Q: What’s the difference between residential and commercial electronics? Isn’t a TV a TV?
A: Consumer electronics that are designed for use in a residential application are expected to be used for 2-4 hours per day. But in commercial applications, those components may be on for 12 to 24 hours per day, every day. That’s over 61,000 hours per year, compared to around 1,500 hours that would be expected in a residential setting. On top of that, the equipment may be touched by any number of employees, or even customers, who rarely treat the equipment with the same level of care they’d treat their own home theater system. Because of this, most residential-use electronics have a very short warranty when the unit is used in a commercial setting – usually just 30 days. Electronics designed for commercial use, on the other hand, have basic warranty coverage for up to 3 or 4 years, even in commercial use. They are designed to handle the additional demands and rough treatment they are likely to get in the commercial setting.
Last Updated on Friday, 28 May 2010 13:22
