Simple Control started out as Roomie Remote, creating software for home automation do-it-yourselfers.But don’t let the DIY background fool you. The company, known for its rich integration capabilities, has been targeting the home-technology installation channel for many years, especially since 2014 when Sanus founder Jim Wohlford joined Roomie founder Will Price and launched what we now know as Simple Control.Over the past two years, Simple Control has added hardware to its arsenal of software, making network configurations and remote monitoring a breeze. On that note, at CEDIA the company demonstrated its new software version 4.5, featuring integration-friendly Remote Management tools such as Multihome, the ability to view multiple properties through a single dashboard.We caught up with Wohlford and Price after the show.How was CEDIA?CEDIA was very strong for us this year with a solid mix of new and old dealers and both U.S. and international interest. Dealers are very interested in the Internet of things and a powerful, affordable and reliable control layer for A/V and other smart devices. (Watch the booth tour.)What is the state of your consumer vs. pro business right now?True home control integration is not really a DIY product. Dealer design and installation assistance is most often needed. Most of our dealers are interested in both light commercial and residential applications.The consumer business remains good for us, but our primary focus is on the CEDIA market. With the recent introduction of Remote Management, along with Users and Permissions and Echo Voice Control, we have an extremely strong and efficient solution for integrators that their customers love. We have years of experience delivering mass-market user-friendly apps that consumers want to use and are not walled off into proprietary systems that result in both dealer and end-user frustration.
