Author: GMI Automation

One look outside and you can tell , Summer will be here before we know it, and as we discussed in our last entry, your luxury backyard may already be the ultimate getaway spot. What many do not realize is that the power of Crestron automation can be brought into the backyard, bringing an entirely new level of luxury to this space. We already discussed how Crestron can bring a more robust experience to your backyard pool and today we will be talking about another way Crestron can transform your backyard, with an immersive outdoor theater experience.

Outdoor TV’s and distributed video are a huge topic right now in the world of automation. Unfortunately, like many other aspects of the automation world, we regularly find integrators that let down their clients in a variety of ways. The first is with the outdoor television hardware itself. As you may imagine, TV’s that are specifically rated for outdoor use are a significant investment, sometimes costing as much as 5 times more than their non-outdoor rated counterpart. Part of our job as the integration and audio/video professionals is to give our clients an understanding of exactly where their money is going. We often find that proposed outdoor theater spaces are already mostly protected from the elements under some kind of awning or canopy. Now, where an average integrator may be the “yes man” and install an outdoor TV set regardless, GMI and the #DoneRightNotEasy crew pride ourselves on being more thorough than that. 

Where an average integrator may be the “yes man” and install an outdoor TV set regardless, GMI and the #DoneRightNotEasy crew pride ourselves on being honest with our customers. In this case the real story is that in most circumstances, outdoor TV’s are a waste of money, pigeonholing the client into keeping an expensive set for longer than is needed. As television and video technology continues to grow at an amazing rate, the cost-benefit analysis of an outdoor rated TV simply does not add up.

The second issue with backyard video arises in the physical infrastructure used to carry the video from inside the main structure of a home and into the elements of the backyard. We discussed the difficulties of 4K distribution recently in this blog, and bringing this technology into an outdoor location only adds the potential for more issues. To accomplish this, many integrators will simply build out an extension of the copper wiring infrastructure already used inside the home. This could spell disaster for a Crestron control system as soon as an electrical storm begins to move through. Having interconnected copper wires controlling your outdoor video components means that a single electric shock could resonate through the entire system, causing unforeseen failures. Lightning does not even need to physically strike an outdoor component, even a nearby strike can jump into the copper infrastructure and wreak havoc.

To prevent this, GMI and the #DoneRightNotEasy crew insist on exclusively using fiber optic cable anytime a control system crosses over into an outdoor environment. There are many advantages to using a fiber, the most important of which is that it can be used to decouple the outdoor video components from the main system, shielding the control components from an unforeseen electric charge. Fiber optic cable is also unique in the fact it is small and versatile enough to be run through many pre-existing electrical conduits, oftentimes eliminating the need unnecessarily tear up your back yard and complicate the project. Unlike most integrators, where fiber installation would require an additional sub-contractor on site, GMI takes care of all of our fiber optic installations fully in house. Much like the outdoor vs. standard TV debate outlined above, this allows our systems to be future proof, in so far that when the latest video technology hits the market, the fiber infrastructure already exists and we can upgrade seamlessly upgrade a client’s system.

With summer right around the corner, we wanted to focus some attention in this blog to all the ways GMI and the #DoneRightNotEasy tackle bringing a Crestron automation experience into the ultimate summer getaway, your own luxury backyard. Today we will be discussing how to, and how not to, integrate Crestron control with the best part of your backyard, your swimming pool.

On the surface, your swimming pool may not seem like an ideal target for including into your Crestron automation system. An ecosystem in its own respect, backyard pools will often contain complexities of its own, and as we have seen, this type of roadblock can frustrate inexperienced integrators. However, armed with the proper knowledge and ability to work closely with vendors of all kinds, GMI has learned the ins and outs of providing full swimming pool automation. Allowing you to do anything from telling the assigning rules for the pool heater to adjust the temperature based on the weather forecast, or choosing to override automatic pool filter conditions and temperature settings.

When backyard pool integration with Crestron really begins to impress is when it is linked together with outdoor audio and outdoor lighting. Imagine yourself returning home after a long day, and with the simple press of a button, instantly turning on the hot tub, your desired playlist and the backyard lights. Crestron can even be used to control in-pool lighting and water features, including fountains and color changing LEDs. As with inside of the home, there is almost no limit to what Crestron automation can do when installed and programmed correctly.

Armed with the proper knowledge and ability to work closely with vendors of all kinds, GMI has learned the ins and outs of providing full swimming pool automation.

As readers of this blog will undoubtedly know, taking care of things the right way and not the easy way is in our DNA. Perhaps the most important piece of knowledge we have regarding swimming pool integration with Crestron is that the method of communication to the pool control component absolutely must be on the Crestron network. We often find, along with the usual poor installation quality or badly installed pool equipment, that many previous integrators have swimming pool control set up over a wi-fi network. This is an almost guaranteed failure point, as backyard wi-fi requires significant infrastructure in order to maintain the strength needed to run Crestron commands. Linking the pool control directly into the Crestron network ensures that it works every single time you are ready to enjoy your investment.

To ensure that our team can adequately work with your pool equipment, we make sure to keep both your existing pool builder and pool maintenance company in the in the loop with our progress and any concerns we come upon. This is just another example of us taking control of the job site and working with other vendors to help bring our client’s a full cycle luxury experience. That being said it is important to note that Crestron control brings a more intuitive user experience to your backyard pool and should not be considered a replacement for an experienced pool vendor.

GMI Makes it our mission to bring the highest quality video experience to our clients while maintaining a simple, intuitive and reliable Crestron control system design. To us, there is almost nothing worse than an end user picking up their remote control, pressing the on button and their display not instantly delivering them the high-quality video they expect. 

In the world of Crestron control there are many layers behind the push of every button, and distributing 4K properly is one of the most complex parts of what we do.

Readers of this blog, of course, will have heard of 4K, it’s everywhere, but what many people, even professional integrators, fail to understand is that not all 4K is created equally. What I mean by this is that 4K is not simply a standard resolution like 1080p, it is an umbrella term that contains a variety of different resolutions, depending on the source.

Experience Matters

The non-standard of 4K resolution means that effectively distributing 4K from multiple sources throughout a home can be a nightmare for an unprepared integrator. The simple fact of the data requirements needed to push this level of detail and resolution out to displays throughout a space will stymie many integrators. Additionally, there is the matter of timing, remember our good work means nothing if the end user can’t simply press play and have their content delivered instantaneously. Within the Crestron system, we have a limited number of milliseconds to bring this data from the source to the screen, anything under this threshold will amount to a failure. Adding to all of this complexity is the fact that many 4K products will simply not work together.

Layered Complexities

Perhaps the main issue with distributing 4K is the every changing landscape of HDCP. Short for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection, HDCP is put in place at the content level as a measure to prevent copying of digital audio and video content as it travels across connections. As digital piracy becomes more and more sophisticated, HDCP protocols change, which means control systems need to be built in such a way to accommodate these changes without the end user noticing.

Due to these multi-layered complexities, there is just no magic bullet for effectively distributing 4K video, but luckily for us, the #DoneRightNotEasy crew does not need to rely on magic bullets, and we are armed with many different options for putting high-quality 4K video at our client’s fingertips.  Our main best practice in all that we do is making sure we view the entire design of our system as a whole. We use our knowledge to design the full system with these needs in mind, ensuring that we use compatible displays and streaming systems, the highest quality cables and connectors (installed properly of course), and most importantly, the use of Crestron control hardware. Putting Crestron hardware in the middle of the 4K source and the final display allows us to manage the signal with the least amount of latency possible, as well as monitor for any signs of failure. Crestron has often written us custom firmware allowing us to create one of a kind solutions for 4K distribution.

Done Right, Not Easy

There really is no doubt about it, the future is here and if an integrator is already struggling it’s only going to get worse as the technology grows and evolves. In order stay relevant and prepared, as well as to go the extra mile and provide our customers the quality they expect, GMI has taken the steps to acquire a DCI Certification. DCI is the highest level of the 4K resolution types we mentioned earlier and is the standard level of compliance for IMAX theaters and other ultra high-end displays.

There’s no doubt that effectively distributing 4K video through a complex system is difficult, but GMI’s comprehensive approach before, during and after a system deployment make the difference for our clients every time, providing them with a top of the line video experience they won’t hesitate to show off to their friends. 

In Part one of our feature on Crestron and access control we discussed the variety of ways that Crestron control systems can be linked to access control devices, such as Crestron deadbolts and biometric readers, for secure and powerful automation. Today we will be taking a look at 3 very different real life applications where the #DoneRightNotEasy crew has put this into practice.

User Based Access

In a recently deployed system in a client’s luxury home, we were tasked with creating individualized access programming for house cleaners, auto mechanics, grounds crew, visitors, and of course, the family themselves. To accomplish this we installed a Crestron deadbolt equipped with the Infinity EX wireless system. We set this lock to communicate with the Crestron system as well as the alarm system and grant a specific set of access based on the specific code entered by the user. For example, the landscaping company was given a code to this door that would 

For example, the landscaping company was given a code to this door that would only allow them access to the parts of the home where the equipment they needed was stored. This was done by programming the Crestron system in such a way that upon entering their code, the alarm system in these parts of the home would be bypassed, while the remainder of the home would remain protected. Of course, the housekeeper code would grant access to the majority of the home, but due to the sensitive nature of our clients work, would still protect his home office. This code is written directly into the Crestron control system, providing additional peace of mind to our client without him having to worry about managing the process himself.  

From Front Gate to Front Door

Here is another unique situation handled in a unique way by the #DoneRightNotEasy crew. Our client spent his time between his main home and his New Jersey shore home, both automated by Crestron. He was interested in a solution that would allow him to allow grant access to the property at his primary house, regardless of which house he was at, and to boot, he also wanted to actively monitor those who he allowed access. To solve this issue we installed a one of a kind front gate entry system. When you pull up to the gate you ring an intercom, which connects to whichever house the user is currently staying. 

Once he allows access, we programmed the Crestron system to automatically change the touch screen panel to a 3 by 3 grid of cameras, programmed to dynamically follow the entering vehicle across the property all the way up to the front of the home, and go on to monitor the occupant of that vehicle as they gets out. The end user can then choose to continue monitoring the visitor, or go on about his day with the full knowledge of what is happening on his remote property.

Customized Panel Solutions

One of the many things we excel at here at GMI is the ability to take over existing systems, and bring them up to modern specifications. In the case of our next client, we were contracted to renovate his existing Crestron system, which included a rather old access control system with a numerical keypad and intercom. Unlike the Crestron deadbolts we talked about earlier, this keypad was static and relied on a single four digit code, which throughout his tenure at the home he had given out to friends, relatives, housekeepers and others, diminishing the security of the site. Not wanting to remove the existing hardware for aesthetic purposes, we were tasked with creating a custom solution. 

To do so we built a biometric reader directly into the existing intercom and keypad panel, replacing the keypad portion. Once this was complete our client was presented with a one of a kind access control solution that only the #DoneRightNotEasy crew could provide.

The way people access their home is as unique as a person themselves. Our engineers are presented with new challenges on each access control system we integrate, which allows us to engage in our favorite activity; solving problems and giving our end users a simple, intuitive and reliable Crestron control system.

It seems everywhere you look nowadays you see advertisements for products that claim to give you remote access to someone at your front door. Everything from deadbolts you can open with your phone to video doorbells promises you the ability to grant access to your home from anywhere in the world. We recently covered the rise of so-called “out of the box” automation systems and how Crestron control systems provide true automation for a luxury home. Today we want to address the ubiquity of these access control products and how this technology can be properly incorporated into a luxury home Crestron automation system.

The truth, as you might imagine, is that these consumer level devices, be they wi-fi video doorbells or Z-wave deadbolts, while cool, simply don’t hold a candle to the types of access control technology and integration available in a customized Crestron system.  The near limitless possibilities of Crestron automation systems allow capable integrators to create custom access control solutions that go above and beyond the limited capabilities of these off the shelf solutions.

How It Works

The most similar Crestron solution for residential access control to these Z-wave devices are deadbolts equipped with Crestron hardware itself. Crestron door locks operate in a similar fashion Z-wave devices but use the Crestron wireless infrastructure called Infinite EX, which is a much more stable form of wireless communication. Another advantage of using a Crestron deadbolt is it is pre-built for integration into a Crestron system, and can be set to trigger any number of automation events. These systems are is oftentimes tied directly with the camera system, allowing luxury home owners to view who is at the door prior to triggering the lock to open and allowing access.

Taking It To The Next Level

For those clients who are looking for an additional level of security and control, we take it to the next level with a biometric reader. These devices will read a user’s thumb or fingerprint and use it as identity verification to trigger the door to unlock. When your access control system is integrated to your larger Crestron automation system using a biometric reader, it can be programmed to trigger events based on who specifically is opening the door. For example, the system can be programmed that when the house cleaning crew arrives and uses their fingerprint to access the home, only certain features of the Crestron system will be made available to them. You can also program your connected audio devices to play a certain playlist or album automatically once a certain user triggers the lock and enters the home.

How GMI Does It Better

One of the other ways we do things the right way, and not the easy way, is the method in which we install and program these access control solutions. Many integrators who deploy access control systems with either keypad or biometric readers will wire these devices directly into the lock itself, creating a significant security vulnerability. When wired in this fashion, ripping the access control panel out of the wall or destroying it in any way will trigger the door to unlock and grant access to the home. To prevent this we build the lock directly into the centralized Crestron control system. The keypad or reader will talk to the control system, which will then send a command to the door to unlock, creating a secondary level of security. In this scenario, any tampering with the reader will simply will not only keep the door locked and secure but also trigger the alarm and alert the authorities of a potential invader.

As you can see there are many unique ways that Crestron automation systems can be integrated to your access control system, providing much more powerful and robust solutions to those that you would find coming out of a box. In part two of this feature, we will talk about some real life applications the #DoneRightNotEasy crew has put in for our clients.

It’s hard to believe another month has gone by since joining GMI Automation and the #DoneRightNotEasy crew. After learning so much in my first month here, I could already tell that it was a place I would continue to learn and grow on an almost daily basis. Here are a three more things I’ve learned in the past 30 days about what it takes to deliver Crestron automation systems at the highest level.

1) The Ins and Outs of Crestron Lighting Control

One of the many things that separate GMI from other automation company is our constant quest to cross-train all of our engineers in every aspect of home automation. As I mentioned in my previous entry, my background was largely in networking and audio/video, which are only two of the many factors that go into complete automation. Now, thanks to the appropriate cross training, I was recently able to take care of the nuts and bolts of a lighting takeover for a client, including wiring, panel placement, and programming. Our best practices for proper documentation were instrumental in this task and allowed me to properly match up serial numbers and gateways for a fully functional system. It was a point of pride to be able to replace the original non-functioning system with a properly programmed finished product.

2) The Big Picture

This blog has discussed many times the need for proper wire management and of course documenting system architecture. What has started to ‘click’ for me in the last month was the big picture look at all of our jobs and how that translated into the way we physically install the systems. This allows us to design out an entire system for efficiency, looking at the project as a whole and making decisions about how to run wires and place racks, as opposed to designing on a component by component basis.

3) Becoming Part of the Team

There’s no denying that the #DoneRightNotEasy crew is a tight knit unit. Many of my fellow team members have been working together for many years and it is not always easy to integrate yourself into such a family-like environment. In the past 30 days, I have really begun to feel at home, meshing myself fully into the team and the GMI culture, building relationships and learning how to apply my strengths into the team environment. I’ve gained the confidence to step and make suggestions for a new process or how to solve a troubling problem without the natural fear of ridicule.

Between cross training for new skills, understanding the big picture design of our complex systems and gaining the confidence to let my own unique skills shine, my last 30 days with the #DoneRightNotEasy crew have been almost as big of a learning experience as my first 30.

One of the many areas that GMI and the #DoneRightNotEasy crew excel is our ability to manage a variety of different job sites at one time, while simultaneously providing concierge level service to our existing clients. As we have discussed many times on this blog, our systems are complex, robust, and deeply customized, which makes keeping track of all their nuances is quite the tall order.  Many integrators will rely solely on the memory capacity of their engineers, which is a recipe for disaster, as memories, like human beings themselves, are incredibly fallible. The solution to this, of course, is maintaining proper documentation, keeping a detailed log of a system’s structure creates a road map to that system and allows your engineers to effectively manage projects to scale.

To properly document a system one must first map out the physical location of the equipment itself. Remember, the systems we deploy or takeover are more often than not very complex, with components in many areas of the home. While we strive to centralize our control equipment, system hardware such as televisions, panels, speakers and network components will be placed throughout the space, and it is important to know where in the home these devices are living. Each device’s serial and model number are also recorded to allow for quick replacement if an individual component unexpectedly fails.

To properly document a system one must first map out the physical location of the equipment itself.

At the control rack level, each individual processor will contain a multitude of control outlets. Each of these outputs is documented extensively, including what specific component it controls, what type of connection is used and where the wire is run. This goes hand in hand with proper wire labeling, as properly labeled wires will align with your documentation, saving engineers time on future service visits. Network switches are documented in a similar fashion, mapping out the localized network or device to which each port belongs.

By now you may be asking yourself, why take all the time on the front end of the job building such a detailed map of your system? By documenting everything you do, your likelihood of repeating a mistake on a future job is reduced to near zero. With system infrastructure this complicated and multifaceted, the lack of proper documentation to reference could cause a simple issue to become time consuming and costly as you move on to future jobs. Another efficiency created by proper documentation is the ability to confidently assign a task to a member of your team without re explaining a procedure or nuance to them, even if they haven’t ever laid eyes on the system before.  

Once a job is complete, the due diligence of proper documentation continues to pay off. When a problem crops up with a control system, referring to the system documentation lets us spend less time spent on basic troubleshooting, ruling out basic issues. This is instrumental in our concierge level service, as having knowledge of where each component is and what it is connected too, allows us to power cycle or reset the correct individual piece of equipment by simply by consulting the documentation. By looking into the documentation to diagnose how a system is connected and make a decision if it’s something we can take care of from the back end,  this process could even save the expense of rolling a truck out to the job. . The site documentation is eventually compiled into what we call an end user document, which is an easy to understand layout of a customer system, acting as a sort of owner’s manual for their one of a kind control system.

At the end of the day, while this extensive documentation may be time consuming on the front end, the end result is company wide best practices that will inevitably create more efficiencies on the job site and beyond. Just another example of how GMI makes sure to do things right, and not easy.

Readers of this blog will know first hand that the complexity of a Crestron control system will often lead inexperienced integrators into making small mistakes that lead to big problems for end users. We’ve discussed how everything from proper consultation to adequate coding can be the difference between a frustrated end user and a lifelong, happy client. Today we will be talking another common mistake made by many in the integration industry, the failure to properly manage customer expectations. 

Your first opportunity to effectively manage a client’s expectations is during the initial consultation and design stage. It is here when many integrators will fail to adequately extract from the client how they will be using the system, instead opting to assume the customer wants every feature available. An inexperienced integrator may also ignore the customer entirely and simply install a cookie-cutter system that is not specifically tailored to the end user. The #DoneRightNotEasy crew isn’t afraid to use our expertise and ask second level questions about how the system will be used and by whom, engaging the client and understanding their needs.

Properly managing customer expectations doesn’t stop with the consultation and design.

What many integrators in our industry fail to understand is that the day to day work on the job site itself is the most visible part of the job to the customer and it is important to maintain an open dialogue with clients about status and any potential issues that arise. GMI works with our clients to keep them as informed about the job’s progress as they want to be, including daily after action reports and access to project alerts. Any complications that arise are addressed honestly, and we work together with our client’s to overcome and move forward. While some integrators may choose to rush through a job to meet a deadline, we understand the importance of never cutting corners, even as deadlines loom.

Once the system is installed and ready to be turned on, the client has one expectation and one expectation only. That every time they use or touch the system it will work as designed. Others in the industry may leave the job site only to have a frustrated customer call them within days to report some kind of system failure. GMI’s concierge level service is designed to maintain the user’s expectation of a reliable, functioning control system. Not only are pro-active monitoring systems installed which allow our engineers to diagnose and correct problems prior to them affecting the system at large, but we routinely follow up with our clients to ensure their automated home is simplifying their life and living up to their dreams.

As with all luxury services, Crestron automation customer’s expectations are high. It is up to the integrator to manage these expectations, from consultation, the job site, and beyond. When we give the client the proper level of knowledge, communication, and most importantly, trust, they know innately that when they utilize their system it will work properly every single time.

With our rack consolidation complete, TVs re-mounted and wired with integrated remote controls programmed and ready, and the wireless network running strong and securely, our client was beginning to see how his Crestron control system was meant to be used. Of course, our job was far from over. Our client was so impressed with how we transformed his control system, additional expansion was called for, which when you do the job the right way and not the easy way, brings additional challenges.

The beauty of doing exceptional work is the client will almost always ask for more. 

In this case, our client had older audio gear in his Crestron racks prior to us beginning the takeover. Being pleased with the sound quality as it was, he was gun shy about upgrading to newer audio components. As the job began to expand we laid out the pros and cons of maintaining his current gear or building out into a new audio system Crestron Sonics system, which allows for both analog and digital sources and a single wire for distribution, giving access to every audio source everywhere in the home. We also installed an Autonomic Controls system which is the go-to piece of equipment for audio streaming. This simplified design allowed us to use a single device to control whatever audio content the end user chose, be it from a streaming service or stored locally, using a customized interface. 

While navigating the audio upgrade, the decided to have us expand the system takeover into the detached cabana next to his backyard pool. Having our centralized racks now located in the basement it was up to us to come up with a solution that brought the power of his system into the secondary location without loss of quality. An average integrator may have run copper wire in between the home to connect the components, but we decided to take it to another level. The existing conduit between the two locations set by the previous integrator was poorly built and on the verge of collapse, we removed and replaced this conduit and using DM wire and a DM extension off the main system racks we connected the two systems with fiber. Reducing the complexity and potential for issues, a win for us and for our client. Just another advantage of having a team that works together well enough to pivot and do the RIGHT thing and not the easy thing.

The next challenge we faced when completing the project was integrating the Verizon DVR box and services into the Crestron system for distribution throughout the home. Due to Verizon’s proprietary technology, we had been repeatedly told that it was an impossible task. Once again a case where having the right integrator is the KEY to success on a job site this complex because the devil is in the details. To solve this issue we worked with Verizon to develop a custom solution for integrating these networks by cleverly isolating the Verizon network to deliver the highest quality DVR and streaming directly to the client. This is a solution that others in the industry would scratch their heads and consider impossible, but by owning the job site and not waiting for someone else to solve the problem, we were able to correct the issue in a unique way.

As we began to wrap up our system takeover, and learning about our client’s priorities and needs, we understood that this was not the last time we would be on this site. This is where our concierge level service comes in. We deployed a monitoring system to allow us to view job sites through the background and make corrections. This allows us to give pro-active responses to issues, no matter how much information we are getting about the end user’s experience. We pride ourselves on always being there for our clients and always getting the job done, and this starts by properly deploying our systems so they can be expanded and serviced properly throughout their life cycle.

It is plain to see that through a combination of experience, communication and job site mastery, the Done Right Not Easy crew is up to the challenge of any new Crestron control system design or system takeover, no matter the level of client expectations or challenges that may arise.