Author: GMI Automation

Over the last few months, I and the rest of the #DoneRightNotEasyCrew have been working tirelessly on one of most ambitious endeavors yet. The complete overhaul and repair of a Crestron control system in our client’s luxury New Jersey home. Now we are no stranger to system takeovers, especially ones of this scale, but little did we know we would be embarking on a project that would totally transform our client’s home for the better.

It is, unfortunately, common in this industry for jobs to be rushed through by integrators who simply don’t have the expertise to deal with the needs of high-end clients. Many dealers will have a plethora of small clients and oftentimes cannot scale up quickly or effectively enough to manage the financials, job site management and specific needs of luxury clients. Companies that under design and over promise the capabilities of their systems and engineers tend to make mistakes throughout the process that leads to malfunctioning systems. You see almost every day a disgruntled Crestron user who made a significant financial investment in the wrong integration company.

In the case of our client, who contacted us after finally being fed up with his control system, the problems were obvious as soon as we stepped on the site for our initial walkthrough and consultation. Here was another large job with an almost completely inoperable system. Everything from the most complicated to the most simply aspects of the system were not working properly, down to even the basic need for available wi-fi throughout the home. As we further explored the job site it became increasingly clear that this was a rushed job by an another inexperienced integrator.

Not only were the racks with audio/video equipment localized throughout the home with no centralized control system, two out of the three equipment racks were in locations where electronic equipment should never be. A dusty mechanical room with boiler and HVAC unit which kept room temperature unnaturally high and a similar mechanical room which was even smaller and could barely fit the components. The second rack location was even uncomfortably close to leaking water, which is just asking for issues. To say the racks were wired poorly would be an understatement, wires were crossed with one another and incorrect wire for both the type of signal and component power requirements was used.  

It’s no surprise that the end user experience was affected by these design and infrastructure issues. Our client would often work from home, and his office was not connected to the Crestron system at all. Despite the fact that the office was where our client would spend most of his time, he only had a cable remote and an old TV. No access at all to access control, secure networks, cameras or any other part of his expensive and complicated system. It was clear that the original consultation took no effort to determine the actual needs of the system’s end users.

Prior to sitting down with the client for his consultation, we came together as a group and decided to not re-do the faults of the past. The system as designed was so beyond hope that we needed to do it the right way and NOT the easy way and make it work to our clients expectations. This required us to be honest about the fact that we were are the professionals and give our professional opinion on how to solve these problems. With the impressive luxury home as a backdrop we set out to give our client a system that doesn’t just work, it WOWs. Where it seemed that nobody at the other integration company was behind the wheel or understanding the process and what was happening, we quickly took the reins and begin taking control of the jobsite to provide our client with a system he could be proud of, streamlining his home so we could streamline his life.

The reality of the world of high-level Crestron automation is that every job is different, and required expertise, patience, and experience to develop processes to build well functioning reliable systems. Despite our streamlined processes, there are always new and unique roadblocks that challenge even the #DoneRightNotEasy crew on a job of this magnitude. In parts 2 and 3 of this series, we will highlight the steps we took to turn this system around, as well as what’s in store for the future.

GMI and the #DoneRightNotEasy crew have decades of combined experience managing projects and solving problems on the job site, but the most important factor in our success is the way our team works together with one another, as well as with other vendors on site. Any integrator can tackle a low end job, but when it comes time to getting large scale jobs done on time and on budget, it is this teamwork and job site management that allows us to go above and beyond for our clients.

The most important factor in job site management is the camaraderie among our own team. Regardless of having worked together for several years, or even just a few months, the culture of positivity behind the #DoneRightNotEasyCrew means that even when things get stressful, morale stays high because of how well everyone works together. This type of close knit relationship and powerful company culture is a rarity in the automation industry, and we pride ourselves in the ability to leverage this culture into getting jobs done the right way for our customers.

This all comes from the unique way in which we build and manage our team. A typical integration company’s structure involves a hands-off project manager, who is sometimes not even on site, bossing around a team made up of engineers with very specific roles. While our engineers each have their individual fields of strength, we take time to cross train each engineer on every aspect of the project allowing us to work more effectively as a unit while simultaneously drawing from each of our individual strengths. When the team is on a job site our most experienced engineer is designated as the field supervisor, and instead of barking orders remotely, they are a hands on member of the team, working alongside the rest of the crew and understanding how important each member is to the job at hand.

This camaraderie and job site management plays itself out on real job locations everyday, just recently we had been asked by a current client to relocate the video equipment – monitors and video conferencing components – for a luxury office redesign. In the process we found issues with the original building construction standing in the way of re-mounting a key feature of this design. Tensions rise when deadline looms, but by utilizing our existing hierarchies, listening to the members of the team, and keeping morale high, we were able to collectively work out a custom solution to this unique problem.

In the end, a Crestron control system is only as powerful as the team who assembles it. Your customers are not just buying technology and components, they are buying a team they can depend on. Our streamlined process allows us to overcome obstacles effectively to get it done right for our clients every time.

Crestron automation systems, while extremely powerful, are also incredibly complicated. This complexity can lead to frustrations, especially if the system doesn’t live up to the expectations of the end user. The #DoneRightNotEasy crew understand this, which is why we’ve made it our mission to show that through proper installation, programming and management, we can turn even the most frustrated Crestron user into a brand promoter who couldn’t imagine living without their control system. Today we will be highlighting two recent clients who were at their wits end with their existing Crestron system, and who after our intervention, have now fallen back in love with their automated homes.

“Nothing Works”

Our first example was a client who had been referred from an existing customer after venting the aggravation he was having with his current Crestron system. This client’s luxury home was built less than two years prior and contained close to a million dollars worth of automation equipment. This was no fly by night install, it was a full concept 13 rack system deployment that had gone in during the original construction of the home, the ideal situation for an integrator. Since all of the customer’s panels and equipment were labeled with the Crestron brand, the customer became so aggravated with Crestron that he was ready to pull the system out entirely and forgo automation altogether. When he reached out to us to diagnose his problems, he said simply: “Nothing works”

When we arrived on site for our initial consultation, we of course found nothing wrong with the Crestron hardware itself. Instead, the problems stemmed from a combination of system design flaws, network infrastructure, cable terminations, and improper coding, all the fault of the original integration company. Our team went to work on a total system overhaul; consolidating the racks to a more manageable 11 rack system, replacing and re-terminating wires, and reprogramming to fit our client’s needs. Six months and another significant financial investment later, the client is in love with his system and now sees the power and utility of a functioning Creston system thanks to the proper installation and integration from GMI.

Suffering in Silence

Our second example is a client who had recently automated his luxury New York City penthouse. In a similar situation to our first example, the system simply did not work the way it was supposed to. Issues with design, and substantial installation errors led to a terrible user experience. The worst part of which was the grossly incorrect installation of Lutron shading system, which led to parts of the shade becoming damaged simply from everyday use. Unlike our first example, this customer didn’t take the opportunity to vent his frustrations, or even look for an integrator to fix his issues. Instead he suffered in silence, opting to forgo use of his regular system, even resorting to using a standard cable box to watch TV.

Luckily for our client, the IT guy at his company had heard about GMI through a friend, and having heard about his boss’ pain and frustrations, he reached out to us about solving the problem. Less than two months later we were able to correct their pain points, create a custom solution for the problematic shades, and get them back to regularly using the system they paid for. No longer suffering in silence, the client is now a total convert, actively using his system and preaching the power of correctly installed Crestron automation systems by GMI to any of his friends’ and colleagues having issues of their own.

This all goes to show, that with the knowledge and experience to properly design, install and program a Crestron control system, you can turn someone who has otherwise written off the Crestron brand into a full-fledged promoter. When you do this, clients not only support and recommend Crestron, they also give your company the ultimate promotion, continued business and a rewarding lifelong business relationship.

Brands and products advertising “smart home” and home automation solutions are a dime a dozen nowadays, and it seems every week you see a report about how more and more American’s are automating their home in some way shape or form. Tech giants such as Apple, Amazon and Google are all dipping their toes into the automation market, advertising all in one solutions for lighting, climate control, and entertainment. Despite the ubiquity of these out of the box solutions, The simple fact of the matter is that true luxury home automation is only possible through professionally built and programmed Crestron control systems.

While many of DIY automation systems on the market claim to simplify your life with an automated home, they all are limited in their ability to deliver on that promise. The power of a Crestron automation system is limitless, provided your integration team has the knowledge to program and engineer the system effectively. Recently, while consulting with new clients, we have seen many expectations be muted due to a misunderstanding of what an automated home can do. The pervasiveness of these DIY automation systems has led many to believe automation starts and ends with entertainment, lights and climate control. Once these client’s realize what Crestron control systems are truly capable of, their imagination tends to grow and grow, creating a system as unique as they are.

The reality is that a truly automated home will never come out of a box with lego like instructions for construction. The solution to properly automating your home is to work with professional integrators who understand the systems and components they are working with, as well as have the experience programming the systems for success. Building a proper automation system with out of the box technology and 3rd party applications is tantamount to building a supercomputer with just a hardware enclosure and some screws.

It is due to this complexity that there are often a lot of pitfalls and mistakes in systems built by other integrators, designers or programmers. These issues can unfortunately give the end user the wrong idea about what Crestron systems are capable of, and gives them the reputation as being not dependable or not ever working to their potential. This may lead may lead to potential customers seeking out a DIY, out of the box solution to automate their homes. The truth is that Crestron systems, when in the hands of capable engineers, are only limited by your imagination.

Even if one was to purchase and install an out of the box automation system, and somehow have it working properly to their liking, the maintenance and upkeep of the component parts would be a time consuming endeavor. If you are turning your home into a computer powered “smart home” why would you want the extra hassle of troubleshooting and replacing components when something inevitably doesn’t go right. The beauty of having an professional installed and programmed Crestron automation system by the #DoneRightNotEasy crew is our concierge service. We make sure your system is working properly from the day you turn it on, with back end access for troubleshooting and advanced monitoring to identify problems before they happen.

So before you believe the hype in the burgeoning DIY home automation market, take a step back. If a system comprised of multiple third party components, limited ability and daunting upkeep sounds like it’s for you, by all means head to your nearest big box store. If unlimited potential, custom built systems and five star support for true home automation, contact us today and let the #DoneRightNotEasy crew take your home to the next level.

Having been hired by clients to take over and repair low or no- functioning Crestron control systems for many years, myself and the rest of the #DoneRightNotEasy crew have seen it all. Poor wiring jobs and the failure to maintain a clean and manageable system is unfortunately par for the course for many other integrators in this industry.

One of the most egregious problems we come upon when taking over a job site is the failure to centralize control equipment and racks, opting rather to haphazardly distribute equipment throughout the space. Simply put, control equipment and rack builds not placed properly in a home or office can lead to system failure, unexpected maintenance bills, or worse, risk the health and safety of your family or employees.

When control racks and system components are distributed throughout a space, rather than being centralized into one dedicated location, each piece of hardware or group of control equipment becomes a potential failure point. With control wire running from multiple areas around a home it creates issues properly powering the system components and leading to an inevitable malfunction.
When that malfunction or a system failure does happen, the unnecessary complexity of the system build will cause the service engineer to struggle finding the source of the issue somewhere in the home. Next thing you know you are racking up a $500+ service call to solve what would otherwise have been an avoidable problem.

Centralizing control racks and equipment leads not only to more efficient control systems, it also reduces the need for complicated maintenance and builds customer confidence in the product and your work. That being said, it is incredibly important that your centralized components are set up in an appropriate room or area.

Integrators will often place system components in rooms that are not ventilated properly or simply lack the appropriate amount of space. Rooms such as mechanical rooms, boiler rooms or wooden utility closets are often problematic for properly housing electronic equipment. Placing this equipment in proximity to unnaturally high temperatures stemming from boilers or water heaters, leaking or standing water, and significant dust levels could not only lead to system failure, but can be serious fire or life safety hazards.

Take for example a recent takeover where we found several pieces of control equipment lying haphazardly around small wooden closet, with wires leading in every direction. When heat generating system hardware is in a wooden room and not properly mounted in a metal rack, a significant fire hazard is created.

The health and safety of a home’s residents or employees in an office is a much more serious problem than a failing system. This is why GMI takes care to not only build simple, centralized systems, but to also keep our hardware isolated, well protected and clean. We understand the power demands, heat levels and ventilation needs of all the equipment we use, allowing us to properly design a system for maximum efficiency and safety.

With social media dominating our eyeballs every second of the day, it is easy for an integrator or technologist to show off a flashy new theater or even an impressive wiring job. Unfortunately for some, it is much more difficult to convey the behind the scenes work that goes into making Crestron control systems so powerful. Many integrators miss the mark when it comes to perhaps the most important factor, the end user experience.

One of the ways we accomplish this goal is by building our systems in a manner that is familiar to the end user. Everyone knows someone who refuses to give up on a brand of smartphone, no matter how often they’re told that a competitor might have a better product. This occurs because psychologically, people tend to develop a preference for things merely because they are familiar with them. We understand this principle and use in two primary ways design our systems for the maximum user experience. The first is working with the customer to find out what features of their current setup they prefer, then picking and choosing the elements of many different platforms to create a control system as unique as the user themselves. We also design our systems so that each of the separate parts of the system look and feel the same way, leading to a simple and intuitive automated home or office.

When building and programming our Crestron control systems, it’s important to anticipate the client’s needs even years down the line. This means building our systems with room to be expanded and upgraded, without sacrificing the user experience. Our code is written and the system infrastructures are built to allow for a component to be upgraded or replaced, without the end user needing to learn any new commands or build any new habits. The only difference to them will be the increased quality of their video or the faster speed in their network. Systems are segregated from one another and operated through a central control hub, which allows these upgrades and expansions to be done quickly and efficiently.

At the end of the day, our customers are creatures of habit, and they expect their control systems to work properly every time they walk through the door. Through properly deployed code, effectively communication and consultation, and efficient system design, we build simple, intuitive, and reliable systems that are as second nature as flipping a light switch.

Joining a company with such a reputation for consistency and quality as GMI has been an honor, but daunting at the same time. I’ve been working with technology and networking systems since I was a teenager, but in my first 30 days with the #DoneRightNotEasy crew they’ve taught me more about the automation industry than I could have ever thought possible. Here are three of the biggest lessons I’ve learned since joining the team.

1) The Importance of Proper Code for Functioning Crestron Systems

Having never worked directly with installing or programming Crestron before, I was excited to learn everything the powerful systems were capable of. In previous positions, I had been contracted to remove supposedly “not working” Crestron systems and replace them with what I thought at the time to be superior equipment. From day one at GMI I quickly learned what went into making Crestron control systems truly incredible, and that was the intricate coding and programming at a granular level. Finding out that the Crestron systems I had seen fail in the past had the potential to be great systems and were simply not properly programmed, coded or installed, really opened my eyes that the #DoneRightNotEasy crew is really something special.

2) Understanding and Mitigating Failure Points

With systems as complex and multifaceted as the ones we design and build for our clients, I’ve learned how imperative it is that we pay attention to and eliminate potential failure points. Patch panels, couplings, and daisy chained equipment was commonplace on some former job sites, and I now know that any of those could turn into a pain point for a client. The GMI engineers work with an understanding of how a complex system works, and how it can fail. I’ve quickly learned the importance of doing the job in such a way so that failure is not even an option.

3) Proper Wiring and Clean Installs

This blog has covered these items many times, but prior to joining up with the team here at GMI, I did not understand the true importance of cleanly wired and built systems. Many integrators will cut corners in areas that are invisible to the client, but at GMI everything is immaculate, client facing or not. This especially struck me when dealing with shielded wire for distributing 4K. Shielded wire delivers a clearer picture without interference from other wires of component system parts. While the end user may have no idea of the difference, the #DoneRightNotEasy crew makes sure to use the correctly shielded wire, guided and posted properly for the ultimate in quality.

My first month here at GMI has been a learning experience for sure. I am happy to be working alongside engineers who are so dedicated to building simple, reliable and intuitive systems for our clients. Working with properly programmed quality equipment and never cutting corners allows us to take our client’s luxury homes to the next level.

There has been a lot made in the news lately about hacking, cyber security and the so-called internet of things. As automation and smart home technology become more and more ubiquitous, and more of our devices become connected, the threat of an outside agent gaining access to your home through these technological back doors becomes more and more real. This is why, according to recent reports, 6 out of 10 Americans don’t trust their home to be controlled by an array of smart devices or a control system, specifically due to the threat of cyber-crime.

GMI understands these cyber security threats, which is why we take extensive steps to ensure all of our custom built control systems are as secure as they are effective.

Whether it is the sensitive business information in your office or the privacy of your home and loved ones, we are committed to protecting the health and security of our client’s control systems from outside agents. 

All of our standard level systems are programmed with customized firewalls, built to understand the nuances and interconnected networks of a Crestron control system. These systems work by isolating out individual packets and ensuring any packets that do not belong are eliminated prior to entering into the system. A packet is a unit of data that is routed between an origin and a destination on the Internet or any other packet-switched network. The care we take into writing our Crestron control code and building our network infrastructure at such nuanced levels, allows the system to know exactly what is supposed to be happening and when. Incorrect packets or commands trigger fail-safes which will not allow the system to take commands that aren’t supposed to be there.

Some of our customers, specifically those who work in the financial industry, need an additional level of cyber-security in order to protect their own assets as well as privileged company information. For these individuals, we install what is known as an advanced threat management system. Advanced threat protection or ATP refers to a category of security solutions that defend against sophisticated malware or hacking-based attacks targeting sensitive data. Using Sonicwall managed switches we are able to run software that anticipated threats from the outside, and intelligently mitigates the system to prevent them from getting in.  This level control system management allows us to run constant updates for new hacks and new bugs to ensure that systems are up to date with the latest in cyber-security measures.

Last but not least, we have the matter of Smart TV’s and other internet connected devices which are the favorite targets of hackers and cyber-criminals. We solve this issue by simply isolating these devices from the outside internet, over-riding them at the control system level. We also remove all network capabilities are TVs and audio devices and control them serially directly from the Crestron control system itself. This allows the previously discussed security measures to form a wall around these otherwise vulnerable devices, allowing our client’s the peace of mind to trust their control system to both automate and protect their home.

As readers of this blog have already learned, there are many components involved in building and designing a functioning Crestron control system. Proper power supply, clean installations, and well written code begin to build the foundation of our simple, intuitive and reliable automation systems. Perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle however, is the reliability and security of the networking systems. In the past 15 years the internet has become one of the most dominating forces in our lives, and without properly built and managed network infrastructure, your Crestron automation system will always fail to live up to expectations.

GMI takes many steps to ensure that home and office networks are strong, secure and reliable. 

This starts with the physical design of the network itself. We utilize managed switches to segment out our system into multiple Virtual Local Area Networks, or VLAN’s. Each component of the networked system – core network, Crestron component network, user network, etc. – are designated their own individual VLANs. This allows each network to operate individually, without interference from the other segments for increased efficiency. Even though there will be many different system components broadcasting at a variety of levels, we take care to mold this network traffic so that end users only see and interact with the pieces they need.

Local WiFi systems are segmented in a similar fashion and different wifi network names will be associated with each individual VLAN. This infrastructure is built in such a way that nothing will change for the end user, they can even use the same wifi network they are used too, while maintaining the high level of encryption and efficiency needed to connect to and properly use their control systems.

Wi-fi systems, despite their ubiquity, are much more complicated than one would imagine. In order for a wi-fi signal to move properly through a connected ecosystem, while being powerful and dynamic enough to suit a user’s needs, it needs a certain level of intelligence. There is no way to predict the way people will move around a space, or the way the wifi will navigate the physical infrastructure of the home or office. In order to work with these unknown factors, we use a technology known as ChannelFly, a native program to Ruckus Wireless wifi systems and controllers. ChannelFly creates a minute by minute database that learns how the wi-fi environment acts as users begin to move and live throughout the home or office. As the system gains this knowledge, it constantly updates itself, providing seamless wi-fi signal and zero downtime for end users.

Designing wi-fi systems doesn’t stop with hardware and software. The Done Right Not Easy Crew utilize our tools and knowledge to interpret other people’s wireless technologies and understand what frequencies they run on and how they interact with our networking and control equipment. Understanding the language in which networks speak to one another allows us to properly consult clients by documenting the whole of the estate or office, applying this knowledge to build effective, secure and reliable wi-fi networks.

Of course, no network system is ever as simple as setting it up and walking away. This is where GMI’s concierge level service comes in. The compartmentalized VLAN’s and wi-fi networks are built to allow back-end access, which allows our team to step in and stop issues before they happen. We monitor and manage our systems throughout their lifespan in order to ensure network infrastructure is always running reliably and efficiently. This lets our clients live and work without the fear of losing network connectivity or dealing with network downtime.

Stay tuned for our part two of our Networks and Automation series, where we will review the steps we take to ensure our client’s  network and automation systems are secure from outside threats.