Sydney, NSW, Australia – September 16, 2026 – Cync Electrical, a licensed electrical contractorand Clipsal C-bus Specalist specialising in home and building automation, has raised concerns about a growing number of Australian homes running smart home systems that are no longer supported by their original manufacturers.

The company reports an increase in enquiries from homeowners whose automation systems have begun to fail, with no manufacturer support, no replacement parts, and in many cases no contractor able to service the equipment.

“Most people who call me aren’t sure what they actually have in the house,” said Jason Toubji, owner of Cync Electrical. “Some have excellent systems where the potential has never been unlocked. Others are sitting on a ticking time bomb and don’t know it.”

A pattern that has already played out once

The discontinuation of HPM’s iControl platform left Australian homeowners with installed systems and no manufacturer pathway forward. Cync says the same sequence is now visible across other platforms, including systems sold through retail installation channels where the manufacturer has since been acquired or has exited the category.

In one case handled by the company, a homeowner’s smart switches had been installed through a retail channel. The manufacturer was later sold, and the new owner ceased production and support. As individual switches failed, sections of the home progressively stopped functioning while the owner searched for a technician able to either service the system or migrate it to a supported platform.

Toubji attributes much of the problem to how systems are specified in the first place. “Contractors don’t always choose a system based on what will genuinely suit the client. They get sold on high margins, ease of installation, or marketing. What gets missed is that this equipment has to perform day in and day out for the next thirty years.”

Working systems being removed unnecessarily

Cync also points to a second pattern: functional automation systems being stripped out because the attending electrician was unfamiliar with the technology.

“A homeowner paid thousands of dollars to have tens of thousands of dollars of perfectly functional equipment pulled out and the house rewired,” Toubji said. “The electrician had told him that was the only way to get ceiling fans installed. It wasn’t. If you don’t understand the system, the right answer is to refer the client to someone who does — not to remove it.”

Preserve, migrate, or replace

Cync Electrical approach is to assess whether a system can be preserved before considering replacement. Where equipment remains sound, the company recovers or rebuilds the original programming and replaces failed components. Where the underlying wiring and hardware are serviceable but the control interface is obsolete, existing systems can often be connected to a supported platform such as Apple Home without rewiring the property.

Where replacement is genuinely warranted, the company advises homeowners to plan for it rather than wait for failure. “If your system has an expiry date, budget for it and save for it until it’s necessary,” Toubji said. “If you can afford to do it sooner, do it. Technology is getting more expensive as it gets more complex, and there’s ongoing pressure on chip supply.”

On platform selection, Cync recommends Clipsal C-Bus for wired installations, citing its long track record, continued development and expanding device range. For wireless applications, the company identifies SAL Pixie as the strongest current option, while noting that its limited move toward Matter compatibility remains a constraint for long-term interoperability.

About Cync Electrical

Cync Electrical is a licensed NSW electrical contractor based in Sydney, specialising in smart home and building automation across residential, commercial and strata properties in Greater Sydney. The company are experts at Clipsal C-Bus, Apple Home, DALI, KNX and Dynalite systems, and specalises in the diagnosis, repair and migration of legacy and discontinued automation platforms. Its core mission is to help property owners preserve and extend the systems they have already invested in, and to guide replacement decisions toward platforms built to last. Cync Electrical holds NSW Electrical Contractor Licence 487170C.

Media Contact

Jason Toubji

Cync Electrical

Sydney, NSW, Australia

https://www.cyncelectrical.com.au

Media Contact
Company Name: Cync Electrical
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Phone: 0422253379
State: New South Wales
Country: Australia
Website: https://cyncelectrical.com.au