All Articles Tagged Ucontrol

Julie Jacobson | 06/21 07:53 AM, 1 Comment

In what may be the biggest money-raise in home automation history, iControl has secured another $50 million in venture capital. The company, which powers ADT Pulse and a start-up home automation initiative from Comcast/Xfinity, raised the money from Cisco, Comcast Ventures, Intel Capital, Rogers Communications and Tyco International. Tyco is the parent company of ADT, iControl’s first substantial customer. Tyco also is the parent of alarm manufacturer DSC, which announced in April that it too would offer a home automation system based on the iControl platform. iControl provides a SaaS… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 06/08 05:50 PM, 5 Comments

Today we learn a few things about Xfinity Home Security that we hadn't reported before: The monthly cost for the security/home automation service is cheaper than most, but hardly free; six more cities will get the service after last year's launch in Houston; and Xfinity will do its own security installations, rather than use a third-party provider. And one more thing: Xfinity will use iControl SMA, the home-control platform formerly known as uControl. Just as we suspected. Neither Xfinity nor iControl has made a formal announcement about the iControl deal,… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 04/18 08:19 AM, 0 Comments

Since announcing its new home security and automation system in 2010, Xfinity (formerly Comcast) has said little about its service, including whose products the cable giant would use. That hasn't changed, but at least there there has been some movement from Xfinity in the past month. Comcast.com/homesecurity used to feature only home control systems based on iControl – just like the systems offered by ADT Pulse. Recently, however, Xfinity began showing products based on uControl – the organization that "merged" with iControl in November 2010. Enter the Xfinity Home Security… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 04/18 07:53 AM, 0 Comments

CE Pro speculates that Xfinity/Comcast has selected the ZigBee-based uControl platform for its remote home management system. Is that such a good idea? Since announcing its new home security and automation system in 2010, Xfinity (formerly Comcast) has not declared a vendor partner. The cable giant still isn’t saying, but the Web site points to uControl. Originally, Xfinity showcased on its Home Security site a solution based on iControl, the same platform that powers ADT Pulse. Recently, however, a former iControl rival called uControl showed up on the site. uControl… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 04/12 10:52 AM, 5 Comments

It takes a lot of capital to run a home automation business. Just ask iControl, which is seeking to raise $30 million on top of the $45 million-plus it has already raised. iControl Networks Inc., a provider of remote home monitoring and control systems, filed a Form D with the SEC on April 8, indicating an offering amount of $29,999,436. The document shows that $28.5 million has already been spoken for, leaving $1.5 million left to sell. Of that, $161,100 will go to pay off a bonus to one or… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 03/02 11:15 AM, 0 Comments

We were impressed with the home automation engine driving the new Somfy Tahoma – a simple yet elegant system for integrating and controlling lights, thermostats and Somfy’s own motorized window treatments. Somfy didn’t create the system itself. The company makes motors and controls for window treatments, lifts and other motorized devices – not software. So when it came to creating a whole-house control system focused on energy management, Somfy turned to a sleeper of a developer called Bulogics. Bulogics has been around for more than five years, apparently finding its… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 01/25 11:57 AM, 10 Comments

Verizon (VZ) is getting into the home automation business, challenging Comcast (Xfinity), AT&T, ADT and other mass-market providers in the coming year. Will it prevail? During the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, we got a close look at Verizon’s products that allow users to remotely access and control their lighting, thermostats, surveillance cameras and a small array of Z-Wave wireless devices such as motorized door locks. The company's solution, called Verizon Home Monitoring and Control is based technology from 4Home, a platform developer recently acquired by Motorola. Although Verizon… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 11/05 08:39 AM, 18 Comments

Xfinity (formerly Comcast) is now offering security and home automation to Houston residents, with $99 installations and monthly service plans that cost nearly $20 less than ADT Pulse. However, the cable provider is saying little about the program. Interviewed by CE Pro last month, Xfinity spokesman Charlie Douglas would not comment on any particulars, including the product vendors, sales tactics, customer support, and installation. At least we now know why Xfinity has been so vague about its home security partners. It seems the company still hadn’t decided if it would… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 11/04 01:34 PM, 0 Comments

iControl and uControl – two Web-enabled home automation providers – are merging. The resulting company, going by the name of iControl (not weControl or iControlu), is expected to power the new security and remote home management service from Xfinity (formerly Comcast). The move is a big win for ZigBee, the low-power mesh-networking protocol preferred by cable providers. uControl’s system uses ZigBee to communicate with security sensors, lights and other electronic devices. iControl, on the other hand, uses Z-Wave, a competing technology from Zensys, which is now owned by Sigma Designs.… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 05/11 08:11 AM, 0 Comments

Los Angeles, CA – NCTA Cable Show – uControl, a leading provider of SMA (Security, Monitoring and Automation) solutions has teamed with Ember to deliver its latest innovation – an entirely new line of wireless ZigBee security sensors which enables Broadband Service Providers to deliver the next generation of services for the Connected Home. The new uControl SMA Platform includes and integrates a wide variety of ZigBee sensors including motion, smoke and glass break detectors, door and window contacts, key fobs, wireless keypads and much more. uControl’s award winning system… View this story