Crestron is upping its remote management game with the announcement of a new strategic partnership with Domotz, a developer of remote home and network monitoring and management solutions.
The integration of the Domotz suite of products with Crestron smart home systems will empower Crestron residential systems integrators to remotely monitor their customers’ systems, reduce support costs and improve operational efficiencies.
Crestron will be selling the Domotz Box solution directly to residential dealers, simplifying the ordering process and enabling them to take advantage of Crestron shipping benefits.
"Why does this matter?" rhetorically asked Seth Rubenstein, director of partner engagement at Domotz, speaking to Crestron integrators gathered for a webinar.
"This is a better way to manage integrated systems. Equipment is going to fail. It is the reality. Integrators should tell their clients. They expect it; they all have had to reboot their cell phones."
"This is a better way to manage integrated systems. Equipment is going to fail. It is the reality."
"Ask yourself how much have you lost in productivity by not having a remote system? Domotz is like your favorite drill; it is easy to use and powerful. You don't actually sell that drill when you perform an installation for a customer, but you use it to be more efficient. That is the same as Domotz. We are a tool for integrators,” says Rubenstein, who reiterated to dealers that selling service agreements and earning recurring monthly revenue (RMR) will be easier using the system.
Using Domotz, Crestron integrators will have more visibility into the function of all the devices they are connecting to a Crestron control system.
Currently, Crestron has made available four product offerings from Domotz on its website. They include the base system of just the Domotz device, and three additional tiers with vouchers for integrators to receive Advanced Level service from Domotz (1 year, 2 year and 5-year programs).
Domotz on Every Project
"The ability to stay on top of their clients’ systems, and diagnose issues and preemptively resolve them without having to open complicated VPNs or ports or roll trucks, is a game-changer for our residential dealers. It makes the Domotz Box a must-have for every project,” said John Clancy, vice president, residential at Crestron.
"This unique partnership also creates new sales opportunities for our dealers, with the ability to offer a more robust and deeply integrated solution than ever before. We couldn’t be more excited about it."
The Domotz and Crestron solution includes the Domotz Pro Mobile app, Domotz Cloud, and Domotz Network Agent.
It enables integrators to remotely: view all Crestron and third-party devices live on the network; monitor network performance in real-time; receive customizable alerts and reports; detect and troubleshoot network and IP device problems in real-time and preemptively resolve them; power devices on/off or reboot; make programming and configuration changes; and perform network diagnostics, maintenance and upgrades.
Additional Benefits:
- Compatibility with Crestron Home and custom programmed systems.
- Power cycling – PoE switch power (PC-200 and PC-300 for AC power controlled devices).
- Ability to remotely connect to and program Crestron devices.
- Access and visibility to all devices on the network.
- ONVIF camera support for remote visibility of security cameras
- VLAN, Subnet and external host monitoring.
- Advanced alerting on network speed tests and device sensors (SNMP).
"As a leader in remote monitoring and management, Domotz is proud to be working closely with Crestron. The strength of these two companies working together creates a solution for dealers that will help them run their business more efficiently and bring a higher level of service to their clients. Dealers will be able to purchase long-term Domotz service plans directly through Crestron, making it easier to purchase and deploy systems," said J.B. Fowler, chief revenue officer at Domotz.
Crestron already had a remote management system in place via myCrestron. That is still in place. The company is encouraging its integrators to use myCrestron for backing up their configurations and error logs.