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Save Money on Home Electronics and Automation
from:Buy Refurbished
You can often find great deals on refurbished home electronic and automation products if you look for them. While refurbished means different things to different people, often, these are products that other consumers have brought back because they didn’t work or the consumer said they didn’t work. They are then checked out and repaired, if necessary, and put up for sale again under a refurbished branding. Not all refurbished products had major problems to begin with, although you may not be able to know what kind of problem a certain refurbished item had.
Many refurbished items still have warranties so you may be able to still get a warranty if you buy a refurbished item. If the sale is final and there is no warranty, try to stick to buying only those refurbished items for which you have some knowledge so that you may be able to repair it yourself if it stops working or doesn’t work properly in the first place. Be sure and read all the terms and conditions regarding any refurbished items you buy.
Buy Floor Models
In almost every store that sells home electronic and automation equipment, there are floor models or displays for demonstration purposes. As these models are discontinued or slightly damaged, they are sold and often at a large discount. This is an advantage the Internet doesn’t offer so even if you are shopping online to compare prices, be sure and check out your local stores to see what kind of deals you can get. The do-it-yourselfer might be able to repair slight damage but do inspect the item closely for major damage or any damage you think you might not be able to repair. Also, even though you purchase a display item, you should still get the same warranty as if you had purchased the item in a box. Be sure and ask for any owner’s manuals or software that go with the product also.
Check Out Local Pawn Shops
Pawn shops have a bad name in many circles as some people think they are only a place to fence stolen goods but the fact is you can get a lot of great deals at pawn shops, including hefty discounts on TVs, DVD players, cameras, and even MP3 players. Upstanding pawn shops only take in quality goods because they have to be able to sell them if they are not reclaimed. Sadly, when the economy is in a downturn, many people are forced to pawn their goods just to make ends meet. Then if they are not able to pay the interest plus the amount of the initial loan, the pawn shop then sells the item. While this is sad for the people who lose their items, you can save more of your hard earned money by shopping at pawn shops.
Home Automation News
Report: 90 million homes to employ home automation systems by 2017 - TelecomEngine
 Zee News | Report: 90 million homes to employ home automation systems by 2017 TelecomEngine New subscription-based home automation offerings are rapidly transforming the way consumers will monitor, secure, and control their homes, according to a new report by ABI Research. Over the next five years the global managed home automation market ... 90m homes may be automated globally by 2017 Don't Trust the Research on Home Automation |
Vivint Named a 2012 "Cool Vendor in Consumer Energy Management" by Leading ... - MarketWatch (press release)
Vivint Named a 2012 "Cool Vendor in Consumer Energy Management" by Leading ... MarketWatch (press release) PROVO, Utah, May 23, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Vivint(TM), the largest home automation services company in North America, today announced it has been named as one of the "Cool Vendors in Consumer Energy Management, 2012" by Gartner Inc. The Cool Vendors ... |
ZigBee Certified Product Availability Surpasses 500 - MarketWatch (press release)
ZigBee Certified Product Availability Surpasses 500 MarketWatch (press release) Sparked by early market success with ZigBee Home Automation and ZigBee Smart Energy, ZigBee standards play a role in products developed by more than 350 global manufacturers representing annual revenues exceeding $1 trillion, according to a 2010 report ... |
Savant Launches Home Automation Keypads Inspired by LiteTouch - CEPro (blog)
Savant Launches Home Automation Keypads Inspired by LiteTouch CEPro (blog) By Julie Jacobson, May 22, 2012 Just three months after acquiring LiteTouch from Nortek (NTK), Savant is already incorporating the company's technology into its line of home automation products. Savant has announced a line of home-control keypads based ... |
ATandT barges into home security and automation - Boston Herald
 Financial Times | ATandT barges into home security and automation Boston Herald By AP NEW YORK — AT&T Inc. will start selling home automation and security services nationwide, taking on incumbents led by Tyco International Ltd.'s ADT. The installations and services will be sold in AT&T stores, starting with a trial this summer in ... AT&T Tackles Home Automation Via 'Digital Life' AT&T trials of wireless home automation service start this summer |