially going on in a high-end residential home: targeting the security systems, targeting a smoke detector, then maybe a gas fire and an oven, and that kind of thing. There is material danger that's over and beyond the standard cyber security threats of just stealing data and money. 2. Can IoT devices actually be used to attack something else? The classic example is the Mirai Botnet event back in 2016, where there was an active attack searching for vulnerable devices, and a particular manufacturer of IP-enabled security cameras was found to be particularly vulnerable. Hackers wrote a piece of software, tracked down hundreds of thousands of these devices, put some malware on them, and used them to take out Amazon, PayPal, Twitter, and Spotify at the same time. Not one of the owners of those cameras knew that device had been hijacked. 3. What data is actually being taken by these devices, what is it being used for, and how secure is it? Can it be misused and made dangerous? Can it be misused to attack something else? Then what is happening with the data? Those are the three big areas of concern. All of those risks can be mitigated, but this is not something you walk into thinking, "I'll grab this off-theshelf product here and trust that." Or even, "I will trust my suppliers at face value." What evidence is there that those very serious risks will be mitigated against?
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TIME
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IS
MONEY Sure, “time is money” is something of a cliché, but that doesn’t by necessarily mean it’s Leslie Shiner not still true. That’s The Shiner Group especially evident when one breaks down all the concrete, definable ways that saving time on a job can increase a company’s profits. Let’s focus on four ways you can save time and turn those minutes into money. Your company should: 1. Utilise time management techniques to keep jobs on schedule 2. Track employees’ productivity and measure the cost per hour 3. Track committed costs to manage slippage 4. Analyse the time factor of change work Utilise Time Management Techniques to Keep Jobs on Track The most efficient way to manage progress is to build a schedule. Using programmes such as Microsoft Project, you can track the various stages of jobs to ensure that work’s being completed in a timely manner. Sure, you’ll often have to adjust those schedules, but having those schedules laid out in a concise format like a Gantt Chart (a bar chart that shows both timelines and dependencies) will enable you to have a handle on the big picture of your workflow.
Saving time on a job lessens the chances for everything from weather delays to theft or the inevitable obsolescence of the gear you’re installing.
You should also set up — and enforce — your own time management rules. One quick tip: Don’t read your email first thing in the morning. Make a task list the day before and prioritise what needs to be accomplished first, then tackle top-line items before you begin answering missives that can distract you from your company’s workflow. There are hidden benefits when you keep a schedule and “hit your marks,” as it were: Saving time on a job lessens the chances for everything from weather delays to theft or the inevitable obsolescence of the equipment you’re installing. Track Employees’ Productivity and Measure the Cost Per Hour
First, create an estimate for labour costs and hours worked — then, ensure that every employee keeps a timecard — even you. Once you create an estimate of the labour hours anticipated to complete a job, make sure your technicians agree that the budget is reasonable. Then, be sure they are tracking their time to against the budget. A timecard should include specifics: How many hours were spent in transit? In meetings? On a run for more cable? Waiting for a carpenter to re-frame that wall that was off by six inches before your tech can install a low-voltage box? If you track your employees’ time in a manner that’s free of punishment, you’ll get an accurate assessment of how long a job really takes. Additionally, have you considered the true cost of each employee? Ask any integrator how much it costs for technicians, and he or she will probably tell you the hourly pay rate plus payroll taxes. More knowledgeable integrators will add workers comp and various benefits (health insurance, retirement, etc.). Even better, they will factor in the cost of vehicles, tools, communication equipment, and other indirect costs related to having employees. All these costs add up to help you determine your fully burdened labour rates.
THE
FOUR TOOLS 1 | Utilise time management techniques to keep jobs on schedule
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2 | Track employees’ productivity and measure the cost per hour 3 | Track committed costs to manage slippage 4 | Analyse the time factor of change work
But there is yet another cost associated with employees that can severely impact profitability if it is not figured into pricing a proposal or job costing labour. This gotcha factor is the utilisation rate of your technicians. In simple terms, this is equal to the total number of billable hours divided by the total number of hours paid. How many unbillable hours are you paying your employees every year? Hours such as holiday, sick, and vacation time. What about production meetings, safety meetings, design meetings, or even a week away from the office for CEDIA training? Do you charge the drive time to the jobs? It is important to track this non-billable time because each hour of non-billable time increases the total cost per billable hour.
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As you near the end of any project — the last 20% is s on Pro fit often where things get dicey — one needs to subtract both current costs and committed costs to determine the available budget. Committed costs are those where you haven’t yet been billed by the vendor, but you’ve committed to the costs through a subcontract or purchase order. That
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Analyse the Time Factor of Change Work Change is inevitable, right? But if change means more time on a job, shouldn’t you be paid for it? Change orders — whether initiated by the client or the job conditions — can break a budget if clear expectations aren’t set early in the integrator/client relationship. There are a few things to remember when you’re creating change orders: • Do you have a clear scope of work so that changes are apparent?
• Have you been over these processes with the client in an honest, upfront manner? How about your employees on-site?
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A trick to help arrive at that true budget is understanding how to utilise committed cost reporting. Equipment, materials, and subcontractors are committed costs. Other costs — such as labour — are internal. As the job progresses, determine what’s left of the available budget, those costs over which you still control. It’s better to know about slippage before it happens, when you can still make changes to get back on track.
Track Committed Costs to Manage Slippage
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“available budget” (adding your costs to date to those that are already committed to see what’s left) shouldn’t be confused with the “remaining budget” (comparing your costs to date against the total budget).
• Who’s approved to take the order and make the changes?
• Util Labour ize on tra tim Utiliza tion ck e man emen Raagte • Trac t tech cost k empl niqu oy per es to prod ees’ pr keep uctiv oduc jobs • Trac e ho tivity ur k co and mm mea itted sure cost the • An s to alyz m an e th age e tim slip e fa page ctor of ch ange and wor k
Total nu mb hours pa er of id
How many unbillable hours are you paying your employees every year?
If you could keep employees on budget on jobs and pay the same total amount of wages while completing more work, you can improve your profitability.
“Slippage” is what happens when a job’s costs expand beyond the budget. Usually it’s a result of a lack of tracking how a project is adhering to its budget in real time. An integrator can easily fool him or herself into thinking there’s more money left for a project than actually exists.
Time is Money: 4 Tools to Boost Your Profits
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• Are you including the time to research and process the changes in the price of the change order?
• What kind of documentation will see the process to its fruition? Be sure to manage your change orders by processing them as soon as possible. Include all the time involved in each change order — don’t forget the additional project management the changes will require. There are more issues to consider, of course — but these four aspects of time management outlined above should get you started toward maximising the efficiency of your work and, as a result, maximising profits.
www.shinergroup.com @LeslieShiner
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Professional Indemnity Insurance:
A Q&A What is professional indemnity insurance? DT | Professional indemnity (PI)
David Taylor (DT) Director of Flint Insurance, UK
www.flintinsurance.co.uk @Flint_Insurance
insurance, often referred to as professional liability insurance or PI
clients (including consulting or • You provide designs to your
and companies, which covers legal
clients
costs and expenses incurred in your
• You want to protect against
defence, as well as any damages
allegations of mistakes or
or costs that may be awarded if
negligence in work you have
you are alleged to have provided
undertaken for your client • You work as a contractor, consultant, freelancer, or selfemployed professional, and your
LJA | Professional indemnity
client has requested that you
insurance is where CEDIA members
arrange professional indemnity
provide advice or a service to their
insurance in order to undertake a
customers. Professional Indemnity
contract.
Insurance protects against the legal costs and claims for damages, which may arise out of an act, omission, or breach of professional duty.
@Jelf_UK
professional services to your
designed for professional people
client to lose money.
www.jelfgroup.com
• You provide advice or
contracting)
or faulty products that cause your
Business Development Executive at Jelf, UK
indemnity insurance if:
insurance, is an insurance product
inadequate advice, services, designs,
Lee James Appleton (LJA)
You are likely to need professional
Why should integrators have indemnity insurance?
LJA | Striving for first class service is business as usual for CEDIA members, but mistakes can happen. A PI insurance policy is designed to protect against the cost of dealing with a claim from a dissatisfied customer. Whether that’s due to a project overrunning or strategic advice that
DT | As an integrator, you are
ends up losing the client money, it’s
not obliged to have PI insurance.
important to ensure that the cover is
However, without it, you could
in place should an error occur. One
be liable for thousands of
of the main areas of relevance to
pounds worth of legal fees and
CEDIA members is negligence, or in
compensation payments — not to
other words, being careless in your
mention lost income from the time
work, such as giving bad advice or
spent defending any allegation.
making a mistake.
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on 01905 892 359 or via cedia@ jelfgroup.com
How much cover do integrators need?
“
CEDIA members should consider the risks their business could potentially face and the maximum amount they need to pay out in legal fees and compensation in a worst-case scenario.
What is the difference between indemnity insurance and public liability? DT | Public liability insurance protects your business from a claim for third party injury or damage to their property as a direct result of any physical work you undertake. Professional Indemnity protects a business or individuals from financial losses from your professional services, when providing design, advice, or a service for a fee. LJA | Professional indemnity and public liability are two different types of insurance. Quite simply, public liability insurance protects the policyholder in the event that they are sued for damages by a member of the public (including clients) arising out of bodily injury or property damage incurred as a result of their work.
provide the right advice and cover. Being bespoke means that the policy is not derived from business descriptions that less knowledgeable brokers or online portals may try to use to categorise CEDIA business activities, which is fundamental to ensuring the correct cover is in place. LJA | We provide access to a dedicated team who specialise in providing bespoke insurance solutions to the contracting market. Our dedicated contact points will ensure you get directly through to an expert in this team. Our packages are designed specifically for the industry but are tailored to each individual clients' business requirements.
How do integrators go about getting indemnity insurance?
What service/package do you offer?
DT | Speak to one of the specialists in our team at Flint, we can provide you with clear and concise insurance advice to ensure you have the correct cover for this and any of your business insurance requirements.
DT | Flint offers a bespoke Professional Indemnity product to CEDIA members, underwritten by A rated panel of Insurers. As longstanding CEDIA affiliate members, providing insurance solutions to a broad section of the membership, we have a high level of expertise in our team and we can
LJA | CEDIA members should look for 3 things: Service, Service, Service. Whether we are setting up a policy, offering advice, or handling a claim, Jelf aim to always exceed expectations. The important thing is to buy on value, not price. The Jelf team is waiting to speak to CEDIA members, and can be contacted
DT | Each company or individual’s insurance requirements will vary; an integrator working in a residential environment will need different covers to those working in commercial or retail, and a company with contracts that are large, and complex will require different covers and limits to a company working on smaller simpler contracts. Insurance is about buying the cover that is right for your needs, and a specialist insurance broker can help you in this process and often save you time and money in doing so. LJA | CEDIA members should consider the risks their business could potentially face and the maximum amount they need to pay out in legal fees and compensation in a worstcase scenario. At Jelf, we let you choose from a range of cover limits, so members can get the protection best-suited to their business.
What information do integrators need to have to get indemnity insurance? DT | Insurers calculate your insurance premium based on a number of factors, but the key information would be; turnover, contract size’s and number of contracts, type of work undertaken, and location the work is undertaken in. LJA | CEDIA members just need to tell us the basic information about their business, such as when they started trading, how many employees they have on the books, and their current turnover. We understand the most common risks CEDIA members face, so we are able to help generate a quote specific to their business requirements in a matter of minutes.
What does this level of insurance cost? DT | Premiums can start as low as £150.00 LJA | Due to the diverse nature of the CEDIA membership, there is no stock answer to that question, but getting a quote from the team at Jelf is quick, easy, and it will be tailored
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THE THE BUILDER'S BUILDER'S PERSPECTIVE PERSPECTIVE
A high-end remodeler and a kitchen and bathroom expert weigh in on working with clients and integrators
A
dam Gibson sings the song that every integrator’s dying to hear. “A client’s interested in tech? Here’s the first thing I do. “I usually talk about home automation or integration right at the beginning of the project and stress the need to have structured wiring because nothing — nothing — can compensate for structured wiring.” Adam is the brains behind Adam Gibson Design — he’s an architectural designer who specialises in high-end kitchen and bathroom projects in the U.S. Midwest. His watchwords are “warmth, simplicity, and clarity in design,” but that doesn’t mean he’s tech-averse — he embraces it, and he knows how to respond when he gets a familiar pushback regarding, say, adding cable to a project: “I'll suggest, ‘Well, maybe if you're worried about the obsolescence, let's run some conduit in some important areas where you think it might serve you in the future?’” Adam’s taking part in a roundtable discussion as he prepped for a webinar presented by the NKBA (National Kitchen and Bath Association) for their members about working with CEDIA integrators on kitchen and bathroom projects specifically. Also, in on the discussion is one of the leading remodelers in the Great Lakes region of North America, Christopher Wright of Wrightworks, LLC. (Jamie Briesemeister of Integration Controls in St. Louis handles the integrator’s perspective in this particular webinar — but this prep session’s focussed on the design/build experts.) Tech Issues? They’re Universal The client concerns that Christopher and Adam are recalling in this chat echo the issues that integrators have dealt with for decades: “When it comes to technology, I think there are the usual customer fears of obsolescence, as Adam
noted,” says Christopher. There’s more, of course: “They fear that the system is going to be overly complicated. They fear that they're going to be over-sold. That it's just going to start spiraling out of control. A lot of my projects are partnerships with people like Adam, and so a lot of the designers who I work with have a fear that any dollars spent on technology are going to come right out of the beautiful things that they want to put in a house, so those are some of the things that we have to get around.” Both Christopher and Adam are CEDIA evangelists: They talk to other builders at events like the annual Design and Construction Week Show. If there’s a single message Christopher wants to impart to his colleagues, it’s this: “You don't have to be a techie. That's what your CEDIA partner is there for.” Christopher expands on that last point: “You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room when your clients ask: ‘What about privacy? What about security? What about when I want to do something different or expand down the road?’ Those are questions for the integrator.” And builders are bombarded with a lot of the same interoperability questions that integrators field: “One of the challenges for us as builders and designers is now clients come to us with technologies that have been marketed direct to the consumer.” “We hear this all the time from people that tried the DIY-approach,” says Adam. “’Okay, I did this, this, and this and now this, this, and this don't work.’ That’s why the knowledge and experience of someone who knows this stuff is critical.” Christopher sums up the problem: “There’s this increasing challenge of having homeowners go to some home centre and then there are all these end caps of connected products. They're marketed like this: ‘Just take it home, plug in your Wi-Fi password, and install an app!’
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“
If you’re a builder, you don't have to be a techie. That what your CEDIA partner is there for.
“So now we have all this app clutter because our clients are buying these little one-off things, and then when they do a major project, they bring them to us and say, ‘Hey, I have all this. Can we incorporate this into the project, too?’” And When the Builder Talks to the Integrator… After we’ve established that builders are hearing the same things that CEDIA integrators hear from clients, we turn the discussion to the builder/integrator interaction. First on the docket for Christopher: “When we start a project, we talk about project management. At what points are the integrators going to be on site? What are they going to be doing? How do we talk about the budget question? “It makes me a better builder, and it gives me a competitive advantage when I have partners who can help bring these things and bring comfort to my clients when the subject of technology comes up.” As Adam notes, the tech most often
asked for in kitchens and bathrooms is AV — with lighting a close second: “People really do want to have good lighting controls; layered lighting.” But when he’s involved in the discovery process, both Adam and Christopher start the tech conversation by stressing the need for a robust home network. After determining what the “bare minimums” are when it comes to technology, it’s time to turn to the tech person sitting at the table. “My goal is not to be a CEDIA member and learn how to hook up networks and wire TVs,” says Christopher. “I believe in CEDIA because I believe in the elevation of the professionalism of the industry and the relationship between the various partnerships in a project: design, build, technology, architecture, homeowner. I think that the more we can develop healthy relationships with one another...” Adam pauses for a second, and then puts a bow on it: “The end goal is to build beautiful things and have happy clients.”
What do you look for in an integrator? Christopher Wright: In many ways, I look for things that I look for in any vendor that I work with, whether that's my plumbing distributor, my lighting distributor, whoever. I look for people who will take care of my client, who will communicate well, who will understand we're all working toward the same goal and none of us is the most important person at the table, but we all have an input to give that's going to further the experience. I want to give them a comfort level that communicates: "Okay, we're not just going to over-sell you." I want to make sure that the juice is worth the squeeze; that we're not just putting in gimmicks.
Christopher Wright www.wrightworks.net
When we design a kitchen, you're asking a client, "How do you live? How do you cook? Where do you like to put things?" When it comes to technology, we ask that client, "Tell me about your current experience with your network? What devices do you have? Where do you want to watch content? Where does that content come from?" Then we go from there with the integrator.
Adam Gibson: Communication is absolutely key. I really want to understand everything that the integrator wants to do, scheduling-wise. I want to make sure that they're not going to slow things down and that they are delivering the best results for the client.
Adam Gibson www.adamgibson.com
I do appreciate an integrator who will show clients things they may not realise they could have. Not necessarily trying to upsell them, mind you — but if they don't realise that they could have a lighted pathway from their garage to their kitchen, to let them know: "Actually, with a push of a button from your car, we can provide that lighted walk." As designers, we don't think about those things. We just think about how things look or how things function, but we don't think about the technology that we can offer.
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One of the key areas of CEDIA’s strategic plan is to focus on education. This is something that the association is rolling out globally. Looking at recent events, and forthcoming plans, it is clear to see that CEDIA is already on track.
AUSTRALIA Having proved successful in 2017, CEDIA expanded the Tech Forum programme by introducing a new location this year and expanding the events to include CEDIA core education. The Tech Forum tour started with over 40 people attending a two-day event at Canada Bay Club in Sydney’s Inner West in March. Sponsored by Amber Technology; Audio Visual Distributors; Avation; Blustream; Connected Media Australia; and Ivory Egg Australasia, these companies presented manufacturer product training sessions on day one. The second day focussed on CEDIA education, including "HDMI Master Integrator," "HDR The Next Big Thing," and "The Essential Download on AV-Over-IP." CEDIA will continue its Tech Forum tour around Australia over the next few months, with events in Perth and Melbourne in May and one in Brisbane in June.
CANADA CEDIA teamed up with security distributor, ADI for the ADI Toronto Expo in March. Open to ADI customers, approximately 60 people attended, which included a CEDIA training session, entitled “Expanding Beyond Security: Adding AV & Smart Home Technology to Your Lineup.”
MEXICO
CEDIA will be hosting a two-day Tech Forum event in Mexico City on Monday 21st — Tuesday 22nd May. As well as a number of education and networking sessions, the event will include a breakfast for Women in AV and CEDIA Outreach Instructor (COI) training.
AROUND THE WORLD COLOMBIA CEDIA has formed an alliance with HomeTech El Hogar Digital to offer monthly CEDIA training. So far this year, it has hosted the first training sessions in Bogotá and Medellín. The Bogotá event allowed integrators and business owners to learn the latest skills needed to be more efficient in their work and to build their career in smart home technology, with CEDIA presenters hosting the “Distributed Audio Systems” and “Wash, Rinse, Repeat: Standardisation of the Engineering and Design Process” courses.
CHINA In April, CEDIA teamed up with training partner, HTT and presented its "Audio Set-Up & Calibration" course in Wuhan. At the end of the four-hour course, attendees walked away understanding how to design an audio system, list system connection suggestions, verify and calibrate a home theatre audio system, operate audio calibration equipment, and analyse data. Later in the month, CEDIA and training partner, AVstyle presented a three-day event in Shanghai. The event covered courses, including, “The Emerging Home Technology Trends”, “Advanced Home Theatre Design Workshop”, “Power Management, Conditioning, and UPS”, and “Design Room for Immersive Audio.”
INDIA From 22-25 May, CEDIA will be heading to Bangalore to host a four-day training and networking event. The visit will include a one-day Tech Forum session and three days CEDIA training, focussing on Boot Camp and Home Cinema Design. The event is sponsored by Artnovion, Crestron, Lutron, and Lyngdorf Audio. WWW.CEDIA.CO.UK/CEDIA-EVENTS
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% last 5 the
“The toughest part of a job? Sometimes it’s the last 5%.” - ANON “Old technologies aren’t completely dead. Did you know the global market for candle wax was 8.5 billion dollars last year?” Sam Woodward (Lutron) on the CEDIA Tech Council Podcast (No. 1806, Episode 45)
“To me, the most important technology is probably not one thing or one brand, it is the integrator’s ability to provide a seamless, easy-touse system for their clients.”
WISDOM FROM OUR MEMBERS (And Some Others, Too)
Stuart Robertson (Sound Living) on the blog at CEDIA.net
“Throughout the entirety of the process, strategic decisions always have the members at the center.” Dr. Rebecca Homkes, teaching fellow at the London School of Economics, on CEDIA’s new strategic plan
“I get to learn. And I get to share. And when I'm teaching other people, I'm learning. I'm the type of instructor that asks questions. I like sharing the mistakes that I've made — ultimately, I can help other people not make those very same errors.” Larry Heuvelman (The Owner Consultant) on volunteering as a CEDIA instructor
"You can build whatever user interface you want on top of this." John Fitch, Animal Ventures, speaking about the opportunities presented by blockchain technology on the CEDIA Tech Council Podcast (No. 1809, Episode 48)
"Just because you can, doesn't mean you should." Geoff Meads (Presto AV) on the CEDIA Tech Council Podcast (No. 1802d, Episode 38)
“It certainly is a credential that ensures that you have the right abilities, that you've learnt the right technologies and skill sets to be able to deploy properly and get the work done right. So as an employer, I would want to make sure that I've got certified people working for me. And as far as a homeowner? Yeah, that'd be really comforting to know.” Mitchell Klein (Z-Wave Alliance) on CEDIA Certification
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September 4 - 8, 2018 San Diego, CA
Residential tech is your industry. CEDIA members receive a FREE badge and discounted conference pricing.
Register Today! Get Your FREE Badge and Register at CEDIAExpo.com/register
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Gira E2 Stainless steel. Fits to the wall. New frames and inserts in high-quality stainless steel have been added to the successful Gira E2 switch range, opening up a whole new set of design possibilities. Planners can fit out buildings with a consistent design, while differentiating different areas in terms of value. Its sophisticated appearance makes Gira E2 stainless steel particularly suited to upscale facilities, both in the private and commercial sphere. The frames for the flat installation protrude a mere 3 mm from the wall, blending in with the architecture in a particularly elegant fashion – and thereby providing an additional design option. Numerous functions from the Gira System 55 meet all the requirements of a modern, future-proof electrical installation. More information: www.gira.com/e2