We have all heard or said the following: "Nothing lasts as long as it used to." When we shop repair bills against replacement costs, we say, “Everything is disposable.” When something that used to be so simple and hassle-free becomes “Take a pic of the QR code, download the app, create an account, give us access to all your information, etc”, we question why everything has to be so complicated. We just want it to work.
Have you ever tried to replace a rear taillight in a Ford truck lately? The pack sensors, cameras, and more stuff than the lights themselves into the housing. The cost of those parts alone is over $2,000! That same thing is happening in our AV tech world. We barely have amplifiers without computers. Adding the computers automatically shortens the life of the amplifiers. We used to proudly say, “We installed that thing 30 years ago, and it is still kicking! That thing would outrun any of this new stuff.” Those statements are happening less and less. That is because people think they need more function for less money, and they don’t care about the service aspect of whatever they are building.
We can install a paging or background-music speaker in a restroom, connect it to a network switch, and connect it to an AV network. Now it is something for IT people to manage. Why would we do this? Why not just connect that speaker to the same amplifier that powers the other speakers? That amplifier could last exponentially longer than the IT department’s switch. The cable to the speaker is more expensive. We are shifting the workload from one person to another, overloaded with service ticket requests and Windows security issues.
Why take a simple task and solutions and compound it? Why tax the PoE+ budget? Why not keep it simple and use good old-fashioned 70V ceiling speakers and amplifiers? Was there an industry-wide failure rate we weren’t hearing about over the last 40 years? No. Everything was fine.
Technical “improvements” have addressed problems that didn’t exist. There are no labor savings. We are still running a cable. We are still connecting multiple speakers in parallel. In fact, labor costs have increased because network managers must be involved to configure and address the speakers. RJ45 connectors take longer to terminate than 2-conductor Euroblocks. More expensive test equipment is required to certify the data cables in some environments. What is the reason for not using KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)?
Control. Money. Selling you more stuff more frequently. That is what it’s all about. IT managers are becoming certified AV integrators. AV Integrators are becoming IT techs. Budgets are plentiful for IT assets. The whole industry knows it, which is why it has moved to a software-based model. We all know and love (not really) subscriptions. The AV industry needs to keep its hands in its pockets and out of yours.
If you absolutely need something complicated, we are more than capable of delivering it. If you don’t need it, we won’t bring it up during our on-site consultation. We will KISS and FFF (Form Follows Function) it. We are counter culture here. Join the revolt.