Mauchline New Build Control4 System
The Challenge
In this new build Control4 home some jobs are more challenging than others and the most challenging are the ones where you have to fault find a system installed by another business.
This Control4 system was installed in a demo home for a builder who since went out of business. We then got a call from a prospective client who purchased a home in a lovely new estate in Mauchline. Their home was the demo house for the development and from initial perspective the video, automation and audio system was ‘all singing all dancing’. But things took a turn for the worse with the economic climate. This client’s system effectively failed after a period of time with no support as the installing companies had ceased to exist.
The Solution
On initial inspection we realised that as it was a demo system. This meant there was no consideration for future development of the system or upgrades. Our challenge was to reinstate the working system and configure it to allow for software updates, and possible future upgrades.
Initially when working with a legacy or pre-installed system the bulk of the job entails figuring out what has been installed, where the cables go and obviously the fault finding. In this case nothing was operational, so the odds of everything failing simultaneously are very low. Therefore, we believed it was initially a power issue. This proved correct. It turned out that the network had been ‘ripped apart!’ when the power connection for the hot tub had been installed. This had also had caused the Control4 ‘brain’ to fail.
It was relatively pain free to bring the system back from the brink once the wiring infrastructure and system core had been replaced. Moreover, the media hub was upgraded for the clients. We used the Zappiti media server for this and had it operational in a relatively short time. Using Pulse Eights Neo Pro, we had the Zappiti working throughout the house QuickTime.
The last thing to do was to create the software to operate the TV through the Control4. We contacted the manufacturer to obtain the IR codes as this was not the original TV for the system, no mean feat!
All in all quite a lengthy job due to the investigative process involved. Once we had the system up and running it’s an option for the client to upgrade at any time in the future. They also have access to the online facilities that come along with the Control4 system.
