BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT: CE PRO 2019 EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH - 2019 CE PRO - Honeywell

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19 C E PRO
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  CE PRO 2019
BRAND ANALYSIS
SPECIAL REPORT:
  EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH
CE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH

FAMILIAR BRANDS DOMINATE
THE MARKET
A handful of go-to names stand out for CE Pro 100 companies
as revealed by the annual Brand Analysis, but the 61 catego-
ries tracked also shed light on the increasingly diversified
product portfolio offered by today’s highly successful integra-
tors. by Robert Archer

In most years the numbers and trends revealed in the CE Pro 100 Brand Analysis
reflect the tenor of the U.S. and even the global economy, and the latest edition
is no different.
   In the U.S. unemployment is low, the stock market is doing well and there are
hints that home sales could improve as remodeling expenditure also continues
to flourish. Having learned some lessons from the global recession a decade
ago, the custom installation industry has developed a diverse array of products
that — maybe more importantly — appeal to mainstream consumers, who are

2    CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis                                             www.cepro.com
CE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH

also increasingly smart-home aware thanks to the emergence of voice-control           SnapAV, Sony,
platforms, smart speakers, smart locks and other common devices.
   The influx of mainstream products has created a learning and creativity curve      Sonos and
for integrators who are implementing much different systems now than they             Control4 are just
did a decade ago, but still reliably meeting the needs of their clients. The Brand
Analysis surveying the annual CE Pro 100 list of integration companies dem-
                                                                                      a few examples
onstrates a mix of traditional custom-channel products and more mainstream            of brands that
offerings.
   SnapAV, Sony, Sonos and Control4 are just a few examples of brands that
                                                                                      continue to have
continue to have huge impact for CE Pro 100 companies and their custom-               huge impact
ers. SnapAV and its array of brands can be found throughout the list, whether
                                                                                      for CE Pro 100
it’s A/V, infrastructure, enhancements and more. Sonos continues to do well
both in and outside of its core Wireless Speakers, ranking highly in Amplifiers,      companies and
Floorstanding/Bookshelf Speakers and Subwoofers. Sony’s growth has reached            their customers.
a level of near total saturation in video through its domination of the TV, projec-
tor and Ultra Blu-ray/Blu-ray disc categories. And Control4’s name maintained
its top-five place in several areas.
   Meanwhile, as in past years CE Pro is making special mention of several “Bul-
let Brands” that made particularly strong gains last year (see sidebar, right).
Keep in mind that the Brand Analysis data comes from integration firms that
entered the CE Pro 100, which ranks the industry’s highest-revenue companies
(providing a typically higher-income customer, but not accounting for thou-
sands of other firms in the custom channel); because companies qualify and
drop out year after year, this naturally can impact the Brand Analysis on top of
whose manufacturers may have picked up or lost dealers during the past year.
   Representing the industry’s diversity and providing insights into traction for
new opportunities, this year’s Brand Analysis features 61 categories. New to this
year’s analysis are Accounting Software, Automated Irrigation and Water Leak
protection, while categories such as Cybersecurity, Vehicles and Fiber-Optic
Cabling represent others that have only been tracked for two to three years.
   In addition, it’s worth noting the uptick in numbers for the Remote Monitor-
ing category, which bodes well for their long-term revenue possibilities. Remote
monitoring — solutions like SnapAV’s OvrC and its compatible products, as well
as Control4’s Ihiji have enjoyed widespread CE Pro 100 adoption — can help
deliver recurring revenue to integrators’ coffers, while augmenting their cus-
tomer service support capabilities.

3    CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis                                                          www.cepro.com
CE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH

BRAND LEADER: Audio                        BRAND LEADER:
Wireless Speakers: Sonos                   Home Enhancements                          MOVING UP
In-Wall/In-Ceiling Loudspeakers: Sonance
Audio Amplifiers: Sonos
                                           Lighting Fixtures: Ketra
                                           Water Leak Detection: Waterbug, Watercop   THE RANKS
Floorstanding/Bookshelf Loudspeakers:      Racks: Middle Atlantic
  Sonos                                    Rack Cooling Systems: Middle Atlantic      Every year certain companies com-
A/V Receivers: Sony                        Remote Monitored Services: SnapAV/
Home Theater Preamplifiers/                                                           mand some attention for garnering a
                                             Araknis/OvrC
  Processors: Anthem, Integra, Marantz     Power Conditioners: SnapAV/Wattbox         significant bump in mentions from CE
Outdoor Audio: Sonance                     Furniture: Salamander Designs
Soundbars: Sonos                                                                      Pro 100 dealers — whether it’s due to
                                           Seating: CinemaTech
Media Servers: Sonos                       Mounts: SnapAV/Strong                      turnover among the companies on the
Turntables: McIntosh                       Lifts: Future Automation
Subwoofers: Sonos                          Central Vacuum: H-P Products/Dirt Devil/
                                                                                      list, or because they entered a new cat-
Speaker Cables/Interconnects:                Vacuflo                                  egory, became more channel friendly,
  SnapAV/Binary/Wirepath
Headphones: Sennheiser                     BRAND LEADER: Security                     increased marketing spend, etc. Here’s
Multiroom A/V Systems: Control4, Sonos     Security & Fire Systems: Honeywell Home/   a glimpse at some of the companies:
Acoustical Treatments: SnapAV                Resideo
                                           IP Security Cameras: SnapAV/Wirepath/
                                                                                         James Loudspeaker went from be-
BRAND LEADER: Video                          Luma/Visualint                           ing outside the top five in a few speaker
Flat-Panel Televisions: Sony               Video Doorbells: Ring
Projectors: Sony                           Access Control: Control4                   categories to become a serious player
Projection Screens: Screen Innovations     Smart Door Locks/Dead Bolt: Yale           among the CE Pro 100’s architectural/
HDMI Cables: SnapAV/Binary/Wirepath
Blu-ray/Ultra Blu-ray Disc Players: Sony
Outdoor Video: SunBriteTV
                                           BRAND LEADER:                              freestanding, soundbar, outdoor audio

Satellite Television: DirecTV              Dealer Support                             and subwoofer options.
Whole-House Video Distribution: Control4   General Distribution: SnapAV                  Venerable audio brands McIntosh
                                           Design Proposal Software: D-Tools
                                                                                      and Klipsch had particularly solid
BRAND LEADER:                              Business Management Software:
                                             QuickBooks
Networking/ Connectivity                   Buying Groups: ProSource
                                                                                      showings in turntables and floorstand-
Networking: SnapAV/Araknis/OvrC            Accounting Software: QuickBooks            ing/bookshelf speakers.
Fiber-Optic Cable: Cleerline Technology    Tools & Testers: Fluke
Network Cable: SnapAV/Binary                                                             SnapAV’s brands are spread across
                                           Vehicles: Ford
Structured Cabling: SnapAV/Wirepath                                                   the 61 categories, but its Dragonfly
Cell-Phone Boosters: Wilson Electronics
Phone Systems/Intercoms: Panasonic                                                    projection screen offering and its OvrC-
Cybersecurity: SonicWall                                                              powered remote monitoring solutions

BRAND LEADER:                                                                         had big support.
Control & Automation                                                                     Alarm.com continues to be a force
Automated Irrigation: Rachio                                                          in security and automation sectors.
Whole-House Control & Automation:
  Control4                                                                               With strong gains in lifts and
Lighting Control: Lutron
                                                                                      mounts, Future Automation proves
Universal Remote/Tablets: Control4
Motorized Window Treatments: Lutron                                                   clients will pay for premium quality.
HVAC Energy Smart Grid Management:
  Control4
IR Distribution Systems: SnapAV/Binary
Voice Control: Amazon

4     CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis                                                                      www.cepro.com
CE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH

    AUDIO
    Wireless Speakers                                                                A/V Receivers
       Sonos         Control4             Bose              Denon        Apple           Sony          Integra        Marantz         Anthem          Denon

                                                                                                                                     BULLET
                                                                                                                                     BRAND

      88%            20%              16%                  13%           12%            78%            40%             34%            31%             25%
    Remaining relatively stagnant from the previous year’s numbers, the              For five years running Sony has dominated the category. In the 2018
    wireless speaker category features the same companies in the same                Brand Analysis CE Pro awarded the brand a Bullet Brand designation
    order. Sonos’ count grew slightly, and it appears after showing up in            for its year-to-year growth from 2017, and it continues upward. Doing
    the list for a few years that Denon has firmly established the HEOS              the same is Anthem, which leapfrogs Denon by adding more than 20
    name as a player in the category.                                                percent to its previous year’s totals, Anthem leapfrogs Denon.

    In-Wall/In-Ceiling Loudspeakers Home Theater Preamps/Processors
      Sonance        Origin           Klipsch             James         Bowers &       Anthem          Integra        Marantz        McIntosh        Control4
                    Acoustics                          Loudspeaker       Wilkins

                                                           BULLET
                                                           BRAND

      61%            36%              31%                  30%           28%            30%            30%             30%            27%             23%
    Sonance continues to maintain a comfortable advantage in the In-                 The home theater preamplifier/processor category has always been
    Wall/In-Ceiling category. Origin has made gains among the CE Pro 100             competitive, but 2019’s numbers redefine that. Landing in a three-way
    with its architectural products, while Klipsch and Bowers & Wilkins              tie for first place, Anthem, Integra and Marantz each have 30 dealers
    maintain their respective rankings. James Loudspeaker is new to the              respectively using their products. Following closely behind is McIn-
    top five.                                                                        tosh, and surprisingly Control4. Control4 has never shown up in this
                                                                                     category before, and this year’s appearance could be the result of its

    Audio Amplifiers
                                                                                     popularity in the whole-house audio market.

      Sonos      Control4       Sonance          SnapAV/
                                                 Episode
                                                               Crown       Sony      Outdoor Audio
                                                                                       Sonance        SnapAV/          James          Origin          Klipsch
                                                                                                      Episode       Loudspeaker      Acoustics

      65%         59%           51%              41%           37%        37%
    Sonos has overtaken Control4, which could signify that its $599 Amp                 55%            40%             33%            31%             27%
    whole-house audio amplifier is gaining traction in the custom market.
    Other companies likely benefitting from serving whole-house audio are            Sonance and SnapAV’s Episode brand are the top two brands in the
    Sonance, SnapAV and Crown. Crown is likely capitalizing on outdoor               Outdoor Audio category. James Loudspeaker added nine dealers from
    audio popularity. Just two years ago only 34 dealers mentioned Sonos.            its 2018 Brand Analysis’ total to move past Origin. Klipsch also picked up
                                                                                     a few dealers to maintain its status as a top-five brand.

    Floorstanding/Bookshelf                                                          Soundbars
    Loudspeakers                                                                        Sonos           Leon           James          SnapAV/        Sonance
       Sonos         Klipsch         Bowers &              Sonance        James                                     Loudspeaker       Episode
                                      Wilkins                          Loudspeaker

                    BULLET                                                                                           BULLET
                    BRAND                                                                                            BRAND

                                                                                        70%            48%             31%            27%             23%
      44%            35%              30%                  29%           28%
                                                                                     Overall the category’s numbers have increased. Interestingly, the
    For the second year in a row Sonos leads the Floorstanding/Bookshelf             growth seems to be spread around through brand diversification.
    category. Perennial top five brands Klipsch (adding seven dealers),              Sonos and Leon have each taken respective steps back in terms of the
    Bowers & Wilkins and Sonance round out the four most used brands in              numbers, while other companies have increased their numbers from
    the category. For the first time James Loudspeaker enters the top five.          previous years.

5     CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis                                                                                                         www.cepro.com
CE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH

    AUDIO | VIDEO
    Media Servers                                                               Headphones
       Sonos          Kaleid-         Apple        Autonomic         Roku        Sennheiser        Sony          Bowers &               Bose             Klipsch
                      escape                                                                                      Wilkins

       53%            49%             45%            42%             34%           35%            31%             23%                  17%               13%
    Every manufacturer in the top five made gains except for Kaleides-          For the most part the Headphones category remains unchanged.
    cape. The result is that Kaleidescape falls into second place behind        Sennheiser maintains its status as the most mentioned manufacturer
    Sonos, whose ranking at the top could be due to the increased sales of      followed closely by Sony and B&W. Bose also kept the same dealer
    Sonos amplifier products as well as custom market companies such as         levels and market position, and Klipsch jumped into the top five.
    CasaTunes smartly integrating Sonos into its platform.

    Turntables                                                                  Multiroom A/V Systems
      McIntosh        Pro-Ject       Marantz          Sony          Thorens      Control4     Sonos        Crestron        SnapAV/         Savant         Atlona
                                                                                                                            Binary

     BULLET
     BRAND

       25%            21%             14%            14%             14%          63%         63%          37%             35%             33%            24%
    Turntables is a sneaky popular category with overall numbers increas-       Control4 and Sonos are deadlocked at the top for the second year in
    ing the past several years as vinyl continues to show staying power.        a row. Crestron, SnapAV’s Binary brand and Savant also remain as
    Many dealers appear to be providing higher-end solutions, helping the       the next-most used vendors. Since there are two tied for the top spot,
    vaunted McIntosh brand move to the top. Thorens, however, lost a third      we’re including Atlona here as the strong sixth choice, which could be
    of its numbers from the previous year but still remained in the top five.   in part a result of the company’s recent distribution agreement with
                                                                                SnapAV.

    Subwoofers
                                                                                Acoustical Treatments
       Sonos           James         Sunfire         Klipsch        SnapAV/
                    Loudspeaker                                     Episode       SnapAV      Dynamat      Cinema-         Acoustic        Kinetics       Acoustic
                                                                                                             Tech          Innova-          Noise          Smart
                     BULLET                                                                                                 tions          Control
                     BRAND

       54%            31%             31%            28%             25%
                                                                                  27%          23%          22%             18%            18%            13%
    After a couple of years Sonos has firmly entrenched itself as the top
    subwoofer vender. Like some of the other speaker categories James           Continuing a growth period that extends over several years, the
    has pushed its way into the top five. Adding more than 50 percent to        Acoustical Treatments category shows another year of gains. It’s hard
    its total from the previous year James now resides as the second most       to determine the exact reasons for the category’s uptick other than per-
    used subwoofer manufacturer. The rest of the top five features the same     haps more dealers are doing commercial work including boardrooms,
    manufacturers from previous years.                                          restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

    Speaker Cables/Interconnects                                                Flat-Panel Televisions
      SnapAV/       AudioQuest       Liberty        ICE Cable        Planet        Sony          Samsung              LG               SnapAV/            Seura
      Binary/                                                        Waves                                                            SunBriteTV
      Wirepath

       74%            32%             32%            16%             14%           95%            88%             63%                  59%               41%
    Proving it is still capable of growing its brands even after the num-       Sony and Samsung have owned the top two spots here for quite some
    bers suggest it has plateaued in many categories, SnapAV through            time, and Sony added three dealers from its previous year’s totals for a
    its Binary and Wirepath brands seizes the top spot in the category.         more comfortable advantage this year. Shooting up into the flat-panel
    AudioQuest, Liberty and Planet Waves remain popular among CE Pro            category, outdoor TV brands SunBriteTV and Seura entersthe top five
    100 companies. ICE Cable makes the top five for the first time.             with 59 dealers and 41 dealers respectively.

6     CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis                                                                                                              www.cepro.com
CE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH

    VIDEO | NETWORKING/CONNECTIVITY
    Projectors                                                                      Outdoor Video
        Sony           Epson            Digital             JVC           Barco     SnapAV/      Seura      Sam-     Sony        Go-     Peerless-     LG     Planar
                                      Projection                                      Sun-                  sung                Vision      AV
                                                                                    BriteTV

                                                                                     80%         50%        10%      10%            4%    4%           3%     3%
       89%            52%                  22%             17%           14%
    Sony sits atop the Projector category, adding to its 2018 Top 100 fig-          SunBriteTV and Seura have paced the Outdoor Video category for sev-
    ures. Epson also enjoys support from a majority of CE Pro 100 dealers,          eral years. Adding to its previous year’s tally SunBriteTV now has four
    while perennial top brands Digital Projection, JVC and Barco rounding           of every five CE Pro 100 dealers using its product line. Demonstrating
    out the top five. After that the numbers vary greatly, perhaps suggest-         that dealers are utilizing indoor TVs for outside installations, Sony and
    ing dealers are addressing commercial installations with much variety.          Samsung rank as the third most widely used brands, with GoVision,
                                                                                    Peerless-AV, LG and Planar rounding out the leaders.
    Projection Screens
       Screen         Stewart         SnapAV/              Da-Lite        Draper
                                                                                    Satellite Television
     Innovations    Filmscreen        Dragonfly
                                                                                                    DirecTV                                     Dish

                                      BULLET
                                      BRAND

       67%            53%                  48%             28%           15%
                                                                                                    37%                                        28%
    Building on the momentum it had started a couple of years ago, Screen
    Innovations pads its category-leading numbers. The jockeying for sec-           Continuing a trend that started a few years ago, Dish had another
    ond position has gotten closer, as SnapAV’s Dragonfly brand picked up           strong year-over-year showing within the CE Pro 100. The satellite ser-
    11 more dealers’ mention from its 2018 figures to tighten the gap behind        vice provider, which recently joined buying group ProSource’s ranks,
    Stewart Filmscreen.                                                             gained a few dealers and in conjunction with DirecTV’s slow erosion of
                                                                                    dealers is closing the gap between the two companies.

    HDMI Cables
                                                                                    Whole-House Video Distribution
     SnapAV/       Audio-        Liberty           Metra       Tribu-      Vanco
     Binary/       Quest                                       taries/                Control4            Atlona       SnapAV/            Crestron          Savant
     Wirepath                                                  Clarus                                                   Binary

                                                                           8%
      72%          38%           14%              14%          12%
                                                                                       52%                49%           46%                39%              32%
    At a time in which fiber and A/V over IP are providing more choices to
    help integrators distribute A/V signals, SnapAV and its brands increase         For the most part the Whole-House Video Distribution category’s
    their market share. New to the top five brands is Vanco, which in some          numbers are very similar to the previous year’s figures. Generally, the
    respects resembles SnapAV with the varied product selection it offers           convenience of purchasing through vendors that offer multiple solu-
    the integration channel to meet the vast needs of residential and com-          tions drives this category’s numbers with three control and automation
    mercial customers.                                                              manufacturers and two brands from SnapAV — Binary and Atlona —
                                                                                    dominating the field.
    Disc Players (Blu-ray/Ultra Blu-ray)
        Sony         Samsung           Kaleide-             Oppo         McIntosh
                                                                                    Networking
                                        scape                                         SnapAV/            Control4/          Luxul          Access           Ruckus
                                                                                      Araknis/           Pakedge                          Networks
                                                                                        OvrC
                                                                                                                                          BULLET
                                                                                                                                          BRAND
       83%            34%                  21%             17%           11%
                                                                                       61%                42%           39%                36%              32%
    Reflecting their respective category exits, Samsung’s and Oppo’s num-
    bers are down from past years, helping Sony increase its stranglehold           SnapAV and its brands Araknis and OvrC have overtaken Control4’s
    on this category. It is worth noting these numbers do not differentiate         Pakedge brand. Signifying the size of jobs some CE Pro 100 dealers
    between Blu-ray and Ultra Blu-ray players, the latter of which accord-          do, it’s worth noting Access Networks is back in the top five with more
    ing to various research groups is enjoying growth.                              than one-third of dealers implementing its enterprise-grade systems.

7      CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis                                                                                                              www.cepro.com
CE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH

    NETWORKING/CONNECTIVITY | CONTROL & AUTOMATION
    Fiber-Optic Cable                                                                   Phone Systems/Intercoms
     Cleerline     Celerity       Tributaries        Corning         Metra   SnapAV/     Panasonic       Control4         Holovision            Savant       Legrand
    Technology                                                                Binary

                                     9%               7%             7%        4%                                                               10%           8%
      37%          19%                                                                     35%            30%              14%
    Fiber-Optic is now a three-year-old category for CE Pro, and Cleerline              After years of shifting system preferences from phones to intercoms,
    is the unquestioned leader. Celerity is firmly entrenched as the second             the category may be stabilizing. One thing that’s apparent is inter-
    most used brand in the category followed by Tributaries, Corning and                coms including entrance door/gate stations, have become favored by
    Metra. An interesting footnote to this category is the mix of HDMI and              integrators and homeowners. The move from landlines to cell phones
    network product manufacturers that are now using fiber because of its               could be facilitating these numbers. Over the next few years it will be
    wide bandwidth capabilities.                                                        worth observing if Panasonic’s numbers continue to drop.

                                                                                        Cybersecurity
    Network Cable
                                                                                           SonicWall           SnapAV/                  Cisco              Ubiquiti
      SnapAV/          Liberty            ICE Cable            AudioQuest      ADI                             Araknis
       Binary

                                                                                             4%                  2%                     2%                  2%
       60%             33%                 22%                   18%         17%
                                                                                        Cybersecurity is still a developing category for the Brand Analysis, as
    After a few flat years the Network Cable category is surging again.                 evident by year-to-year shifting of the relatively small numbers. In
    SnapAV’s Binary brand, as well as Liberty and AudioQuest have all                   the 2018 Brand Analysis SonicWall had mentions from approximately
    increased the number of dealers to their respective totals. New to the              10 percent of the Top 100. This year’s numbers reveal no dominant
    top five are ICE Cable and the distributor ADI.                                     company and dealers using a variety of providers.

    Structured Cabling                                                                  Automated Irrigation
                                                                                             Rachio                 IRO                Skydrop            Watercop
      SnapAV/          Legrand             Leviton              Middle       Channel-
      Wirepath                                                  Atlantic      Vision

                                                                 10%          9%             8%
       63%             28%                                                                                       1%                     1%                  1%
                                           15%
                                                                                        Automated Irrigation is a new CE Pro Top 100 category. Not many deal-
    Given demand for network connectivity it’s no surprise the Structured               ers are offering these products and services, but already the clear choice
    Cabling category is expanding, paced by SnapAV’s Wirepath brand. Le-                among those that do such systems is Rachio.
    grand, Leviton and Middle Atlantic are also showing gains to contribute
    to the category’s growth.
                                                                                        Whole-House
    Cell-Phone Boosters                                                                 Control & Automation
                                                                                          Control4       Crestron           Savant              Lutron     Alarm.com
       Wilson          SureCall           Verizon                AT&T        Z-Boost
     Electronics
                                                                                                                                                            BULLET
                                                                                                                                                            BRAND

                                           11%                                             68%            45%              42%                  23%          22%
       48%             27%                                       7%           4%
                                                                                        Control4 is now firmly the most used Control & Automation brand
    At one time Wilson Electronics dominated the Cell-Phone Booster                     at the top of the leaders, while Alarm.com continues to garner more
    category. The past few years the company’s margin over SureCall had                 numbers in rounding out the top five. Both Crestron and Savant shed
    begun to slip, but in this year’s list Wilson has stabilized its standings          a few dealers, but resulting in a tightening between second and third
    to comfortably remain the go-to manufacturer.                                       most used manufacturers in the category.

8     CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis                                                                                                                 www.cepro.com
CE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH

    CONTROL & AUTOMATION | HOME ENHANCEMENTS
    Lighting Control                                                             IR Distribution Systems
       Lutron         Control4       Crestron         Savant        Alarm.com      SnapAV/        Control4           Xantech             Crestron         Savant
                                                                                    Binary

                                                                    BULLET
                                                                    BRAND

       77%            61%             31%             17%            15%           41%             35%               25%                 18%              15%
    Lutron remains the powerhouse leader in the category followed by             The IR Distribution System category may be contracting slightly, as a
    Control4. Other popular lighting companies Crestron and Savant are           look at the brands shows numbers are now likely shaped by dealers
    well represented, and Alarm.com’s overall increased presence in the          streamlining their buying processes. Falling from the top five possibly
    control categories helped it to bump out Vantage in this one.                as a result of this trend is URC, with Savant taking its place.

    Universal Remote/Tablets
      Control4       Apple iPad        URC            Savant         Crestron
                                                                                 Voice Control
                                                                                   Amazon          Google             Apple              Savant           Josh.ai

                                                                                                                                                         BULLET
                                                                                                                                                         BRAND
       61%            60%             48%             35%            34%
    The Universal Remote/Tablet category might be starting to see the
                                                                                    88%            29%               25%                 17%              16%
    impact of voice control in the market, though as complete system pro-        Voice control is becoming more commonplace as an interface option,
    viders Control4, URC, Savant and Crestron are likely more immune than        with Amazon’s Alexa clearly the preferred platform. Google’s Assistant
    Apple’s iOS devices when it comes to usage as a system’s sole home           and Apple’s Siri are also popular mainstream options. Joining Savant
    control interface.                                                           as a channel-specific solution is Josh, which rocketed into the top five
                                                                                 surpassing voice options from big companies such as Comcast.
    Motorized Window Treatments
       Lutron         Qmotion        Crestron         Somfy          Hunter
                                                                     Douglas     Lighting Fixtures
                                                                                   Ketra         DMF         American          Lucifer        Lutron         WAC
                                                                                               Lighting      Lighting                                      Lighting

       76%            39%             26%             24%            12%
    The Motorized Window Treatment category mirrors the Lighting Control
    category in that after several years of growth it may be settling into set      7%          4%             3%              3%             3%            3%
    market levels. Lutron did increase its share of CE Pro 100 dealers, and
    Hunter Douglas is seeing numbers rise as well. Qmotion, Crestron and         Lighting Fixtures is one of the new categories this year for the Brand
    Somfy remain consistent from previous years’ totals.                         Analysis. Newly acquired by Lutron, Ketra leads this category followed
                                                                                 by DMF Lighting, American Lighting, Lucifer, Lutron and WAC Lighting.

    HVAC Energy
    Smart Grid Management                                                        Water Leak Detection
      Control4         Nest           Lutron          Savant         Crestron       Waterbug              Watercop               Control4                Dam-It

       53%            47%             33%             32%            31%              3%                    3%                     2%                    2%
    HVAC Energy Smart Grid Management is one of the most competitive             Here’s another new category added this year. No real leader has
    categories, though its sheer numbers have slowed after a brief period        emerged, and from both the bigger picture retail perspective and
    of major gains. The one company that continues to surge through this         channel-oriented perspective, Water Leak Detection is an up-and-
    period of stagnation is Nest, which in a few years is single digits from     coming category that has seen new entrants to the smart home
    becoming the top brand in the category.                                      market and shows like CEDIA Expo.

9      CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis                                                                                                              www.cepro.com
CE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH

     HOME ENHANCEMENTS
     Racks                                                                           Furniture
       Middle         SnapAV/           Sanus             OmniMount     Salamander     Salam-     Cinema-           BDi           Sanus      Fortress       Acoustic      Cineak
       Atlantic        Strong                                                           ander       Tech                                                     Inno-
                                                                                                                                                            vations

                      BULLET
                      BRAND

        79%            67%                                                9%                      24%           22%               22%         18%            8%            8%
                                        20%                16%                         56%
     SnapAV’s Strong brand may be picking up dealers at the expense of               After taking over the Furniture category in 2018 Salamander proves in
     Middle Atlantic and Sanus. After shooting up into the top five in 2018,         2019 that it is not a one-year wonder. The rest of the category includes
     Salamander affirms its position by ranking in the top five once again.          other familiar names to look relatively similar to the past few years.

     Rack Cooling Systems                                                            Seating
      Middle        Active        SnapAV/         Cool          Omni-      Sanus      Cinema-        Sala-            Fortress            Acoustic        Cineak         United
      Atlantic     Thermal         Strong        Compo-         Mount                   Tech        mander                                 Inno-                         Leather
                   Manage-                        nents                                                                                   vations
                    ment

                                                                8%         8%                                                                                             10%
       52%          39%           43%            31%                                   27%           25%                  24%             14%             14%
     There has been some movement within the Rack Cooling System                     Seating is the most unstable category in the entire Brand Analysis.
     category with SnapAV’s Strong brand and Cool Components making                  After contracting from a larger pool of brands, the category settled to
     gains. For the most part perennial leaders Middle Atlantic and Active           its current levels, but preferences year-to-year still fluctuate more than
     Thermal Management (ATM) maintained their respective dealer totals.             any other among CE Pro 100 companies.
     OmniMount is new to the top five.

     Remote Monitored Services                                                       Mounts
       SnapAV/        Control4/                                                        SnapAV/              Chief                 Sanus                Future          Peerless-AV
                                      Alarm.com            BlueBolt       Access                                                                     Automation
       Araknis/       Pakedge/                                           Networks       Strong
         OvrC           Ihiji

      BULLET          BULLET
      BRAND           BRAND
        91%            63%              23%                                             71%             68%                       51%                  39%               22%
                                                           19%            17%
     Making huge headway to respectively separate themselves from what               The Mounts category enjoyed a bit of a bump. Mounts has turned into
     is becoming a really competitive field are SnapAV’s Araknis and OvrC            an arm’s race between SnapAV’s Strong brand and Chief. Chief had
     brands, and Control4 through its acquisitions of Pakedge and Ihiji. Ac-         emerged over several solid competitors as the category leader for the
     cess Networks overtakes Crestron to enter the top five.                         past couple of years, but this year SnapAV’s Strong brand grabs the top
                                                                                     position, and Sanus is not too far behind.

     Power Conditioners
       SnapAV/
                                                                                     Lifts
                      Panamax/          SurgeX             Furman          APC
       Wattbox         BlueBolt                                                        Future       Nexus21               Chief            Auton            Inca         Media-
                                                                                     Automation                                                                          Director
                                       BULLET
                                       BRAND

        73%            34%              30%                24%            23%                                                                                             9%
                                                                                                                                                           9%
                                                                                       58%           37%                  20%             16%
     Through the power of its OvrC remote monitoring platform SnapAV
     continues to grow its Wattbox brand of power products. Another                  After experiencing a few years of growth, the Lifts category has leveled
     company moving up in the category is SurgeX, which grew by approxi-             off. Nexus21 appeared to be in good position to pace the category, but
     mately 50 percent from its 2018 totals. Furman and APC kept similar             after being named a “Bullet Brand” in 2018 it had 13 fewer dealer men-
     dealer totals from past years.                                                  tions and fell behind Future Automation.

10     CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis                                                                                                                          www.cepro.com
CE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH

     HOME ENHANCEMENTS | SECURITY | DEALER SUPPORT
     Central Vacuum                                                                    Access Control
          H-P            Beam            Hide-A-Hose        NuTone         Honeywell     Control4        Crestron             Yale            Savant           Kwikset
      Products/
      Dirt Devil/
       Vacuflo
                                                            BULLET
                                                            BRAND

                        12%                 8%               7%
        18%                                                                  5%           54%             33%             32%                  30%              24%
     For the past several years the central vac category has shown modest,             The Access Control category continues to trend positively. Control4
     but steady gains. With an overall jump of about 15 percent in total               remains as the top brand, showing a small amount of growth. The rest
     dealer numbers over the previous year, more CE Pro 100 companies                  of the category has become increasingly competitive. Holovision just
     are profiting in this high-margin category from vendors such as H-P               missed the top grouping, along with several other manufacturers.
     Products and Beam.

     Security & Fire Systems                                                           Smart Door Locks/Dead Bolt
      Honeywell        Interlogix           DSC              2GIG           Qolsys
       Home/                                                                              Yale       Kwikset        Schlage          August       Baldwin       Crestron
       Resideo

                                                                            10%
        34%             25%                20%               18%                                                                     8%
                                                                                         67%          61%           36%                             2%           2%
     After years of relative stability there is some movement within the
     Security & Fire System category. Honeywell Home/Resideo more than                 Yale has seized control of the category, which like many other security
     doubles its leadership position ahead of Interlogix. The remaining                categories, is experiencing prosperity. While Yale, Kwikset and Schlage
     brands all saw fewer CE Pro 100 representation, and Qolsys moved past             added dealers, August’s CE Pro 100 numbers take a small step back.
     Leviton to make its top five debut.

     IP Security Cameras                                                               General Distribution
                                                                                         SnapAV        Wave/AVAD              ADI             TechData         Ingram-
      SnapAV/          IC           Alarm.com        Axis      Hikvision      Lilin                                                                             Micro
      Wirepath/     Realtime
       Luma/
      Visualint

                                                                                          90%             69%             63%                  44%              39%
       64%           34%             24%             24%        22%          13%
     SnapAV and its various brands address a number of price and feature               Through its growing list of manufacturer partners that includes Nest, Lu-
     set points within the IP Security Cameras category. IC Realtime remains           tron, URC, BenQ and Pioneer, plus its own brands, SnapAV is turning into
     a popular manufacturer within the category. As it showed in several               a one-stop shopping solution for integrators. Following behind SnapAV
     security and automation categories, Alarm.com gained traction among               are the traditional distributors ADI and WAVE/AVAD.
     CE Pro 100 companies.

     Video Doorbells                                                                   Design Proposal Software
                                                                                         D-Tools        Microsoft         AutoCAD              iPoint         QuickBooks
         Ring          Doorbird            Skybell          Control4        Savant                        Visio

        62%             55%                20%                               4%           36%            34%              33%                  17%              16%
                                                             9%
     Video Doorbells is a rapidly maturing category. Last year’s analysis saw          D-Tools once again is the most used Design Proposal Software pro-
     Doorbird soar into the top five on the heels of category leader Ring.             vider. Over the past few years the competition between manufactur-
     This year both Ring and Doorbird collected a few more CE Pro 100                  ers in this category has increased and this year’s list reflects just how
     mentions to pad their commanding market share.                                    competitive the category has become.

11     CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis                                                                                                                   www.cepro.com
CE PRO 2019 BRAND ANALYSIS SPECIAL REPORT:
RESEARCH

     DEALER SUPPORT
     Business Management Software                                                        Tools & Testers
      QuickBooks         D-Tools          Microsoft            Google           iPoint      Fluke         Platinum           Klein                Labor        DeWalt
                                           Excel                Drive                                       Tools            Tools               Saving
                                                                                                                                                 Devices
                        » BULLET                                              BULLET
                        BRAND «                                               BRAND

        59%              32%               28%                 22%              19%         37%            36%               36%                 28%            25%
     The use of business management software is increasing. Products                     Tools & Testers is an unpredictable and highly competitive category.
     such as QuickBooks, D-Tools and Microsoft Excel remain popular                      Platinum Tools and Klein Tools have experienced plateauing, while
     options for integrators. More dealers are employing Google’s array                  Fluke edges past both in this year’s tally.
     of online business products to support their back-office operations.
     Shooting into the top five is iPoint, which made gains in the Design
     Proposal Software category too.                                                     Vehicles
     Buying Groups                                                                          Ford        Nissan       Dodge           Chevrolet        GMC      Mercedes

        ProSource                  HTSA               Azione                   AIN

                                                                                           21%          13%           7%               4%             2%         2%

                               12%                                                       Just in its second year of being tracked, the order of manufacturers
         32%                                          9%                                 is similar to last year’s Vehicles list, but Ford’s margin has shrunk. CE
                                                                              3%
                                                                                         Pro 100 dealers rely on a mix of typical contracting vans, and other
     This is the second year CE Pro has tracked buying group participation,              vehicles that include trucks and hybrid cars. One dealer indicated the
     and for the second year in a row ProSource is the category leader                   use of ride-sharing services.
     with approximately one-third of the CE Pro 100. HTSA, Azione and AIN
     follow in the same order as the previous year with roughly the same
     number of dealer members as last year.

     Accounting Software
           QuickBooks                       Sage                        ConnectWise

             41%                             4%                            2%
     Accounting Software is a new category for 2019. QuickBooks is the
     overwhelming choice, while dealers noted various versions of Sage’s
     software too.

12     CE Pro: CE Pro 2019 Brand Analysis                                                                                                                   www.cepro.com
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