I got my Level 3 May of 2009 and the Philips site still has me at Level 2.

Pronto team sent this reply:

"Indeed in the training area, you are still listed as Level 2, don’t mind about it, because the Level 3 is a more external activity outside the database, the system doesn’t except this (yet)."

Am I missing out on any content on the Philips site that is only available to Level 3 installers?

No it's the same for me, I also contacted them about it. And was told the same. It's just their website that's not up to date yet.

Folks,

Is it realistic to acquire level 3 certification without hands on experience with the actual Pronto hardware (except TSU9200/RFX9400 which I owned and knew inside out)? The question might sound awkward, but I was able to get Level 1 and level 2 certified after carefully studying the available documentation and playing around with PEP2 for a week or so.

Thanks!

I think you may have failed already

A TSU9200 and RFX9400 will not work together :) LOL..

It may be possible to pass level 3 without a pronto, but i would say unlikely.

Ouch! I meant RFX9200, of course :)

gopronto,

Would it make sense for someone who is not intending to make living as a custom installer to try and get prepared for Level 3 certification?

I am just an HT/home automation enthusiast (my "day" job of the last 15+ years is a Software Development Engineer, my past experience also includes many years of Electrical/Embedded/DSP Engineering as well) who needs to complement (or should I say complete?) my existing system with a high quality automation controller that would be a step up from TSU9200/RFX9200 (most of the components I have are IP/RS-232 capable but I cannot actually do the two-way control because of the limitations of TSU9200).

And since as I like tweaking my system a lot and almost always am on the quest to make it "perfecter" (which consequently leads to constant changes in the software part of the setup as well as occasional hadware changes), I am afraid that going to professional installers would not work for me in the long run.

So, the only reason I got Level 1/2 certification was to gain access to the reference materials/documentation available to those certified.

Is there anything in the Level 3 cerfication that would be useful and worth trouble for someone like myself besides, possibly, having access to more documentation, etc.?

Thanks!

For level 3, you are given an assignment to develop a configuration and submit it back to the team for evaluation. If the configuration works as they expect it or closely resembles what they want, you should pass. IIRC, this assignment is also multi-room and involves extenders.

Just for an update

Level 3 , you get 4 written questions, A XCF file which has errors in it which have to be corrected, you are also asked to add extra devices and multiroom room options, some 2 way scripts to be included. plus some multipul choice questions.

It will take some one with good pronto stills between 4 and 8 hours to complete.

I doubt if they would like my configurations because I don't like theirs. That "please wait" drives me up the wall. As I saw the first demonstraton of the 9600 and those "please wait" screens, on the spot I decided to move to another remote -- it was the end of Pronto for me. The demonstrating rep did not know that the screens were programmed. Fortunately, I spent a few minutes with ProntoEdit and discovered where the screens lived and that they were not required by the hardware.

I can imagine that my concept of multi-room is different from theirs too.

Lyndel, gopronto - thanks!

So, basically, for the level 3 certification the candidate is expected to produce an actual working Pronto configuration file based on a set of components and/or a specification. Plus (optionally?) few questions and some bonus practical problems like fixing a bad/corrupt configuration file, right?

It does not seem like it requires any substantial skill set on top of what is expected for the Level 2. Of course, hands on (as opposed to "virtual") experience with the relevant Pronto Professional equipment is extremely advantageous, but there is nothing that makes it impossible for the likes of yours truly to get Level 3 certified.

However, the level 3 certification itself does not provide access to any reference material, etc. that is not otherwise available for those level 2 certified. At least that is my understanding as neither of you gentlemen has mentioned it.

So, since I am not planning to make a living programming Pronto panels and designing Pronto based custom control setups, it makes no practical sense to me to actually go ahead and try get prepared for the Level 3 test (although the bragging rights is a whole different story, of course :). At least for now.

Thanks!

FYI, I don't have official Level 3 certification and I don't do this for a living but I believe with Level II cert, I can see anything I want on the site.