INDUSTRY RELATIONS
Considering the Tech
Consultant An Independent Voice Can Assist Both Homeowners and Custom Integration Companies
By Gordon Isaac
For most homeowners, any type of large-scale
home-improvement project can be a challenging
and downright stressful task. Regardless of
whether it is a backyard landscape project or
outfitting a home with the latest technology,
with so many contractors to choose from and
product choices to make, it’s hard to know what
steps to take. Fortunately, when it comes to
residential technology, independent consultant
firms can be of great help to both homeowners
and custom integration companies that provide
home tech designs and installation.
For some homeowners, hiring a tech
consultant is a way to keep the design and
32 Residential Tech Today | July/August 2019
installation teams separate, just like one would
hire an architect to design their home and a
builder to construct it. Sometimes consumers
want an “independent voice” to assist with
making the right tech decisions and at the right
budget. From there, they can take a design to a
couple of integration companies to request a
direct comparison of the cost to install a system
that is made up of the same parts and pieces.
For custom integrators, the necessity for an
independent AV consulting company can vary.
With small businesses starting out, installation
work is often done by the business owner and
for many, they already have a lot of work to do
and can’t risk spending time on designing
systems and putting proposals together. Others
might not have the experience designing
systems based on the size or scope but do have,
or will have, the technical experience to install
them by the time the project is ready. Even
larger companies can run into resource
challenges based on the cycle of their projects.
Whatever the reason, many top-level
integration companies use independent
consultants to help them with their business.
For example, Mike Zarb, co-founder of
Tekkease, has consulted with integrators and