All Products Filed in Home Automation and Control

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

There are many people that under estimate the impact of how their homes' shades can be used to help manage energy, while adding natural light to a room during key points in the day.

Manufacturers such as Lutron however have devoted a lot of time, money and other resources to the topic. Lutron's newly released battery powered Sivoia QS cellular shades fill a need for a small, but growing amount of homeowners that are learning about the benefits of shade management. The shades took the company years to develop and they enter the shade market at price points that will enable a broader group of consumers to purchase the products than what was previously available.

The shades incorporate Lutron's Triathlon battery life technology, which it says helps the batteries to last up to three years. Lutron offers the shades in stand alone and automated versions, and they are available in a variety of sizes. In addition, the company offers the shades in a choice of fabrics and colors. With the shades homeowners can control the amount of light that enters their home at specific times and they can add a convenient means of privacy.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

There are few companies that can match the experience and expertise that URC brings to the control and automation category, and now with the release of its new iPhone/iPad Total Control app its applying its years research and development (R&D) to a new genre within the control market: Apple iOS-based control.

URC's new Total Control iPhone/iPad is engineered to provide users with full control of a URC Total Control system. The N.Y.-based company designed the app to mimic the look and feel of its TKP-2000 In-Wall Two-Way Network Touchscreen, including the interface's metadata feedback when used in conjunction with its SNP-1 Streaming Network Player that delivers content from the Internet with sources such as Internet radio, Rhapsody, Pandora, Sirius XM satellite radio and the company's PSX-2 Personal Server.

The company says the addition of the iPad/iPhone app provides dealers and their clients with a control option to use in tandem with its TKP-2000 Touchscreen, TRC-1280 handheld remote and TRC-780 remote products.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

With the stock market behaving more erratically than a toddler, unemployment still raging at more than 9 percent and consumer confidence waffling, the public is looking for any means possible to save money.

The New Orleans-based manufacturer Home Automation, Inc. (HAI) is providing some relief to homeowners that are interested in curbing their utility expenses through its new energy management solution. HAI is now shipping its Standalone Wireless Energy Management System MicroControl (8100-2WHZB) unit. According to the company, the ZigBee-based device serves as the heart of its Energy Management System and it facilitates a homeowner's ability to run time-based schedules for their home's temperatures, water heaters, fountains, lamps and other components.

HAI adds the MicroControl can act as a ZigBee Interface Module (ZIM) to allow the unit to integrate into the company's whole-house control and automation systems.

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

SnapAV has over a short period of time gained a growing following of custom installers that appreciate the company's philosophy of providing dealers, high-margin, reliable products that span everything from speakers and acoustical treatments, to HDMI cables and projection screens.

The company's new product introduction is its Wirepath Surveillance line of security devices. The line features a total of eight cameras tiered at four price and performance levels, and it offers a choice of dome and bullet products. Supporting the eight camera products are a choice of three digital video recorders (DVRs) that are tiered in basic and advanced.

Augmenting the line's array of hardware options is an iPhone app and a soon-to-be-released Android app that allows users to view and control their cameras and DVRs from remote locations. Highlighting the apps' functions are the ability to watch live video, search and playback options, and a screen capture capability.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Home Automation, Inc. (HAI) is one of the most aggressive companies in the entire custom installation market. With a vast product line that covers many categories and a research and development (R&D) staff that consistently updates those products the company positions itself to dealers as a state-of-the-art company with affordable products.

Reinforcing its reputation in the market are product releases like its new Snap-Link USB for Windows with Access Control, Audio, Humidity and User Settings update. The solution (product number 1120) is a USB key that plugs into a PC to allow users to access their Hi-Fi 2 whole-house audio systems, as well as their access control systems, dehumidifier/humidifiers, and user settings that include irrigation and wake-up times.

The New Orleans-based company adds that homeowners can also control their lighting control systems, their security systems, their HVAC systems and IP surveillance cameras.

Friday, July 22, 2011

The Rockleigh, N.J.-based manufacturer Crestron has one of the largest product lines in the entire consumer electronics industry and the scope of that product line provides its authorized dealer base with a solution for just about any installation scenario they encounter.

Crestron's new DM-RMC-200-C DigitalMedia 8G Receiver & Room Controller is the latest addition to its line of DigitalMedia products and according to the East Coast company, the unit features a built-in HD video scaler, an HDMI output and 30-watt per channel stereo amplifier. Crestron says the DM-RMC-200-C takes any video signal and scales it to HD quality levels no matter what format the original signal is in, and it's capable of extracting the audio from HDMI to enable installers to utilize a pair of external local speakers to create a higher quality audio experience than standard TV speakers.

The 3D-compatible unit can also be implemented in video wall systems and if employed in these types of systems the DM-RMC-200-C's zoom option allows installers to set up a display to show a portion of a source image. In total, Crestron adds that as many as 16 DM-RMC-200-Cs can be installed to form a complete image in a video wall using the zoom function.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

It seems like everything these days is digital, and in the world of security things are no different. Speco Technologies, a New York-based manufacturer of residential and commercial electronics new DVRPC16T security DVR employs the latest in digital surveillance technologies to provide users with an easy to use video monitoring solution.

The DVRPC16T is a 16-channel DVR server with Intelligent Analytics, dual gigabyte NICs and Speco's proprietary playback/search function. Speco says the DVR is also a hybrid unit that incorporates dual network cards and IP camera capabilities that allow the device to support the industry's most frequently used IP cameras. Speco also explains that the DVR's dual NICs are designed to increase throughput, while also separating IP cameras to their own networks to help minimize the degradation of other networked applications.

In addition, the DVRPC16T's Intelligent Analytics can identify missing or suspicious objects by its ability to count objects going in one direction or another. Its Virtual Fence and Face Finder options detect and define specific regions to monitor if an object as entered or left a space, and if it's a human face, it will record that image and archive it.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Honeywell has updated its online Video Selector tool. The site is designed to provide dealers and their staff with an easy-to-use tool that will quickly find the right video surveillance product for most jobs, including access to:

• Camera and Recording Management selectors that help you ask the right questions to guide you to the right camera and recorder for your specific project.
• A wide-range of IP and analog cameras and digital video recorders that can be inserted into your proposals.
• Product part numbers so you can easily build a product parts list and email directly from the Video Selector tool to purchasing.

Dealers must register on the Honeywell site to use the tool.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Remote control capabilities are the custom electronics industry's version of National Football League (NFL) offensive linemen: You never notice them unless they fail.

The Costa Mesa, California-based electronics manufacturer Channel Vision can't help protect Tom Brady from the pass rush of the New York Jets, but it can help installers ensure the reliability of the IR remotes used to control the electronic components they install. Channel Vision's new Plasma-Proof IR Kit (IR5010) can be used to control components that are up to 1,000 feet away.

Channel Vision says the kit offers provisions for a complete one-room entertainment system, including one IR receiver, one IR hub, four flashers and a 12-volt power supply. The company adds the kit is plasma and fluorescent proof to ensure its operation in a variety of room environments.

Friday, July 08, 2011

Anyone that doubts the impact that Apple has had on the custom electronics market is probably in denial about Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen's influence on rock-and-roll guitar playing.

New York-based VidaBox is one company that has fully embraced Apple's iPad and iPhone and the company's new LiivController and vAutomation 2.0 take advantage of the powerful Apple products to provide VidaBox consumers with a choice of easy-to-use solutions that control their home electronics systems.

The LiivController is a 4U-high unit that runs the company's vAutomation 2.0 software. The hardware and software allow homeowners to control everything from their TV cable and satellite boxes, to their multiroom audio and lighting control systems, and it has provisions to utilize IR, RS-232 and TCP/IP. The system is also designed to use Apple's iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch products to enable consumers to use their familiar Apple products to control their favorite home electronics.

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

While it may be more important in some parts of the country than others, air conditioning is a home amenity that nearly everyone values.

Adding to its ever-growing list of control and automation options, the New Orleans-based manufacturer Home Automation, Inc. (HAI) has recently introduced its new CoolMaster VRV/VRF air conditioning system adapters. HAI says the CoolMaster products provide connectivity to air conditioning solutions from Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Sanyo, Fujitsu and Daikin. HAI also explains the newly launched adapters support multiple indoor units and each thermostat in a Omni or Lumina control systems can be setup so each thermostat can be assigned to corresponding a CoolMaster adapter.

HAI adds that the CoolMaster adapters employ a single set point for heating and cooling, and that homeowners that change their heating or cooling systems' temperatures will control the CoolMaster's set point. The adapter work with HAI Omni and Lumina control and automation systems running version 3.8 firmware or later.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Eragy, Inc. has announced its MyEragy family of energy services for homeowners and professionals.

MyEragy Pro is an energy monitoring and management tool available for utilities, solar installers, energy efficiency and weatherization contractors, and other service providers. MyEragy Pro provides a scalable platform for monitoring and managing home energy usage and verifying the performance of installed energy saving systems while giving homeowners an easy way to monitor and view their energy savings, including whole-house energy consumption, individual appliances and individual circuits.

It can also monitor the energy generated by solar, wind, gas generators, and other renewable energy sources. The system includes a database of utility rate plans and supports flat rate, tiered, demand, time-of-use, and even complex combinations of these rate types. It also includes a number of alerts and notifications via email and text/SMS messages.

The MyEragy platform is hardware agnostic and supports a number of Internet-enabled power sensors, including Energy Inc.’s TED5000 family and the eGauge from eGauge Systems, with future support for the CurrentCost Envi.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Not resting on its laurels, Lutron has recently updated its brand new RadioRA 2 line of lighting and home control solutions.

The RadioRA 2 system can be setup by professional installers to wirelessly control and automate up to 200 devices, and homeowners can control their systems with their Apple iPads. Following the long Memorial Day weekend the Penn.-based manufacturer released several updates for the Radio RA 2 system that are headlined by the introduction of the system's new v4.2.10 programming software that now enables installers to activate functions in Lutron's seeTemp Thermostat to allow homeowners to set temperatures from their keypads and create temperature schedules. Lutron has also added support for its Sivoia QS wireless Venetian Blinds with Intelligent Tilt Alignment, as well as an expanded selection of non-system accessories and the ability to program phantom buttons to activate security full/flash mode, which eliminates the need for a VCRX interface.

Lutron has also updated its Home Control+ app with the release of version 3.1, which adds full functionality for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices, seeTemp Thermostat support, Venetian Blind support, Pico wireless control support, RadioRA 2, HomeWorks QS and HomeWorks system support.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Honeywell is one of the largest security system manufacturers in the entire electronics market and recently the Melville, N.Y.-based company updated its versatile Total Connect system to incorporate the newest technologies available in the category.

The company's new Total Connect 2.0 system is said to install faster for installers and its now able to integrate with Honeywell's LYNX and VISTA alarm systems more easily. Among the system's new features are its ability to provide real-time status and responses to users, and it offers the ability to allow users to remotely manage their systems.

In addition, Honeywell incorporates the ability to enable users to view live video from their computers, smart phones and web tablets to provide property owners with an extra level of security assurance. Honeywell also says the new 2.0 Total Connect system incorporates a flash-based graphical user interface (GUI) that makes system navigation easier for users by keeping the system's entire operation within a single viewable screen.

Monday, June 06, 2011

Given the current state of the technology market the need for network capabilities in a home will soon rival the importance of plumbing and electricity. Platinum Tools' latest product solution provides electronics professionals with an easy-to-implement solution to help support this rapid adoption of network connectivity.

The Camarillo, Calif.-based company's new EZ-SnapJack self-terminating wall jack can be used in the home or in commercial environments as a means to provide network connectivity without having to pull out a punchdown tool to terminate a twisted-pair cabling run. The company will be showing the product at the upcoming Infocomm conference in Orlando and it says the product works with Cat-5e and Cat-6 cabling.

Platinum adds that product can be used for new construction and retrofit work, and it offers the EZ-SnapJack in a choice of colors to help installers blend the unit into a room environment that matches the companion wall plate and room environment.