Wireless Solutions Changing the Picture

Apr 20, 2009 8:32 AM, By Rebecca Day

Getting integrators to hop on board may not be so simple. Revisiting a panel he participated in at CEDIA Expo last year, Kussard says no-new-wires solutions are encountering pushback from custom integrators.

"There were a handful of old-line CEDIA guys who built successful businesses on installing high-end projects with very wealthy customers who argued that these technologies would erode their business," he says. "As if what their customers rely on them for is their ability to run wires through walls." Kussard argues that customers look to integrators for their expertise and guidance. "If one of the solutions you offer is that you don't need to run wires—that all you need to do is implement these no-new-wires devices—customers will accept that from you as a service provider as readily, or more readily, than your saying you have to send guys in to punch holes in the walls and deal with how to patch them later.”

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Kussard says if he were still running an integration firm today, he would continue to move his hard-wire-based business forward as aggressively as possible while setting up a separate division with an independent sales force and installation staff whose sole purpose was to sell no-new-wires-based technologies. "The close line would be 'If I can get this multiroom audio system up and running for you by this time tomorrow, would you sign the contract now?'" he says.

Capitol's Learning Institute embraces other no-new-wires approaches including RF, coax (MoCA), and phoneline as well and sees opportunities for all the media to work together.

"Capitol believes that the contracting community isn't going to be able to rely on one arrow in its quiver," he says. "An implementation may have to rely on multiple technologies in order to reach the goal."

As a sign of the times, perhaps, the first Capitol Sales Learning Institute Regional Outreach, scheduled for this week in Seattle, was postponed at the last minute due to a low number of registrants. Vendor sponsors are looking forward to a strong debut in San Francisco early next month, however. Additional programs will be held in Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Tampa, Fla. Courses are $100 per event.