You bought a used Control4 controller.
It powers up. It just won't take an update, won't register, and every dealer you've called won't touch second-hand equipment. We register it and update it, remotely.
Or call a real person: (734) 231-1940
Why it won't update
Nothing is wrong with the box. Control4 controllers only accept an operating system update through a registered dealer account. An unregistered controller doesn't get offered updates at all — the update tool simply reports nothing available, which reads exactly like "already current" or "broken." It's neither. It's unregistered.
That single fact is why the same EA5 sells for $65 to $2,399 on the used market. Buyers can't tell a controller that will come back to life from one that never will, so they either lowball out of fear or overpay for a box that looks complete. The difference between those two outcomes is usually not the hardware — it's whether someone with dealer standing puts their hands on it.
That's the part we do. It's the whole company.
First, which of these are you?
These two need completely different work, and nobody tells buyers this before they spend the money.
Replacing a controller in a system that already exists
Your old controller died, or you are moving up from an HC-800 or EA-series box. Your house is already programmed — every keypad, scene, driver and binding lives in a project file, not in the metal.
We move your existing project onto the new controller and climb it to a current OS. Your house behaves the way it always did.
Starting with a controller and no project
You bought a controller for a house that has never had Control4, or the previous owner's project came with it and is useless to you — it describes somebody else's rooms, keypads and equipment.
The hardware is only step one. The system has to be designed and programmed for your house, which is real work and is priced separately.
What we actually do to it
- 1
We check what it is before you pay anything
Model, hardware revision and current OS. Some of what a listing claims is wrong, and some controllers are too old for the current OS ladder. We would rather tell you that up front than take your money.
- 2
We register it under our dealer account
This is the step that unlocks everything else. Until a controller is registered, it will not be offered an operating system update at all. If the box is still claimed by the previous dealer or owner in Control4's cloud, that claim has to be released first — that is common with used equipment and it is a normal part of the job.
- 3
We back it up before we change anything
A full copy of whatever project is on the controller is taken and stored first, every time, even when that project is going to be replaced. If something goes sideways, we can put it back exactly as it was. This is not optional and it is not an upsell.
- 4
We climb the OS in the right order
You cannot jump a Control4 controller straight from an old OS to the newest one — it has to be walked up through the intermediate versions or drivers and bindings break. If a jump is too large to be safe, the update tool refuses it rather than damaging anything, and we route around it. Nobody is bricking your controller.
- 5
Then it is a normal, current system
Registered, updated, backed up, and reachable. From there you can have the app, current drivers, and programming changes for the price of the change instead of the price of a truck roll.
What we need from you
Four things, and you can read three of them off the sticker on the bottom of the controller. If you don't have all of it, send what you have — we can usually find the rest ourselves once we're connected.
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The model — EA-1, EA-3, EA-5, CORE 1, CORE 3, CORE 5, HC-800, HC-250. It is printed on the label, and the "C4-" part number is even better.
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The MAC address — Twelve characters on the sticker. This is how a controller is identified in Control4's cloud, and it is what tells us whether the box is still claimed by someone else.
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The serial or service tag — Also on the sticker. Useful when the MAC is unreadable or the label has been replaced.
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Whether it boots — Plug it into power and your network and tell us what happens — lights, fan, anything on screen if it is connected to a display. "Powers on but nothing else" is still useful information.
What it costs
Published prices. You see an itemized quote before anything is charged, and software work is only charged if it actually succeeds.
Register + OS upgrade
Registration under our dealer account and the full OS climb, backed up first. Free if you buy hardware through us.
Programming changes
A scene, a keypad button, a schedule. Described in plain English, programmed remotely, verified before you are charged.
Monitoring
Daily checks for offline devices, dead batteries and lapsed updates. Optional, and cancel any time.
For comparison: the controller you just bought averaged $369 on the used market over the last 90 days. The work to make it usable costs less than the box did.
Who you're letting in
Fair question, since you're about to let a stranger reach into the system that runs your house.
Ixome is built and run by Vince Marble — a Lutron dealer since 1999 and one of the first three dealers Control4 ever signed, with installed projects going back to 2005. When we take your system on, we become your dealer of record — the same standing your controller's original dealer had.
When we'll tell you no
Read this before you buy a controller, not after.
A controller that will not boot
If it is dead, it is dead — no amount of dealer standing fixes hardware. Listings sold "for parts or not working" are exactly what they say, and we will tell you to send it back rather than bill you to find out.
A claim we cannot get released
Most previous-owner claims on used equipment come off without drama. Occasionally one does not, and when that happens we say so and you have not paid us.
An OS gap too large to walk
Very old controllers sometimes cannot reach a current OS through the supported upgrade path. That is a real limit, not a sales tactic, and it is better to know before you buy the box.
A project we cannot invent
If the controller has no project for your house, no update creates one. That is a design and programming job, and we will quote it honestly rather than pretend the upgrade covers it.
Questions used-controller buyers ask
Can a used Control4 controller be registered to a new owner?+
Yes. That is routine work for an authorized dealer. The controller gets registered under a dealer account, and if the previous dealer or owner still has it claimed in Control4's cloud, that claim is released first. You do not need the previous owner's cooperation for the normal case.
Do I need to find the dealer who originally installed it?+
No. That is the situation this whole company exists for. We become your dealer of record, which is the same registered standing the original dealer had.
Why does the update tool say there is nothing to install?+
Almost always because the controller is not registered. An unregistered controller is not offered updates, which looks identical to "already current." It is the single most common reason a used controller appears broken when it is fine.
Will registering it wipe the programming that is on it?+
It can, depending on the state the controller arrives in — and if the project on it belongs to somebody else's house, you almost certainly want it gone. Either way we take a full backup first, so nothing is lost that cannot be put back.
Can you upgrade an old 3.x controller to the current OS?+
Usually, but not in one jump. It has to be walked up through intermediate versions or drivers and bindings break. If a jump is too large to be safe the update refuses it rather than damaging the controller, so a failed attempt is a declined job, not a brick.
Do you have to come to my house?+
No. Everything above is done remotely. We either ship you a small bridge that plugs into your network at no charge, or set you up with a managed router if you would rather have one.
I have not bought one yet — can you tell me if a listing is worth it?+
Yes, and we would rather you ask first. Send us the model and the photos from the listing before you bid. Used Control4 controllers sold anywhere from $65 to $2,399 over the last 90 days for the same model, and the difference is mostly information.
Do you sell controllers?+
We sell new hardware, and the OS upgrade is free when you buy it through us. We deliberately do not deal in used controllers — second-hand hardware carries a failure risk we are not willing to pass on to you.
Send us the model and the MAC.
We'll tell you what that controller can actually become, what it costs, and whether it's worth doing — before you pay us anything. If it's a brick, we'll say so.
Dealer gone rather than hardware bought second-hand? That page is here →