Remember that one guy in your classes who would ask the professor a “question?” I used quotes because their question was always a thinly veiled excuse to expound and fill up the air with their own opinions. I never liked that guy when I was in school. As a result, I try to avoid being […]
Intellithings has expanded accessibility for RoomMe through integration with four major professional smart home brands at CEDIA Expo 2019. Intellithings created an open RoomMe API to invite developers and residential technology professionals to write customized applications for RoomMe. Chowmain software has developed the first four new drivers including Control4, ELAN, RTI, and URC, in addition […]
Control4 Corporation today announced Control4 Smart Home OS 3. Control4 Smart Home OS 3 is an IoT platform-based control system designed to unify hundreds of connected devices within the home, control them all from a single interface. Control4 Smart Home OS 3 is designed to simplify the use of many connected devices throughout the home […]
Crestron debuted Crestron Home, powered by OS 3, at ISE 2019 in Amsterdam. Crestron Home, powered by OS 3, is a package for any sized smart home project — what Crestron says is a simpler, smarter user experience on mobile devices and TSW touch screens. Available spring 2019, OS 3 will deliver new page designs, […]
The global home automation systems market will reach $68.1 billion, annually, during by 2025 owing to growing adoption of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) automated devices in global households. Highlighted with 50 tables and 63 figures, this 135-page GMD report,“Global DIY Home Automation Systems Market by Offerings, Product, Technology, and Region 2014-2025: Growth Opportunity and Business Strategy” is […]
Silicon Labs has launched the Z-Wave 700 on the Wireless Gecko platform. Z-Wave 700 delivers on Silicon Labs’ vision and platform integration roadmap following the company’s acquisition of Z-Wave technology in April 2018. According to Silicon Lab, the new smart home platform builds on Z-Wave’s S2 security and interoperability by improving energy efficiency and adding […]
Digital assistants are all the rage these days and they seem to live in so many places like your car radio, watches, smart phones, tablet, computers and the very popular “smart speaker” category. The smart speaker category has grown rapidly and has seen adoption from major brand names in the audio and tech industries — […]
I’ve spoken about the things that keep an AV professional up at night — in part the growing rise of one-box, easily configurable solutions sharply reducing the need for highly skilled integration in simple spaces. That trend continues with both industry stalwarts like Crestron and smaller upstarts like Owl Labs selling single-device collaborative solutions. That’s […]
June 8th, 2017 Rancho Santa Margarita, CA On the heels of Apple’s HomePod release, Phenomenal Industries has announced that they will debut their new wireless home automation hub at InfoComm 2017 in Orlando. AVPhenom is well known for his innovative product releases each year, with his latest successes being the World’s First! 4K Speakers and more […]
By Jared Ross CODEDOC When Mark Zuckerberg first announced his plan to build AI control for his home, I’ll admit it… I was slightly apprehensive that the billionaire entrepreneur would put my home system to shame. Zuckerberg and I definitely agree that Crestron is the most reliable backbone for our AI home control solutions. However, […]
Amazon’s hottest selling items for 2016 were the Echo and its little brother Dot. These devices, along with their competitors from Google and Apple, are revolutionizing the way we interact with our homes and are quickly moving into the workplace. These voice command and control devices allow the participant to use their voices with simple […]
A couple of years ago, I was on an AV podcast and someone asked me if I would ever put a smart lock onto my house. I said I’d need to think long and hard about the security aspects of it before I considered it. Flash forward to today, and I just put in an […]
“Alexa! Alexxxaaaaaaa!!!” My four-year-old daughter is trying to wake up our Amazon Echo. Alexa gets better at understanding her every day, but she still only wakes up for her about half the time. Once Alexa is awake, however, she has an uncanny ability to figure out what my daughter is asking for. (Alexa wakes up […]
JStar announced that its whole home artificial intelligence platform, Josh.ai, will start shipping at CEDIA 2016. Built for the custom integration channel, Josh.ai uses artificial intelligence to unify home technology through its unique user interface. Josh.ai is a standalone control system that works with Lutron, Meridian, Sonos and others. It also integrates with control systems […]
Core Brands today announced the release of Auriel 2.0 – a major platform update that adds streaming audio, climate and lighting control, plus remote access features to the award-winning multi-room audio control platform. Lighting control devices and wireless thermostats now connect to the Auriel Controller, making the Niles Auriel MRC-6430 a complete, powerful and convenient […]
True confession: I don’t like automated bathroom sinks very much. I know that sounds strange coming from someone who automates things for a living. But it’s the truth. Intellectually, I understand their utility. No water running all night. No touching taps that could be covered with all sorts of germs. But then I get into […]
Orvito is shipping its first Wi-Fi-enabled Smart Switch Panel. The Orvito Smart Switch Panel allows control of all electrical home appliances from anywhere. And, like any control system, it allows for triggering presets, sensing motion and optimizing energy consumption. The Orvito Smart Switch Panel uses Wi-Fi and is retrofittable into existing electrical switch outlets. Orbit says its products require no additional […]
Giving installers and builders more reasons to employ its recently launched Intuity home automation platform, Legrand has announced Intuity 2.0, new firmware which adds four new partners to the On-Q Intuity product suite, including Nest thermostats, garage door openers from Linear, Schlage locksets, and Aeotec’s Z-Wave Range Extender for more coverage. The new firmware also includes a new graphical user interface, which […]
The ’90s were all about home theaters. But, let’s face it, that market is dying a rapid death. In some areas, thanks to the 1 percent mantra, having a home theater isn’t an indicator of family-fun, it’s more of a sign of braggart. But, having a smart home is a badge of environmental courage. Smart […]
Crestron is aiming to make smart homes even smarter and personalized with the PinPoint proximity detection beacon. The small PinPoint beacon plugs into a USB charging outlet and communicates with nearby mobile devices. With PinPoint, the Crestron App solves the room default problem associated with mobile devices. PinPoint knows what room a person is in […]
Crestron today announced it is now shipping its new TST-602 Wireless Touch Screen. The TST-602 delivers dedicated wireless control, voice command recognition, and web browsing all in a stylish, ergonomic design. The TST-602 uses a 5.7″ capacitive touch screen and H.264 streaming video as well as 15 customizable tactile push-buttons, including two-button up/down for volume […]
One of the hottest topics in the tech world right now? No doubt it’s the subject of almost daily discussion, and while you may not always hear the term being used in conversation, many of today’s trending technologies are in one way or another “things connected” through the Internet. The Internet of Things has represented […]
Home automation has long been the domain of the upper middle class and wealthy. Expensive, professionally installed proprietary systems have traditionally dominated the home automation landscape. The rise of mobile tech and ubiquitous wireless communications — combined with less expensive and more powerful sensors and electronics — are finally enabling the availability of relatively affordable devices. […]
This month Droplit founder Bryan Jenks has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funding for a new, so-called “easy-to- use” (haven’t we heard that before?) smart home system that allows users to integrate and control all of their smart devices from the Droplit Cue remote or the Droplit smartphone app. Droplit is unique in that […]
Neets is a privately held Danish company that, although you haven’t heard of them, they are Scandinavia’s leading supplier of AV control systems. And, it plans to make a mark in the U.S. with its new QueBec III control system. Integrated with an HDMI loop-through, the QueBec III uses that to know when you want […]
Leviton today announced the acquisition of BitWise Controls — a manufacturer of control and monitoring solutions for residential and commercial applications. Leviton has been carrying BitWise Controls’ automation controllers for some time and is excited to welcome them into Leviton. As part of the acquisition, Leviton will bring BitWise Controls’ entire product line into the […]
Crestron today unveiled Crestron Pyng, an app-based control system. As we all know, so far, all home automation apps have been add-ons to control systems that are programmed using computers. Setting up a new home is streamlined by pairing Crestron Pyng accessories with the app. Accessories include Crestron wireless lighting controls, shading solutions, thermostats, and […]
A start-up company debuting at CEDIA this week named Chui has combined facial recognition with advanced computer vision and machine learning techniques to make your face your key. “The great thing about your face,” says CEO and co-founder Shaun Moore, “is that you can’t lose it, nor can it be hacked or stolen.” Welcome news […]
Anuva Automation has acquired TiO, the Android-based home automation company. TiO (stands for Turn it On) is definitely a new approach to home automation, driven by what they company calls an “outside in” philosophy that focuses on the customer experience. Through the TiO Android app, users can create macro functions for every room of their […]
RTI announced this week the availability of a new two-way driver for Tenflare’s Voice Viper CTL voice control system. The new driver makes it simple for integrators to incorporate voice control into RTI’s control and automation systems. Voice Viper is a hardware solution developed by TenFlare, a company started by integrators, which adds voice control […]
A new study by ABI Research forecasts that over 500 billion smart sensors will be integrated into homes by the end of 2018. Half a billion. This is good and bad news for the HomeAV community. As the home automation world becomes less of an art and more of a science, it also becomes commoditized. […]
The biggest news in electronics the week after the giant CES (Consumer Electronics Show) wasn’t even talked about at CES because it happened the very next day. Google puts up $3.2 Billion to buy Nest, the three year old company started by former Apple design guys Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers. Nest is best known […]
