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There were several of these sales situations where I knew—based on our conversations—that the client would benefit from and enjoy home automation. The challenge...

Sony. Control4. Sonos. Harman. Snap AV. At one point every company was a first-time exhibitor at CEDIA. This year CEDIA’s newbie exhibitors will introduce...

We’ve all been there. Without fail, our client asks us if we’ll install product they purchased from eBay, Craigslist, or somewhere else online. The...

In talking to Nicos Panteli, the co-founder and developer of Qioto, the website with the tagline “Discover Smart Home Solutions,” I felt like I...

It’s the first question out of most people’s mouths when they’ve heard someone has bought a new television. When people are considering buying a...

As you’d expect from a massive blockbuster action film, the Dolby Atmos soundtrack is dynamic and top-shelf. The sound design throughout the film is...

Because of a terrible storm that struck NYC on Monday, we found ourselves stuck in the city for an extra day. Instead of sitting...

CEDIA’s number one responsibility is to look out for the long-term business interests of its constituents. As the smart home DIY convergence continues its...

Ready for a hardscape of our own, we approached a company at the garden show to request the exact design that they had on...

I have been playing with several tried-and-true DIY brands in my own home and office. Here is what I think of them, whether or...

I’ve been doing this for nearly 20 years, and I still had some head scratching moments trying to solve the problem. All in the...

A bad hire can cost an organization $100,000. Productivity, morale, revenue, and client relationships all suffer from bad hires, and $100k is a sobering...

One of the great things about being affiliated with the press is all of the cool new toys I get to play with! Last...

When you think about our industry—especially the high end of it—there is no shortage of luxury products in virtually every category. But where’s the luxury...

A colleague of mine just had an embarrassing experience that could have been easily prevented had one of his vendors been on top of...

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen anything new from Nest. Last week that all changed when the company threw back the curtain to unveil...

As my husband and I sat on our front porch sipping a red wine, we saw our neighbor—the father of our babysitters, husband to...

How do we keep up with news and information that is really important when we’re so bombarded with garbage that isn’t? Different companies handle this...

Our clients today have a plethora of information at their fingertips, and many Tech Chasers know just enough to be dangerous. They read tech...

I’ve noticed Americans often pride themselves on how many hours they work. It’s a badge of honor to brag about pulling an all-nighter or...

I have a running “joke” with my business partner, Al. He’ll tell me how big of a job he just sold, and then I’ll...

So far, my company has maintained a strong preference for professional-grade whole-home audio, but with DIY product getting better and integration with control systems...

The battle of the future of set-top boxes is one worth paying close attention to. Whether they are unlocked, or ditched altogether, we will...

You are at work more than you do anything else — more than 90,000 hours during your lifetime — why not foster relationships with...

I’m not saying that smaller business like ours should provide a formal paid-time-off policy — especially with hourly workers — but encouraging your team...

It turns out this is exactly the kind of advertising partnership that we have been wanting for years, as it requires absolutely zero upfront...

How many of our clients would tolerate being spoken to abruptly over email or text? Not many. We have to go overboard to deliver...

What do you think about attracting your attendance with the cheerleader meet and greets? Would it work? Can you stand tall and tell the...

What drives your decision to favor one product line over another or to work with one distributor more than another? One of the biggest drivers...

If you are a Control4 dealer looking to take your Kaleidescape integration to the next level, I’d highly suggest checking out the Chowman Software...

With iOS 10’s release later this year, tens, possibly hundreds, of millions of users will have a highly capable smart home system installed in...

According to reports, what consumers really want in the smart home is services—namely, smart home as a service, or SHaaS—not a bunch of connected devices...

Keep your mind open and spend some time cultivating relationships outside of your comfort zone. Having other integrators in your market that you can turn...

Games aside, Microsoft’s big news at E3 was the introduction of Xbox One S. Sony focused on virtual reality.

It is no secret that InfoComm is a video-centric show, but this year there is a tremor of change in the way video is...

I don’t know how they are finding our business, but I’ve asked around, and we aren’t the only one being targeted.

We’ve been doing this remodel since December — yes, six months now to get one 13 x 19 room added to our house —...

Our clients tell us constantly that all they want is a system that “just works” every time. We do our best to deliver that...

If you haven’t done it yet, now is the time to go back to those projects where you pre-wired for outdoor entertainment but didn’t...

Why do some of us succeed while others fail? We’re now in our 20th year of business and have definitely seen many other companies...

Installing managed services systems in client homes can save truck rolls and non-billable time. If you’re trying to achieve 25 billable hours per week...