Control4
Reviews and Complaints
New Orleans, Louisiana
My remote is broken
My remote batteries went dead now it doesn’t work I put new batteries in it will not come oN. This is the second time this happened the first time my dealer brought me a new remote now I can’t get in touch with him I only have a system for about three months I have all my TVs hooked up to this and I only have one remote that’s working half the time what do I do about this can somebody tell me how I can program my other remote to work it doesn’t even turn on the cable and the volume does not even work for someone please tell me what to do
EXPENSIVE SERVICE
The system goes out very often - and it is impossible to service yourself. My network connects on the patio about 50% of the time, and on some TV's, the remote works, but the phone connection does not, or vice versa.
But worse, is the inability to update on your own.
I recently had to change out two cable boxes from Xfinity - the cost to get them integrated into the system - about $900!!!! That is ridiculous.
I am ready to another system - every time the system needs updating, it costs at least $400.
Why doesn't the system allow you to do simple maintenance on your own?
- It is unreliable and requires service too often
Preferred solution: Let me do simple maintenance on the system and updates, or simply go to another system
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Control4 doesn't work
Installed 3 years ago. It has worked for about a month in total.
Password re-sets, repeated downloads, new IP addresses, then it works temporarily.
The tried the Control4 tech. He/she/virtual? person told me today that I have to re-set my phone and delete all data for control4 to work and shuttled me to the smart phone people.
They want a deposit to answer a question but did not mention and additional $48 charge that was also there, to fix their software today.
The Control4 tech declined to comment on why the computer login also doesn't work and just cut me off to send me to the smart phone tech. I forget how many thousand dollars I spent on this useless system.
3 minutes ago RemorsefulBloodhound Ron King - System never works but you will need to to pay for service. TOTAL JUNK!
I would like to hear back from people that have had system installed for awhile and preferably a larger install. My install was over 90,000.00. signed contract mid 2015. Install lasted over 2 years and still not everything was completed or worked.
things were already breaking down and needing replaced at my cost. It was/is a very sloppy install and after over 4 years in service everything has never worked at once. I still have camera's and equipment hanging from wires not sitting on or screwed into anything. They pay their installer 12-15 an hour and bill you 160.00 an hour.
service techs have no idea what they are doing and sit on help lines for hours billing you 160.00 an hour. you cant call a help line only the dealers can. My installers and all of them in my area now want service contracts that run from 50.00-570.00 per month just for them to take and prioritize your call. yes, you still have to pay for everything labor, trip charge, ect.
That's only for service to respond quickly depending on amount of monthly contract.
I finally told my installer to stay away and as things breakdown I am trying to un hook them and get me house back. Its a very expensive lesson.
Birmingham, England
Hopeless; after 1 year still not right
Control 4 said no problems integrating with their keypads and monitored alarm company. Wrong.
Go to set it and alarm won’t set. Then it sets when control 4 says it’s not set. On one occasion we were burgled when the alarm wouldn’t set. TV often just stops working.
Remote has a mind if it’s own. If I could I would take control 4 out of my house. I would never, ever, ever have this system in my house again. Nightmare goes on and on and on.
Constantly calling dealer to update TV settings, and one year in still alarm not reliable.
Living *** My advice is stay away from this company unless you want a system that is great, when running, but is too often not. It has become like Japanese knotweed, but inside our house rather than in the garden.
Hello,
I am so sorry to hear about your Control4 experience. You mentioned issues with your alarm, TV, and remote - I would like to help by getting our support team directly involved to work on a solution with your dealer. If you can please send me an email with your contact information, we can setup a time to discuss your system.
eestes@control4.com
Thank you,
-EE
Constantly messed up
I hate this stupid control 4 system. It’s been 3 years and intermittently broken repeatedly.
It is waaaaay too expensive for this to always be happening.
Further it is such a confusing set up - I can’t even bandaid fix it myself and so I’m waiting for several days without being able to watch any TV. This is horrible.
If anyone is reading this before they decide to invest in an AV system - do not buy Control 4.
Hello,
I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with your Control4 system. I would like to help. If you could please send me an email with your contact information, we can discuss your system and the issues you're having and work on a solution to improve your Control4 experience.
eestes@control4.com
Thank you!
-EE
Draper, Utah
Resolved: Control4 Good product but constant issues
As frustrated as I was I owe Control 4 a thank you for trying to help. They have been very responsive and so far have helped resolve most of my issues.
While I understand the system will have bugs like all things electronic they have been responsive in helping me.
When the system works its awesome. Currently mine is working much better due to the help Control4 has given to my dealer.
Unfortunately it has issues and bugs more often than it works. Specifically what I mean by that in my case at least is the overall responsiveness of the system and the constant maintenance required that only an authorized service provider can do is very frustrating. A specific example would be when using the handheld C4 remote the lag after pushing a button is really bad. When it happens it only gets worse and I have to call my provider to come out which usually fixes it for a couple weeks.
The equipment for the money spent is just very outdated and it seems that no money is being put back into the product hardware or software wise which is really unfortunate. The light switches for the money again just seem to be cheaply made and are very fragile. I have two homes completely setup on Control 4 including light switches, blinds, Etc. By writing this I just wanted to give the heads up to any potential Control 4 buyer be ready to spend a lot of money not only on the initial setup costs but the ongoing maintenance that can be at least for me once or twice a month.
In addition to the money you will need to be very patient with the product because it will constantly have responsiveness issues and bugs.
If you can overcome these items the system is great when it works. Hopefully more money is put into the hardware and software development.
- Great when it works
- Being held hostage by control 4 to get the promised results
Preferred solution: Let the company propose a solution
It’s just very unfortunate because it could be such a great product if they would actually put some money into the firmware and hardware. I honestly feel if they just used an iPhone in the box with a custom app running to power the system it would be a 100 times better than the EA5 controller.
They just need to put some money into the product and make it more stable. Right now it requires almost weekly maintenance by the AV company and of course that’s not free.Buyer beware this system will not only cost you a bunch of money up front the ongoing maintenance by your local AV company will be a recurring monthly bill.Don’t even get me started on the light switches.
I think they bought the cheapest ones they could get away with in China.Bottom line is if they would invest some money in the product they would have a great product. If you want to be a premium brand then be a premium brand.
Sunnyvale, California
Lack of connectivity
Have had a bad experience with the control 4 product. Specifically the remote for the TV and amplifier.
Works for a week, then goes out for 3 weeks. Then as far as service goes it's non-existent in my area. Ready to toss this remote and trade it in for a Crestron. At least they would have service representatives that would call you back and service their product "if" it even broke down.
Which I would highly doubt anything could break down as much as this Control 4.
Very dissatisfied. As much as this thing breaks down and how much it costs I'm just glad I don't have other things in my house that this product controls.
Preferred solution: Let the company propose a solution
Hello ManyCrow,
I'm so sorry to hear you're having issues with your Control4 system - specifically your remote. I understand the remote will work then stop working, I would like to help with this. If you could please send me an email with your contact information, I would be happy to work with you on your system issues and improving your Control4 experience.
eestes@control4.com
Best Regards,
-EE
This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ
Verified ReviewerPoor and non service providers
I spent 30k plus to install Control 4 - now upgrades are a fortune and since I live in a remote location the service provider wants a small fortune to show up and upgrade. They charge a premium for the equipment and some $500 per hour to install and update.
I kitchen bar light for two months - no support - no service.
Never again. You can only use if location has service - otherwise forget it
Hello,
I'm so sorry to hear about your Control4 experience. I recommend contacting your dealer to see if they offer a remote service plan to better support your system. If you need more assistance, I would be happy to see if we can find you find a new dealer that offers on-site and remote support.
eestes@control4.com
Thank you,
-EE
This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ
Verified ReviewerResolved: OMG don’t get this trash
Control4 came to the party and sorted it out. Whilst it cost us yet more money, Control4 did pay for new equipment and service fees which was greatly appreciated.
Yes, I have contacted them by email on numerous occasions , NO they haven’t responded to any of my emails!
The dealer is also useless. Put it this way, if you want to throw money away then Control4 is for you.
There wouldn’t be enough space to list all our issues.
All our Audio is off Line!
Remote buttons not working!
Not seeing many devices anymore!
Having to replace a DVD player under warranty and you have to pay the dealer just as much again to add it on to the Control4 system for you.
Try to watch a movie and it loses connect with Control4
Sensors not working
Lighting having a mind of its own
Waiting and waiting to have all this addressed leaving you frustrated and angry, at what point is having all this technology a benefit if it doesn’t work.
Its not as simple as if the sound stops working then you try unplugging this and that, it’s so locked down you are forced to get external help at a massive cost that keeps reaccuring.
All we want is a smooth sailing system
There is no accountability from Control4 to come out and fix up any of these issues after spending such a large amount of money. They expect you to keep paying out for servicing and you still get nowhere. I’m sick of paying call outs for something that’s not my problem. I’ve paid for an item that should work property but is far from that.
Keep it simple people, automation is not really automation but a big headache and money guzzling!
Step up Control4 and support your products better, don’t just say “we are sorry you are experiencing issue and to email you”
You have to be more active and actually fix the issues not just show these people on review sites that you look like you are fixing it and in contact with the customers. Its very easy to say email us but when we do you don’t respond or even help out in anyway.
Replying to
Training dear Padaone! You know nothing of dealer. One should be polite and use the Zen to not shoutYour people skills it is :(Grow up you may
Unceasing nightmare
The parts they install are extremely cheap and break easily. When i say cheap, I mean cheap for the dealers; to replace it costs hundreds.
For a *** lightswitch. Of course, this is work that I could do myself, or get an electrician to do for under a hundred bucks, but because it needs to integrate with the control4 system, that's not an option. I need to pay hundreds for the part and hundreds for the service call to the tech. Because the flimsy plastic lightswitches crack and break and clearly arent' meant to be touched too much.
Then there's the system integration.
Behind the TV/stereo is a closet that is a nightmare of cables and cords that take hours to navigate if you need to, say, powercycle the modem. The integration of tv/cable/stereo/etc will break down, and getting it to work again is more or less impossible. You need to get a tech out, and that means more time and more money. What would be simple, easily diagnosable and remedied problems in a normal home become hellish nightmares that keep you crawling back to these control4 sheisters who now own your soul.
And the controls they give you to operate the tv/lighting/lighting/heating/etc are a ridiculous joke. Think of the worst experience you've ever heard of with a Universal remote, and then add into that heating, lighting, stereo, etc.
And they say that if you use the TV's remote, or stereo remote (that actually have the controls you need to operate these things) that runs the risk of upsetting the system.
So if you like to be able to poorly control everything in your home from one *** universal remote that severely limits functionality, for a few weeks until the system needs to be repaired by an expensive and surly tech who's going to slap patches and repairs on top of the patches and repairs of the *** before him until there's an unconquerable mess of wires and layered cryptic electronics hiding in a closet of infinite anxiety and despair, then maybe you should consider control4. If you don't, however, want to sell the functionality of everything in your home that you use to a skeevy, expensive bunch of lazy technocrats, so that you can spend all your time trying to make the incomprehensible remote they gave you dim the lights instead of just getting off the couch to do it, which you'll probably do anyways except that the lightswitches weren't designed for use and are falling apart and don't quite work, then stay far far far far FAR away from this incompetent and, frankly, stupid status symbol.
- Everything and everyone
Hello,
I am very sorry to hear about your experience with your Control4 system. I would like to help! If you could please send me an email with your contact information, I would be happy to contact you directly to go over the issues you've had with your hardware and installation. We can work directly with your dealer or help you with the process of finding a new dealer to improve you and your families experience with Control4.
eestes@control4.com
Best Regards,
-EE
Need new service company
Need new service rep for contol4 in Tampa FL Not happy at all with the company that I have been giving money too the last 3 years It’s been a big waste of my time & money. They can’t fix my systems & keep charging me more money
Hello,
I'm sorry to hear about the experience you've had with your Control4 dealer. I would be happy to help you with the process of finding you a new dealer. Can you please send me an email with your contact information and list of your system issues?
eestes@control4.com
Thank you,
-EE
This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ
Verified ReviewerSimply horrible
The control panels frequentlt lose connectivity, and when they do nothing can be controlled. I have now had to take all critical systems off Control4 which makes the panels a glorified light switch. However, the limited amoubts they are respinsible for is still a disaster when an airbnb guest checks in and I have to remotely explain how to reset the system.
Hello WiryMammoth,
I'm so sorry to hear that you're having an issue with your Control4 touchscreens losing connectivity. I would like to help with the assistance of your dealer to see why this is happening. If you could please send me an email with your contact and account information, we can look into this for you.
eestes@control4.com
Thanks!
-EE
Total piece of Crap! Issues every other week
We spent almost $100,000 on this stupid system and have issues pretty much every other week. Like right now, our remotes are once again not working to the point we can’t watch tv, and have to use the remote that came with the tv to watch the only thing we can access- Netflix.
Customer service is ridiculous!
Maybe someone is there from 10am to 4pm but good luck actually getting them or getting help and if it’s a Friday you are out of luck but maybe you can talk to someone by late Monday if you just keep calling over and over- too many party weekends? Also if a holiday is coming up fat chance you will be able to get anyone to talk to you from two days before to two days after - unless a weekend is coming up then you are screwed for about a week.
Zero customer service!
Abolsolute worst waste of money we ever spent! It’s so frustrating and sucks so much I am about this close to trashing the whole thing and going with another company.
Hello OrganicMolly,
I am so sorry to hear about your experience with your Control4 system. Our department is open from 8am - 5pm MST, so I’m very sorry to hear that you weren’t able to get a hold of anyone that could assist you. I would like to help! If you could please send me an email with your contact information, I would be happy to contact you directly.
eestes@control4.com
Thanks!
-EE
Should have gotten rid of control 4 years ago
In the era of DIY, control 4, needs to create an open platform, that’s not vendor dependent in addition to a complete overhaul of their hardware and software. People these days don’t have the patience for faulty expensive experiences.
I have completely ripped out 5000.00 worth of control 4 devices and will switch to Sonos..Happy days!
Pure Garbage
This is the crappiest project. A “consultant” steered me into it.
Inpaid tens of thousands of dollars.
Virtually every week, if not every day, a nee problem arises. Steer clear of this.
Hello,
I'm so sorry to hear that you're having issues your Control4 system. I would like to help! If you could please send me an email with your contact information, I would be happy to work with you and your dealer to improve your Control4 experience.
eestes@control4.com
Best Regards,
-EE
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professional installation. Dude really.
You must not have a system. Its a huge waste of money, time and nothing but frustrating.
Hello WhichSpiderMonkey153,
I'm very sorry to hear about the issues you're having with your Control4 system. We have a few solutions available to you that would give you more control over your system, but please understand Control4 is a professional installation that does require dealer assistance. Your network is the backbone of your system and we discuss the app issues you've been having. If you can please send me an email with your contact information, we can schedule some time to see how we can improve your Control4 experience.
eestes@control4.com
Thank you,
-EE