Questions we get often.

What exactly is the TCL Universal Bridge?

A software translator that lets a device which natively works with only one home-automation ecosystem be controlled from another. A Control4 system can drive a URC-only device; a Josh AI voice command can drive a Control4-only fixture; a URC keypad can drive a Josh-owned thermostat. Everything in the middle speaks one canonical vocabulary, so adding the K-th ecosystem costs one adapter, not K−1 new converters.

Which ecosystems are supported today?

Control4 (Director API path), URC (Accelerator / IP driver), and Josh AI (Nimble intents) are first-class. Hi-Fi Rose RS520 is the live reference device adapter shipping today. The framework is designed so additional ecosystems — Savant, Lutron, Crestron Home — drop in as one new adapter each.

Are Control4, URC, and Josh AI partners?

They are not, and we don't claim they are. None publish a fully open public API: Josh is partnership-gated (Nimble DevSuite), URC requires dealer/Accelerator access, and Rose is reverse-engineered. The framework is complete and runnable today; each adapter's device side activates the moment real credentials are supplied. Partnership work is in flight.

What is firmware-drift maintenance and why does it matter?

Every supported vendor ships firmware on its own cadence — Rose every six to ten weeks, Control4 OS quarterly, Josh continuously. Each release can break a working integration. We absorb those changes at the adapter boundary: the canonical /v2 surface your programmed system targets never changes. Compatibility certificate within 72 hours of any vendor firmware drop, patched adapter within seven days if needed.

Do I need to be a certified dealer to use this?

No for the Maker tier — it's self-serve. For pushing a packaged URC Accelerator 3 driver or a Control4 .c4z driver bundle to a processor, yes, dealer credentials are still required by the vendor. The bridge runtime itself runs on any LAN-resident Mac, NUC, Pi, or Docker host.

Can I run the bridge offline?

Yes. Runtime is local-only. The only outbound traffic is an optional health check to our update service for compatibility-certificate notification. Pin the bridge image and that connection can be disabled at the firewall with no functional impact.

What is the Compatibility Oracle?

Our free instant checker: pick the system you own and the device you want to add, get a verdict — Works · Works with Bridge · Not yet supported — plus a shareable, dated certificate. Every certificate is a backlink and every 'Not yet supported' verdict feeds the roadmap.

What data does the bridge collect?

The bridge runtime collects nothing about end users — it serves a local HTTP API. The dealer portal you are reading collects visitor analytics; full list is in the portal README. No third-party analytics. No Google. No Meta.

What is the refund / cancellation policy?

Maker is month-to-month, cancel any time. The 30-day pilot on Pro is free. If you cancel a paid Pro / Dealer / Enterprise plan within 30 days of conversion, full refund of the setup fee. After 30 days, the setup fee is non-refundable but you keep the bridge software for the firmware you certified against. Maintenance is always month-to-month.

What is the SLA on Enterprise?

Phone support during business hours with a four-hour response window. Critical bridge outages (whole-property control loss): one-hour response, named technical contact, escalation to engineering. Quarterly compatibility audit report — across every ecosystem you run — delivered as a written document.

Stay current on vendor firmware

Compatibility alerts within 24 hours of any supported vendor firmware drop. No marketing — just the diff.