While the “True Blue Way” is a phrase Crestron has coined recently, the thoughts and actions that go into it have been part of the company for decades. Illustrations of the philosophy at work can be found in the relationships we create and maintain with partners, whether they’re creating hardware or software solutions that integrate with Crestron technology.

The notion of working with other firms to find the perfect answer is a true expression of those guiding principles: If Crestron doesn’t make it, we’ll find someone who does, as long as they’ll work with us to satisfy a customer’s needs in the most effective and reliable way we can. Together, we’re creating best-in-class solutions for every integration project, large or small.

Some examples:

Household Names

Crestron has been working with familiar firms such as Microsoft and Zoom for years. Microsoft turned to Crestron to help outfit the company’s Signature Microsoft Teams® Rooms boardroom, as we noted on the blog:

Critical spaces such as an executive boardroom demand best-in-class solutions, solutions that companies like Crestron and Microsoft can provide. It’s why the team at Microsoft turned to Crestron to help outfit their Signature Microsoft Teams Rooms, state-of-the-art executive boardrooms that factor in everything from furniture and seating to camera solutions and control.

Microsoft was aware of the products Crestron was (literally) bringing to the table — in fact, they’d already deployed the Automate VX multi-camera speaker tracking solution in some of the larger meeting rooms in their headquarters. What’s more, the product got the nod as a certified solution for the Microsoft Teams Rooms platform, meaning the technology met “a high standard, with higher performance targets and quality metrics across the entire Microsoft Teams software experience (audio, video, user interface).”

That kind of partnership extends to individual devices, as was illustrated by an update of our TST-1080 touch screen that brought wireless control to Zoom Rooms® video conferencing deployments:

Zoom Rooms controllers (ZRC) are devices paired with a Zoom Rooms system and provide users with an interface to start or join a meeting, adjust camera and audio settings, and access other controls. What was needed was a control solution for flexible rooms with multiple furniture layouts, classrooms, or other spaces with a roving presenter, and installations where running cable to a table or lectern might prove challenging. Enter the TST-1080, which provides a wireless Zoom Rooms controller for anyone who needs mobility beyond a stationary tabletop or wall-mounted touch panel.

Hospitality and Retail, Music and More

Another stellar relationship is the one between Crestron and Axxess Industries (an ASSA ABLOY company) for hotel properties. It’s a collaboration that integrates guest room technology for an unparalleled guest experience and streamlined management:

This strategic relationship brings together the power of Crestron's infiNET EX® wireless communications software code with Axxess's range of guest room-centric devices, including Doorbell, Do Not Disturb (DnD), and Make Up Room (MuR) functionalities. The result is an integration that elevates the guest experience while simplifying management for hotel staff.

The integration of Crestron and Axxess technologies creates a unified guest room experience that goes beyond simple control. It's about creating an intuitive environment where guests can effortlessly interact with their surroundings while hotel staff can manage and monitor the room with ease.

A partnership that could easily be leveraged for the hospitality industry — as well as retail applications — is our work with SoundMachine, now available for commercial deployments on the Crestron DM NAX® Audio-over-IP platform. From the Crestron blog:

Matteo Luppi, the firm’s CEO, says several things set SoundMachine apart from other services. First, it’s specifically designed as a B2B. Second, the available catalog on the platform is nothing short of enormous: “We have about 55 million tracks available,” he says. “We allow importing from any music service — Spotify, Apple Music, name it.”

When the content hits the Crestron audio solution, then it really shines. As Luppi notes, “To my knowledge, we’re the only B2B service that is fully integrated with your DM NAX Audio-over-IP products — there’s a quality ‘match’ there, and it shows.”

Delivering the Sound

When it comes to delivering that music, Crestron makes fantastic streaming amps for the DM NAX Audio-over-IP ecosystem. As those amps evolved, Crestron realized a need for an upgrade to its speaker offerings:

As Crestron began rolling out its latest amplifiers, the team decided to produce speakers that could really shine given the increase in power that line can deliver. As it has with other solutions in the past, Crestron looked to partner with a company with decades of experience in the field — and landed on Origin Acoustics. The two big drivers behind that decision: quality of build and ease of installation.

“Origin changed the game a few years ago with their unique ‘bayonet ring’ assembly, which greatly simplifies the speaker install process,” says Ekin Binal, director of product management for AV solutions at Crestron. Beyond that convenience, Binal and his colleagues wanted a speaker that could, in his words, “hang with the new amps.” “We loved the existing models from Origin, but it was always important for us to differentiate the Crestron models,” he adds. “We reconstructed them from scratch utilizing unique speaker driver components that could meet the demanding needs of our audio products and use cases.” That work yielded two new lines from the Crestron/Origin partnership, Reference and Ultimate speakers.

Those speakers are equally at home in both residential and marine projects:

Binal notes that the Ultimate speakers were built with the marine industry in mind. “What this means is that all products with the ‘-AW’ suffix in the model name are designed for all weather conditions,” he notes. “These speakers are meant to withstand harsh environments and salt. We went the extra mile to ensure our connectors, finishes, and screws are all designed to last — this is highlighted by the speakers’ IP66 rating protecting against ingress of dust and water.”

The Crestron Home OS — and Our Partners

On the residential side of what we do, our work with firms offering cutting-edge lighting solutions has seen a significant advance:

Crestron has partnered with the lighting firm DMF to integrate their PhaseX® lighting control technology into the Crestron Home® OS. That’s great for integrators and their clients: PhaseX technology transmits DMX signals over existing power cables, eliminating the need for extensive rewiring in both new construction and retrofit projects.

“The majority of lighting in a home still requires AC power to be run to the fixtures, so why not use the same wires for communication?” says Ruslan Polinovsky, senior director of marketing for DMF Lighting.

“PhaseX utilizes an extremely rugged communication protocol over the existing AC wiring,” he explains. “It’s two-way, extremely long range, and lightning fast. When it’s deployed, every fixture is getting updated simultaneously at DMX rates, so latency and popcorning are eliminated.”

Beyond lighting, there’s a broad array of solutions that integrate brilliantly with the Crestron Home® platform, including:

• Voice integrations, including Amazon® Alexa® virtual assistant, Siri® voice recognition software, and Xfinity® TV with the Crestron Home platform — and features that allow for the customization of Apple® Shortcuts and expanded Bluetooth® communications connectivity. (Find more info on all of those partnerships here.)
• The Adapt Energy® integrated home energy management system from PanTech Design®, offering a power management system that provides everything from monitoring to conservation to backup.
• Integration with security devices, including the next generation of smart lock solutions brought to you in collaboration with Yale: the Yale Pro® 2 smart lock.
• A relationship with CI Systems — a provider of high-quality shading solutions in the EMEA region — and their line of shades called Shadow EMEA, powered by Crestron’s Digital QMT® shade motor.
• Elegant faceplates from firms such as Luhkee (stylized as “[ luhk-ee ]”) and Black Nova.