Your Network Is Your Reputation: Why Integrators Must Own the Backbone

Every integrator has received the same phone call. Netflix isn’t streaming. Music keeps dropping out. Lighting scenes no longer work. Security cameras won’t load clearly. When this happens, homeowners come to a simple conclusion: the smart home isn’t working. Clients usually don’t wonder whether the issues are happening because of a disruption with their internet service…

ByChristopher SterleAugust 17, 20260Comments

Industry News

Whole-System Coverage Makes the Warranty Talk Way Easier

Warranties are not exactly the topic that makes a room full of custom integrators sit up a little straighter. You know that. I know that. And, frankly, I said as much during a recent Connected Design Podcast conversation with Keith Kranepool, vice president of strategic partnerships at SureBright. But the more we got into the it, the…

ByRob StottJuly 21, 20260Comments

Podcast Video

SureBright Explores How Whole-System Coverage Improves the Integrator’s Offering

Warranty programs have their own connotations that they carry. But, traditionally, they’re seen as single-product programs that are there in the event of a product failure to protect the consumer. For custom integrators, who install products in myriad rooms and across a variety of categories and price points, the idea of attaching a warranty to…

ByRob StottJuly 20, 20260Comments

Podcast Video

TheCoTeam’s Chris Smith Wants Integrators to Stop Unicorn Hunting

Drawing on more than two decades in the CI channel and hundreds of successful placements through TheCoTeam, Chris Smith breaks down why “unicorn hunting” is holding companies back, where integrators can find talent beyond the obvious candidate pool, and how a more intentional hiring process can help businesses grow stronger teams.