Control4

Last updated
Control4
Company type Private
Nasdaq: CTRL
Industry Home automation
Founded2003;21 years ago (2003)
Founders
  • Eric Smith
  • Will West
  • Mark Morgan
Headquarters Lehi, Utah
Brands
  • Card Access
  • Extra Vegetables
  • Leaf
  • Pakedge
  • Triad
  • Ihiji
  • Neeo
Services
  • Video Distribution
  • Audio Distribution
  • Smart Lighting
  • Climate Control
  • Video Intercom
  • Security Systems
Number of employees
700
Website www.control4.com

Control4 is a brand of automation and networking systems for homes and businesses, offering a customizable and unified smart home system to automate and control connected devices including lighting, audio, video, climate control, intercom, and security. [1] The Control4 platform interoperates with more than 13,000 third-party products and it is available in over 100 countries. [2] After merging with SnapAV, by 2024 Control4 managed over half a million homes through a network of 12,000 authorized dealers. [3] The company was based in Draper, Utah from 2003, until its relocation to Lehi, Utah in 2023. Control4 currently operates as a brand/division of ADI Global Distribution.

Contents

History

Founded in 2003 by Eric Smith, Will West, and Mark Morgan, Control4 debuted at the 2004 CEDIA Expo home technology trade show and introduced its first products later that year, as an early entrant in the home automation market. [4] [5] [6] Smith and West had previously created PHAST, an early home control system that was acquired by AMX in 1997; [7] and STSN, a provider of Internet service for the hospitality industry. [4] Control4 received funding from Foundation Capital, Thomas Weisel Venture Partners, Signal Peak Ventures, Frazier Technology Ventures, and Cisco Systems [8] prior to its IPO on August 2, 2013. [8] [9]

On April 29, 2005, Control4 began shipping its first home automation products, which operated on both wireless and wired protocols. The company was the first to ship wireless products based on the 802.15.4 standard known as Zigbee. The first products shipped included the Control4 Media Controller, Wireless Dimmers, Wireless Switches, Touch Screens, Wireless Contact/Relay Extender, 16 Zone Audio Matrix Switch, and a Remote Control. [10]

Martin Plaehn joined Control4 in September 2011, replacing long-serving Will West as CEO. West remained with the company as Chief Strategy Officer. [11] Control4 became a publicly traded company (on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the stock symbol CTRL) from 2013 until 2019, when it merged with SnapAV. [12]

On May 23, 2019, Control4 released its Smart Home OS3 platform, replacing its long-serving OS2 software. This included a dramatic redesign of the customer UI experience, and modernized the appearance from the old circular arrangement of icons. The OS3 platform included the ability to customize icon placement and order on both touchscreens and mobile devices. [13]

In August 2019, Control4 completed a merger with consumer technology designer and manufacturer SnapAV. [12] [14] John Heyman served as CEO, and the company was rebranded as "Snap One."

On May 10, 2023, Control4 announced the opening of a new joint-headquarters in Lehi, Utah. [15] Control4 had previously been based out of Draper, Utah since 2003, using the same building for 20 years.

On June 14, 2024, the Control4 brand was acquired by Resideo Technologies. The brand will continue to offer smart home solutions through Resideo's ADI Global Distribution segment. [16]

Products and services

Control4's home automation systems have been likened to an operating system for the home. [17] [18] The company offers products to manage climate control, home network, home security, intercom, multi-room audio, and smart lighting, offering a universal remote and voice control. [19] [5] [6] [20] It offers items such as a smart doorbell, smart outlets, security cameras, thermostats, centralized lighting panels, motion sensors, and KNX devices. [5] The systems can be controlled from the Control4 smartphone app, keypads fitted to the walls, a traditional remote, or a portable touch screen. [1]

In addition to its own products and services, Control4 supports more than 13,500 third-party products, [19] [21] including Amazon Alexa-enabled speaker devices, [21] the Google Nest smart home thermostat, [22] streaming services like Spotify and Netflix, [21] Sonos music system, [23] Apple TV, [5] and products from Sony, Sub-Zero, Roku, LG, Samsung, Bose, Denon, Honeywell, Yale, and Lutron. [1] [24] [25] With Control4, a homeowner could control "the ventilation in the garage, the music streaming to speakers in multiple rooms of his home, every light, the TV, the thermostat, even the Blu-Ray player in the guest house" from an iOS or Android device. [26]

Installation of the Control4 system is done through a network of dealers who install the hardware and configure and customize the software to unify the homeowner's technology. A Control4 controller acts as the "brain" of the home, connecting to the home network and allowing the electronic devices and systems in the home to work together. There are various controllers available, including the CA-1, which offers Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Wi-Fi connectivity, and the EA-series controllers, which include streaming audio and HDMI out. The controllers come with touch screen panels or keypads, with versions available on both iOS and Android, and with Amazon Alexa compatibility. [5]

In 2012, Control4 released its Simple Device Discovery Protocol (SDDP), which makes products embedded with the code automatically discoverable on a Control4 network. [27] The company licenses the protocol to other vendors for their products, [24] with more than 7,500 SDDP-embedded products as of June 2019. [28]

In May 2019, Control4 debuted a new version of its operating system, Smart Home OS 3. [6] [29] The upgrade is designed to let users more easily customize and make changes to their Control4 Smart Home systems. [30] With the upgrade, Control4 added streaming of MQA files, making it the first home automation company to support the high-resolution audio format. [31]

In June 2019, streaming and download service Qobuz partnered with Control4 to bring hi-res music streaming to home automation installations, allowing Control4 users to upgrade to hi-res sound. [32]

As of June 2021, Control4 was selling its products through nearly 6,000 authorized Control4 dealers, [28] in addition to partnering with home builders including Toll Brothers and Arthur Rutenberg Homes. [1]

Acquisitions

Control4 made several acquisitions since going public in 2013, adding to its lineup of products and services.

The Neeo purchase marked Control4's final acquisition before it was bought and merged with SnapAV in late summer, 2019.

Future of Company

On April 15, 2024, it was announced that Resideo Technologies, a manufacturer and distributor of technology-driven products, would acquire Snap One for $10.75 per share in cash, for a transaction value of approximately $1.4 billion, inclusive of net debt. [41] The acquisition was completed on June 14 of 2024. Resideo will integrate Snap One into its ADI Global Distribution. This will provide integrators with increased selection of 1P and 3P products through ADI branch stores and expand Control4's presence throughout the world. [41]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remote control</span> Device used to control other device remotely

In electronics, a remote control is an electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operate devices such as a television set, DVD player or other digital home media appliance. A remote control can allow operation of devices that are out of convenient reach for direct operation of controls. They function best when used from a short distance. This is primarily a convenience feature for the user. In some cases, remote controls allow a person to operate a device that they otherwise would not be able to reach, as when a garage door opener is triggered from outside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leviton</span> American electrical equipment manufacturer

Leviton Manufacturing Company, Inc. is an American manufacturer of electrical wiring equipment in North America. It produces electrical light sockets, receptacles and outlets, switches, dimmers and other lighting control systems, wire, power cables, power cords, wall and ceiling occupancy sensors, wall plates, datacom, and other electrical products.

Conexant Systems, Inc. was an American-based software developer and fabless semiconductor company that developed technology for voice and audio processing, imaging and modems. The company began as a division of Rockwell International, before being spun off as a public company. Conexant itself then spun off several business units, creating independent public companies which included Skyworks Solutions and Mindspeed Technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMX LLC</span> American video equipment and control manufacturer

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Insteon is a proprietary home automation (domotics) system that enables light switches, lights, thermostats, leak sensors, remote controls, motion sensors, and other electrically powered devices to interoperate through power lines, radio frequency (RF) communications, or both. It employed a dual-mesh networking topology in which all devices are peers and each device independently transmits, receives, confirm and repeats messages. Like other home automation systems, it had been associated with the Internet of things.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Z-Wave</span> Wireless standard for intelligent building networks

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ecobee Canadian home automation company

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of home automation articles</span>

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Martin Plaehn is on the board of directors of SnapAV's parent company as of August 1, 2019 after the merger of Control4 and SnapAV. Prior to this date, he was the CEO and Chairman of the Board at Control4, a Salt Lake City, Utah based provider of home automation systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logitech Harmony</span> Line of smart remotes and home automation products made by Logitech

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HomeSeer Technologies LLC is a technology company based in Bedford, New Hampshire, in the United States. HomeSeer makes home automation controllers and software, designed to integrate lighting, HVAC, security, AV and other subsystems in most homes. Additionally, the company maintains an online store of compatible home automation products and a free online community forum for users and dealers.

Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) is an American smart home technology provider and manufacturer of universal remote controls, IoT devices such as voice-enabled smart home hubs, smart thermostats, home sensors; as well as a white label digital assistant platform optimized for smart home applications, and other software and cloud services for device discovery, fingerprinting and interoperability. The company designs, develops, manufactures and ships products both under the "One For All" brand and as an OEM for other companies in the audio video, subscription broadcasting, connected home, tablet and smart phone markets. In 2015, it expanded its product and technology platform to include home automation, intelligent sensing and security.

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Charlie Kindel is an American tech executive and former chief product and technology officer at SnapAV. He formerly held roles with Control4, Amazon, and Microsoft. Much of his career has been spent focused on smart home products.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">ADI Global Distribution</span> Wholesaler of security products

ADI Global Distribution is a wholesale distributor of security, pro-AV and low-voltage products for contractors, installers, and resellers. The company has over 190 locations throughout North America, Puerto Rico, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. ADI's inventory includes products such as video surveillance, building access control, home intrusion, fire safety, and alarm systems as well as professional and residential audio/video (AV) equipment such as commercial speakers and video displays, networking equipment, data communications solutions, tools, wire, cabling, and more.

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