Notes from inside a low-voltage company
5 years of expensive lessons from a low-voltage company, written down as they happened.
I was a product manager at Alarm.com for just under 5 years, with usage data across a whole dealer network in front of me. It kept pointing at a gap I couldn't explain from a desk, so I left and became a dealer to find out why. Most of what I learned since then, I learned by getting it wrong first.
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I still recommend SofaBaton. That's not the same as liking it. Two home theaters, two SofaBaton remotes, and what actually happened after the install — from someone who ran Harmony for 15 years. Read it → Directory
24 I still recommend SofaBaton. That's not the same as liking it. Two home theaters, two SofaBaton remotes, and what actually happened after the install — from someone who ran Harmony for 15 years. gear 23 MicroLED is having a moment. Projection isn't going anywhere. The LED walls were everywhere at CEDIA this year. I'm still selling projectors. 
gear 22 The case for low-voltage lighting We already run low-voltage cable to nearly everything in a new house. I think lights should be on that list. 
gear 21 TVs and projectors are bigger than ever Everyone said home video was moving to tablets. On our installs, the screens just keep getting bigger. 
gear 20 Outdoor projection got real. It still doesn't just win. A 100-inch screen that puts itself away costs about what a 65-inch full-sun TV does. The TV will probably look better. 
gear 19 The best Harmony replacement at CEDIA doesn't have a price tag Josh built a remote with real, swappable buttons, then sold it where no Harmony customer will ever find a price. 
gear 18 The ultra short throw that actually impressed me at CEDIA I haven't installed one. Read this like the booth impression it is. 
gear 17 The CEDIA demo that changed my mind I've owned 6 different reference projectors. One trade show demo still surprised me. 
gear 16 Wired wrong, and nobody tested it A family member's brand-new house had a hidden HDMI cable die in the wall, and half the Ethernet drops were miswired from the start. 
gear 14 We offered free doorbell installs. It didn't work the way we thought. Free labor got us in 20 doors. It only turned into one real system. 
marketing 15 The room should disappear Home theater design isn't about the wow factor. It's about what happens to light and sound after they leave the screen. 
gear 13 The SofaBaton workaround nobody asked for We sold a remote and a lighting system that don't talk to each other. The fix came out of my backpack. 
gear 12 The math on 10 TV mounts a day Raising prices didn't slow demand. The unit economics still didn't work. 
positioning 11 What your alarm accounts are actually worth I thought 30 accounts meant I had an asset. I didn't have paper to sell. 
business 07 What I actually tell people to buy when they ask about home security I worked in product at Alarm.com and I install all of this for a living. Here's the version without the marketing. 
gear 10 What happens to your smart home when the company disappears Logitech left the universal remote business and my remotes still work. The reason why is the only question worth asking before you buy anything else. gear 09 The rep with the line card The incentives looked aligned. They weren't, and I found out with a speaker that failed twice in the same house. 
gear 08 What the dashboard couldn't show me I had usage data across an entire dealer network. It kept pointing at a gap I couldn't explain from a desk, so I went to go stand in it. 
origin 06 Getting licensed was a nightmare The information wasn't hidden. There was just no way to know whether what I found was right. business 05 The demo that sold itself We were hired to mount one TV. Then I put 150" of Baby Driver on a bare wall. 
business 04 Logitech Harmony is discontinued, and there's no real replacement The $300 universal remote customer still exists. The category leader just stopped showing up. 
gear 03 The first speakers we ever bought A listening room, two songs, and the moment my wife heard something new in music she'd loved for 20 years. 
gear 01 What actually happens on day 31 with your Ring doorbell Your clips didn't glitch and your camera isn't broken. The trial ended, and most people never knew there was one. 
gear 02 We undercut the market to win, and 5 years later we're still paying for it Cutting price was the fastest way to get customers and the most expensive decision I've made. positioning