We have been saying over and over for the last year if not more that the Crestron Pyng® operating system continues to be a huge focus for us. Last year we launched OS 2 and launching this spring and something I’m sure you have all seen already will be an absolutely revolutionary update for the custom smart home industry, Crestron Home powered by OS 3. The incredible heritage of the Crestron brand, everything that has been created over almost 50 years, leads us to a defining moment in our history. Our commitment continues, and this year we hope it’s time for you to join us in this revolutionary evolution
 
OS 3 is the next step in the Crestron team’s focus on providing you with the best smart home operating system in the world. Over the next 12 months we will continue to demonstrate that Crestron Home [previously called Crestron Pyng] is truly the best solution in today’s smart home market and right from launch and beyond we’ll provide regular enhancements that will add features and functionality to continually improve your customers’ experience.
 
However, first and foremost, I want to state again we are not taking anything away.  You will continue to be able to deploy the same Crestron systems in the same ways you always have (albeit, those tools are evolving as well – but that discussion is for another day), using custom programming, where ‘the sky’s the limit’.  However, Crestron Home should be looked at as something you can deliver easily on many projects where custom programming (along with the effort, time and cost it takes) is just not required.  Your customer wants an easy-to-use, intuitive system to operate and they want it to work reliably.  Crestron Home delivers that and more. This should be looked at as something to add to your business and your bottom line.  Do more jobs with less effort.  Make more money spending less time configuring and deploying our ‘best in class’ hardware.
 
Here are the 3 core attributes on why and how I think the operating system can work and benefit the growth of your business: 

1. Hardware & Profitability

Every Crestron dealer will appreciate the simplicity and versatility of the Crestron Home Operating System. I think it’s an acknowledged fact within our industry that Crestron represents the very best, most professional solutions in home automation. We sit alone in offering solutions for the top 15% of integration projects where the client really wants to go outside the box and wants truly creative solutions. Highly customized for those large scale estates and super yachts. And we will remain the leader in that category. But addressing the other 85% of jobs we are now able to offer not only best in class hardware and best in category capability, but also best in channel profitability. And not just on our hardware, but now through simple, speedy, reliable and consistent smart home set-up.
 
An example of the opportunity for profitability comes from the simple “robustness” and engineering quality that goes into our product such as Crestron DigitalMedia™ technology. A DM® chassis sold 10 years ago has gone through 4 or 5 upgrades and is still now to this day being capable of delivering the latest and greatest video formats. This is in a chassis that was designed well before these new formats were even defined. Any other product from any other manufacturer would have had to be replaced 2 or 3 times. For Crestron it’s as simple changing a card and room-boxes, leaving the chassis and the cabling. It’s about what has been designed into the products, it means an opportunity to sell upgrades without rip and replace.
 
In essence, you’re selling a level of comfort to your customers, you buy Crestron and it’s a solution built for the long haul and built to last. And with Crestron Home, now the operating system upgrades with the product, over time new features and enhancements will arrive and update them – just as they would expect from their iPhone® mobile devices for example.

2. Installation & Set-up

Gone are the multi-week programming efforts and countless hours of debugging projects. We’re talking a couple of hours. And, with our rigorous, on-going testing, no bugs. If that isn’t a game changer, then I don’t know what the term means. And on top of that, you can use an iPad or a web app for the entire installation and set-up. In fact, you don’t even have to download any software or learn any new software! OS 2 brought video to the operating system, so now the whole home solution is truly complete. Meaning time saved is money made! This is also means you can focus your core programming teams on those super custom projects, and allowing you to build a business that has more jobs, with less time on site, and therefore again more profitability. Consistency is huge part of what is also delivered here, every UI on every project looks and works the same, with ease and reliability like never before.

3. User Experience

What does user experience actually mean? It’s not just that pretty front end, it is the whole smart home solution you are delivering, from build to delivery and beyond, it’s the reliability of a solution, it’s the ease of use, it’s how aesthetically pleasing and intuitive the client interactions are, it’s the lifestyle journey you take them on. Now, we believe Crestron can deliver all of the above because of OS 3 and the final experience we are providing, we know the historical reliability of our products is there, and this is just the next step. Also, we all know that selling something because of a sexy UI doesn’t really make sense if the back end product isn’t as good the front end visual or is not easy to set-up, you may deliver something on day one that works, but as the journey of the client continues you are running the risk. And this could cost you money, if a system fails for example and you are constantly troubleshooting!
 
With OS 3 though we bring even more advantages to you, gone are the days of having to send a programmer over to the end-user’s house to change how their system delivers for them. Your customers can simply make their own changes, whether it’s adding or editing lighting scenes or quick actions – it’s up to them. And with Crestron Home powered by OS 3 it becomes even easier. A simpler, smarter more intuitive interface allows complete control and a stunning experience whilst doing it. Nobody in the industry delivers a UI like the one we have developed for OS 3. Meaning customers are getting more value, and they have more control of their experience, which is what customers expect, it is what end users expect in a modern system and modern technology.
 
So that’s it, in its most simplest form, evolving your business model to utilise all the Crestron solutions on offer I believe will be key to growth, going completely custom when needed, but using Crestron Home on the projects that it works for. More jobs, less time, more profit along with a great experience for your customers.