Trouble finding an ELK installer for HA

[uscpsycho]

In Los Angeles it seems every home automation installer sells Crestron/C4/Savant/RTI. If I wanted one of those systems I'd have many pros to choose from. However, if I want HAI or Elk it's darn near impossible to find a company that promotes itself as an installer of those systems.
 
I contacted Elk for some references and they gave me a three. However, all but one is 100% focused on security/monitoring. None of the three mention anything about home automation on their websites. And two of the three have pretty amateurish looking websites. I know that shouldn't matter *too* much but all the guys who sell the high end gear have really nice websites and they go into detail about their HA expertise.
 
Here's an example of someone referred to me by Elk, the links on their website don't even work: http://matrixsecurityinc.com/. It just doesn't instill a lot of confidence in their professionalism if their website looks circa 1995 and it doesn't work. Is this a professional or someone who does this stuff on the side or as a hobby?
 
I want to install Elk but why is it so hard to find someone who specializes in Elk home automation? And why do I feel like if I go with Elk for home automation I have to settle for a second rate outfit?

 

[tmbrown97]

When I was pretty new to all this, but had decided Elk was the way to go and had just purchased my first house, I tried calling around to find anyone that knew Elk that would be willing to help.  Most blew me off, but one in particular told me "If I tried to quote that to one of my clients, they'd fall out of their chair dead, then subsequently turn over in their grave a few times" - relating to the cost of the system compared to your average DSC.  The best I could find was someone who would come in and wire up some contacts but not touch the alarm itself.
 
These higher end panels just have a very limited audience... and as alluded to above, the alarm installers really don't give a crap about the initial install - they're after the recurring monthly fee.  They want to rack up as many of those as they can.
 
I also suspect being in California hurts you even more.  The state's licensing requirements state you must have a certain amount of hours as an installer before you can be licensed on your own.  What that means is that even though I can master any network or most IT or technical challenges, the only way I'll ever get a security license is if I got spend 4 years working as an ADT installer for $12/hour.  There's no easy way to pass some tests and enter the market as a high-end installer regardless of demonstrated knowledge.
 
My best advice is to learn the programming yourself.  The tying in to other systems for lighting, HVAC, etc - is pretty trivial.  The biggest challenge tends to be just getting the right wires to the right places.

 

[Neurorad]

If you want to manage the Elk yourself, I would strongly suggest installing yourself. It's the best way to learn everything about it, and avoiding false alarms while you are learning.

Caveat - if you don't make it a hobby, and enjoy it, you won't be succesful.

 

[shawnc]

Any luck on finding someone in LA?  I have the same issue....
 
 
Shawn
 

In Los Angeles it seems every home automation installer sells Crestron/C4/Savant/RTI. If I wanted one of those systems I'd have many pros to choose from. However, if I want HAI or Elk it's darn near impossible to find a company that promotes itself as an installer of those systems.
 
I contacted Elk for some references and they gave me a three. However, all but one is 100% focused on security/monitoring. None of the three mention anything about home automation on their websites. And two of the three have pretty amateurish looking websites. I know that shouldn't matter *too* much but all the guys who sell the high end gear have really nice websites and they go into detail about their HA expertise.
 
Here's an example of someone referred to me by Elk, the links on their website don't even work: http://matrixsecurityinc.com/. It just doesn't instill a lot of confidence in their professionalism if their website looks circa 1995 and it doesn't work. Is this a professional or someone who does this stuff on the side or as a hobby?
 
I want to install Elk but why is it so hard to find someone who specializes in Elk home automation? And why do I feel like if I go with Elk for home automation I have to settle for a second rate outfit?

 

[drvnbysound]

100% agree with what Work2Play and Neurorad stated above.
 
Also worth mentioning, if you're willing to dive in and do most of the work yourself, I'll suggest that we're a pretty good resource for any issues you run into. You'll certainly find a fair share of others who have posted issues here with resolutions found by members here. It really just depends on how much of the work you want to get involved with.