Three months ago, Charlotte, N.C.-based integration company Audio Video Concepts and Designs wanted to refresh its image with a new name that would better represent the company’s suite of services that cover much more than AV installs. The company decided on the name CO-DA, and has since expanded its offerings to include lighting design, security, and more.
When CO-DA was recently looking to bolster the security of a challenging residential project, company COO Rob Burns remembered intercom and access control manufacturer 2N’s booth at CEDIA Expo and realized its products were the perfect solution to his video doorbell and security panel problems.
“We were doing a large home, and we came across 2N [at CEDIA Expo] and saw that it covered all the bases: it was clean, it was useful,” says Burns.
Not long after CEDIA Expo, Burns heard from a few of his sales reps that 2N offers an open platform, allowing CO-DA to seamlessly integrate 2N products into various control systems like Savant and Control4, often without having to worry about any compatibility issues. “[Open platforms] are a great feature to have and 2N does it cleanly,” adds Burns.
2N Flush, Surface Mounts Complement Room Design
With the recent surge of integrators working more closely with designers, Burns and his team have been looking for more products that can complement a customer’s home decor and avoid looking like a distracting panel on the wall.
Thankfully, 2N offers both flush and surface mounts for many of its IP intercom security panels, allowing the products to integrate into a home exactly as a designer or integrator wants, regardless of a home’s design and decor.
“We service many different types of clientele, but it’s [often] about the wife factor…the guys want the cool gear and we want it to integrate well with our phones, but the women care about the way that it looks,” says Burns, who further suggests that 2N’s products provide CO-DA and its customers a higher-end experience overall.
“It’s not a hard sell anymore. I think that everybody wants [these products], and they’ve tested the DIY versions. I think that most people that call us to integrate their systems, they are not looking to just do Amazon Alexa’s everywhere…so you need to offer them something a little more robust, and that’s what 2N does for us.”
2N was recently named a Bullet Brand in the CE Pro 100 Brand Analysis Study. The brand picked up five integrators in 2019 to reach 26% penetration among the CE Pro 100 in the video doorbell category.
