The biggest issue I have with Control4 is how quickly the corporate model is willing to leave clients behind.

Install an HC-800, and not long after it is pushed aside for an EA-5. Then that gets pushed aside for a Core 5.

Hardware ages, sure. But there is no technical reason a controller has to be “sunset” if the system is stable and doing its job.

The real lever is the mobile app. Once the app moves on, the customer gets dragged forward whether they need it or not. A home should be able to run like a Crestron system: predictable, stable, and functional for years without being forced into upgrades.

Forced obsolescence is damaging to this industry. It is great for dealers and great for Control4 revenue, but it leaves customers feeling like they got played.

And that is exactly how you end up with a growing DIY scene: people tearing into older hardware, repurposing it outside the intended ecosystem, because they are trying to get back what they already paid for.

The number of scorned clients grows daily.