ELK at CEDIA....New Products???
- Thread starter fleetz
- Start date
Well that is a great sales tool. I was able to sell some systems with that pretty easily. People want the features at their fingertips. It is rock solid like the ELK.
I thought Spanky said there was a Global Cache project in the works. I would love to have the ELK shut off TV's and wall AC's etc when I arm away. Was hoping that it would come out this year.
Hmmmm thanks guys...... so nothing really new. A free hit to HAI
Cheers,
Fleetz
icellama21
Active Member
I wonder if these things really matter to the majority of the market. It seems HAI is competing with higher end systems that are fully integrated. HAI is building a "universe" per-se. For everyone else who wants a simple security system and basic automation, the M1 panel has been doing it for a long time. New features are nice and help create visibility, but I'm not convinced it sells that much. From a security point of view it has always been a no-brainer to buy a M1 for $400 instead of a high end Concord/DSC/etc for $200. Only trouble with the M1 is it encourages a lot more spending
I wonder if these things really matter to the majority of the market. It seems HAI is competing with higher end systems that are fully integrated. HAI is building a "universe" per-se. For everyone else who wants a simple security system and basic automation, the M1 panel has been doing it for a long time. New features are nice and help create visibility, but I'm not convinced it sells that much. From a security point of view it has always been a no-brainer to buy a M1 for $400 instead of a high end Concord/DSC/etc for $200. Only trouble with the M1 is it encourages a lot more spending
An interesting point but not sure it's valid. I wonder if Concord/DSC/Honeywell said something similar when HAI and Elk hit the market. Why expand into the automation market when we're doing just fine selling plain security panels? I think these companies are now scrambling to catch up. Growth is paramount in this industry and if you can't react to public demand/industry trends... you get passed up.
Let's look at it from an installers perspective. Since many would consider HAI and Elk competitors, some customers will inevitably want to know how they stack up. While their security panels offer similar functionality, their accessory range and integration partners differ dramatically.
Elk announced a new touch screen this year that went virtually unnoticed because it's almost identical to their previous TS07 offering. They also launched software to skin there touch panel (change the graphics). Not sure how many copies they've sold but something tells me the number is rather low.
HAI launched software that allows complete customization of their touch panels for basically the same price as Elk's solution. HAI also launched a new 5.7" in-wall/tabletop touch screen, a 10" portable touch screen, and integration with the Philips Pronto line of remotes. They introduced their own IP camera server, NVR, Cellular backup as well. They also expanded their support for 3rd party integration with some of the industry's biggest manufactures.
This type of growth allows installers to sell a complete solutions that's been tested to ensure reliable integration.
When it gets down to it, HAI played leapfrog this year in a major way. It seems like every other month they had a new press release/product announcement. These products expand the capabilities of their system and open up new sales and integration opportunities.
I'm just wondering why Elk stood still this year. Is the economy playing a role?
BTW... I own an Elk M1G and absolutely love it. I just wish they had better 3rd party integration and more control/customization options.
I think Bryan is correct that it is a game of leapfrog. Sometimes when a mfg seems to be quiet they have something in the oven (I am not stating any fact and I do not have any inside information etc). Maybe soon it will be ELK jumping ahead of HAI. Maybe ELK will go down a different path than HAI. There is still enough business for both companies and the market will grow again as the economy picks back up. HAI has made some great products and some smart moves given the economy and the direction of some of the market for HA.
Working part time (laid off often and rehired) for an alarm mfg in the engineering department and knowing the approximate size of the ELK engineering department they have to have something cooking in my opinion. They have tremendous talent on their staff who really enjoy what they do. I doubt they are playing cards and darts all day . I can say that where I am working we have not released to many new products the past two years. But we are about to bust out with almost 40 in the next 4 to 6 months.
Time will tell but I would not count ELK out but it might be a little while before we see what is happening.
Working part time (laid off often and rehired) for an alarm mfg in the engineering department and knowing the approximate size of the ELK engineering department they have to have something cooking in my opinion. They have tremendous talent on their staff who really enjoy what they do. I doubt they are playing cards and darts all day
. I can say that where I am working we have not released to many new products the past two years. But we are about to bust out with almost 40 in the next 4 to 6 months.Time will tell but I would not count ELK out but it might be a little while before we see what is happening.
