Re: Time for HA, finally. Thinking Insteon. Mulling this for 20 years. What is best?

["Robert L Bass" <robertbass1@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Agreed! The Elk does seem very capable
> and choosing between the two would be
> difficult. Indeed, if the schedule can be
> programmed to the same level of sophistication
> as the Stargate, I would say it looks like the current winner.

I don't know about the folks that make Stargate (though they seemed very pleasant and helpful the few times I've ever spoken to
them.  ELK has a great attitude toward dealers and end users.  They're one of the few manufacturers in the trade that will actually
let a user talk to their engineering staff.  As a dealer I've had several occasions to request modifications and additions to the
ELK-M1G.  I and several other dealers asked for a Z-Wave transceiver.  Done.  One of my clients asked for help modifying a lighting
protocol.  Done.

In all fairness, as a dealer I'm not exactly unbiased.  I sell a lot of M1 Gold systems, probably more than most independent alarm
dealers.  But it appears ELK is just as helpful to smaller accounts.

I failed to mention another ELK feature in my earlier posts which I believe makes the ELK-M1G stand out above many competing
products.  With most HA systems when there's a new firmware release the end user has to go to his dealer (assuming he even knows
there's a new version), pay for a service call and purchase a replacement chipset.  If the dealer is anything like the average alarm
company, the cost can easily top $200.  ELK allows dealers and users to download new firmware at no charge.  DIY customers can get
email notification and are also given access to all the "back office" documentation that many alarm manufacturers reserve for
dealers on password protected websites.  For a number of my customers this has been a deal maker when choosing between ELK and HAI
(another good quality HA maker).

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

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