In the Field
Making the Automation Connection
What you need to know when you are looking to switch your automation partner, or add a new one.
Features
Going Forward
Branching Out
Screen Innovations explains the decision to expand into shades, and what it has learned in the process.
Business Book Club
Sales Differentiation by Lee B. Salz
It is just not about what you sell, but how you sell it.
From the Field
Case Study: At the Intersection of Form and Function
Vantage’s adorne and EasyTouch II keypads deliver sophisticated lighting control for an ultra-modern San Antonio home.
InterNetworking
Designing for Energy Automation
Adding an energy automation component to a home automation system opens a world of possibilities for integrators and their clients.
Marketing
Avoid These Marketing Mistakes at All Costs
Get a leg up on your competition, who are probably making more than one of these messaging errors.
Features
Making Introductions
A selection of first-time exhibitors at CEDIA Expo — and why you should visit their booths.
From the Editor
A Vision for Profiting from Service Agreements
Lessons learned at the recent HTA East Coast Customer Experience Summit.
Home Theater
Mounts and Enclosures Spotlight 2019
Showing support for the things that give us support.
CEDIA Show
CEDIA Shares: Control4
Control4 discusses seeing more design professionals at CEDIA Expo 2019 and gives an update on Smart Home OS 3.
In the Field
What to Expect at CEDIA Expo
A brief preview of some of the products coming to Denver this September.
Going Forward
Expansion Strategies for Smart Home
Do smart vents, smart beds, and smart major appliances belong in your business?
Home Theater
Installing Solar Theaters
Controlling the power that feeds your systems may be a lucrative move for your business.
From the Field
Making Sense of Control
Although designed for simplicity, the number of control options available is enough to complicate the project and confuse the client. Here are some ways...
In the Field
Case Study: Connected Cottage
AV-over-IP infrastructure delivers high-end viewing and listening experiences across a sprawling luxury property.
Business Book Club
The Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun by Wess Roberts, Ph.D.
Was Attila a fierce warrior or master marketer? Either way, he knew how to lead the Huns.
CEDIA Show
CEDIA Shares: SurgeX
SurgeX talks about the importance of power management in the AV industry and what they'll be showing at CEDIA Expo 2019.
Back to Business
A Big Bet
What SnapAV’s acquisition of Control4 means for the future of our channel.
Marketing
5 Reasons You Need to Get More Online Reviews
Think you have enough online customer reviews? Think again.
In the Field
Simple Living
It is set-and-forget luxury for this ELAN-automated home in Sarasota, FL.
Business Book Club
Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven (U.S. Navy, Retired)
Little things that can change your life...and maybe the world.
In the Field
Riding the Wellness Wave
Delos looks to the custom install market to introduce a new level of service for clients that revolves around enhancing their health through improved...
From the Editor
Touchy Subject
For anybody growing up in the pre-cloud era, the physical interaction with our content was just as important as the viewing or listening to...
Going Forward
Legrand View
Having acquired a number of companies with strong residential ties, Legrand | AV lays out its goals.
Marketing
Recipe for Online Success
The essential ingredients for an online presence that generates leads.
Behind the Business
Here Come The Smart Appliances
They will soon be arriving to a home network near you — and here’s why you should care.
Going Forward
Diversify with DIY
Typically thought of as the enemy to CI, DIY products can help attract new business.
Business Book Club
The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
Change your perceptions and change your life.
Home Theater
Survival of the Finest
Is the upscale home theater fated to go the way of the wild salmon?
Home Theater
Case Study: Reaching for the Stars
Cobb Home Innovations brings immersion to new heights with a stellar theater built on the third floor of a home.
From the Editor
Listen Up!
While I continue to work on my presentation skills, what my blend-in persona has allowed me to do is to become a keen observer...
Features
Case Study: Show and Sell
Sound Effects in Mesa, AZ, upgrades its home theater demo with AudioControl.
Going Forward
2019 CEDIA Expo Preview
Brian Pagel, senior vice president, Emerald Expositions, pulls back the curtain on what we can expect to see in Denver this September.
Features
Game Changers by Dave Asprey
Use the advice of world-class thought leaders to become smarter, faster, and happier.
Features
Best Buy and the Client Experience
Surprising lessons from an unlikely source about the power of long-term vision.
Home Theater
So You Think You Know Kaleidescape?
There is more than meets the eyes and ears with the popular CI choice for home theater content.
Home Theater
Full Circle Sound
WSDG - Walters-Stork Design Group applies the lessons learned in building world-class recording studios to ultra high-end home theaters.
From the Editor
Taking on Amazon
Whether it is in their capacity as consumer electronics retailer or content producers, Amazon takes a good deal out of the markets, and the...
Going Forward
How to Train Your Integrators
Vincent J. Bova, dealer experience manager for RTI, discusses the company’s goals and the future of its recently launched multi-tiered training program.
Marketing
How to Use Storytelling in Your Marketing
Seven steps to creating the right story for your business.
Business Book Club
‘101 Questions Everyone Should Ask’ by Paul Angone
A book filled with things that will make you go “hmmm.”
InterNetworking
Reflections on 20 Years of Networking the Home
It’s been a long road from session-based internet connections.