A firmware update adds home automation support to the Securifi Almond+ and Almond 2015 routers, allowing the two wifi devices to double as smart home hubs handling required automation commands.

The Almond+ is the higher-end device. It features ZigBee and Z-Wave support, 802.11ac dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) wifi, gigabit LAN and wifi coverage reaching 465 square metres.

Meanwhile the Almond 2015 covers 279 square metres (a 30% increase over the original 2012 model, Securifi says), a smaller display and only ZigBee support support. The company says the router also doubles as a range extender when paired with an Almond+ unit.

DVDO announces the availability of the Matrix44, an HDMI matrix switcher featuring (as the name suggests) four HDMI 2.0 inputs and four HDMI 2.0 outputs able to transmit 4K/UHD resolution video at 50/60Hz.

In addition it supports 3D, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

The Matrix44 features easy control via built-in web server for setup and monitoring, direct TCP/IP, telnet, RS232 and IR for easy integration with higher-level control systems. A wireless Android app is also available for standalone installations.

Atlona announces the AT-UHD-EX-70-2PS, an HDBaseT transmitter/receiver kit providing customers with an economical means of transporting AV signals up to 70m over a single category cable.

It handles multi-channel audio, 48V PoE, bidirectional ethernet, IR and RS232, and supports 4K/UHD video @ 60Hz, HDCP 2.2 passthrough and EDID communications. HDBaseT technology extends signals including multi-channel audio, in formats up to Dolby TrueHD and Atmos plus DTS-HD Master Audio.

CYP announces the AU-A300-HBT-- an HDBaseT 2-channel digital AV receiver promising high quality audio distribution, amplification and AV signal management to remote AV zones within any multi-room installation.

It integrates local HDMI and remote HDBaseT sources from a CYP matrix, local inputs (such as MP3 players) via stereo and digital inputs, and even make use of TV audio outputs.

Meanwhile an HDBaseT output allows installers to create additional HDBaseT zones or the repeat signals to further HDBase-T 2-channels digital AV receivers up to 100m away over CAT6 cable.

Pakedge Device & Software launches three lines of switches-- the fully managed, top-tier SX-Series, the powerful and affordable SK-Series and the mid-tier SE-Series.

The top-tier SX-Series switches feature a simple GUI for both traffic management (including the management of large volumes of streaming traffic) and dynamic configuration. A Zone Wizard simplifies zone configuration and optimises network performance with drag and drop functionality, while zone templates reduce setup time and minimises configuration errors.

SX-Switches come in front- and rear-facing housing with a variety of PoE and PoE+ port configurations, and are compatible with the BakPak Cloud Monitoring System for remote system monitoring, alerts and power control (on PoE-enabled switches). BakPak virtual stacking allows the management of multiple switches as one, regardless of geographic location.

Aurora Multimedia uses ISE 2015 to launch a new AV technology-- IPBaseT, supposedly the first to deliver 4K video with "zero" compression and latency over IP, together with audio, control and video wall processing.

IP and AV standard support includes MPEG2, H.264, J.265, JPEG2000, IP USB, HTTP and Dante, among others. However, to take full advantage of the much lauded zero latency installers need to network via fibre optic cabling.

At ISE Aurora showed a couple IPBaseT products, the first being the IPX-TC1. User-assignable as either transmitter or receiver, the unit features x2 HDMI inputs, x1 HDMI output and an RJ-45 1G ethernet port for connectivity with LAN-based devices. An expansion option allows digital audio de-embedding of any source before sending to any Dante-enabled device.