European Custom Installer

System Integration for the Connected Home

Home Automation

Savant Power Management Gets Wifi

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The Savant SmartEnergy product line gets wifi connectivity through a trio of product launches-- a wifi-enabled wall plug, power strip and current sensor.

Savant SmartEnergyDesigned to provide energy management data at cost-effective price points the devices do not require rewiring, making them ideal for retrofit applications.

The Wifi SmartPlug delivers power measurement for individual appliances, and the power strip provides 6 outlets (4 managed receptacles, 2 unmanaged). Both feature surge protection, as well as remote on/off control via TrueControl apps.

Meanwhile the current sensors allows the monitoring of a hardwired single circuit without need for an accessible plug.

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The Next Automation Contender: Staples

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The home automation arena gets what perhaps is an unlikely contender-- Staples, the retailer best known for (wait for it!) staples of the office supply variety launches the Staples Connect automation product family.

Staples ConnectAccording to the retailer Connect is a "universal way to connect [the] home." It combines products from a number of vendors, starting off from a Zonoff (designers of the Somfy TaHoma system) iOS and Android app platform on top of a Linksys-built hub device.

The hub connects to routers via ethernet and to various other devices using either wifi, Z-wave and Clear Connect. Staples says it is already compatible with a large number of products, including security cameras, DoorBot wifi camera doorbells, Yale smart door locks, Honeywell thermostats, Lutron window shades, dimmers and switches, and Philips Hue colour-changing LED lighting.

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The Internet of Things-- By Satellite

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While the Internet of Things is garnering much press coverage, with a few exceptions real life case studies remain thin on the ground outside the cloistered world of the tech community. However one area of growing significance is that of the second or holiday home, where remote management of the property is not just a nice bonus, but a real necessity.

Tooway SatelliteIn these houses the owners’ requirements are typically very simple: they want to be able to turn the heating on the day before they arrive. They want to turn it off again after a client has left. They may want to install security sensors and cameras, but typically not much beyond this. Intelligence in domestic appliances, windows, “smart” thermostats (such as the Nest), and others are usually overkill for houses only occupied infrequently.

So it is no surprise to see simple internet-connected devices starting to appear, in particular thermostats. The first companies off the mark here have been the smaller more-nimble controls companies, such as UK-based Heatmiser, with their growing range of WiFi connected thermostats. More recently a number of others have entered this market, including mainstream players such as Honeywell.

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The Smallest HomeSeer Controller

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HomeSeer debuts what it says is its smallest and most affordable home automation controller yet at CEDIA Expo 2013-- the HomeTroller Zee, a palm-sized number featuring Z-Wave connectivity and a built-in web server.

HomeTroller ZeeThe device carries an energy efficient 700MHz Linux platform, with Z-Wave allowing one to control light switches, thermostats, door locks and sensors through iOS and Android mobile devices.

It also issues customisable alerts, announcements and reminds via email, text messages or voice, and features home energy usage monitor or controller functionality.

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INSTEON with European Launch

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INSTEON

INSTEON brings to Europe its range of easy-to-set-up-and-install devices.

Designed for easy installation – without the need for additional wiring-- INSTEON’s home automation networking technology is designed to enable devices, such as light switches, thermostats and motion sensors to be networked together using a home’s existing mains wiring network combined with wireless, radio frequency (RF) technology. This dual-band mesh network system offers electrical contractors and custom installers a reliable, cost-effective solution without the need to run additional cables or expensive programming.

Plug-in and in-wall modules make it possible to add wireless control to any appliance in the home, bringing state-of-the-art control technology for a fraction of the price of other, more advanced home control automation systems.

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Keynote Speakers for Smart Building Conference

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If you are in pro AV or residential installation, the most important subject for our future is Smart Building, the shift in building technology that parallels our own industry’s shift from analogue to digital technology.

Jeremy TowlerThe Smart Building Conference 2013, to be held at Dexter House, London, on Tues. Oct., 15th, will be keynoted by two of British industry’s most renowned authorities on energy efficiency and building systems, the organizers announced today.

The first keynote will be delivered by Dr. Steven Fawkes, chairman of Day One Energy Solutions and author of the Only Eleven Percent blog, which highlights the social and economic benefits of increasing energy efficiency.

A former government adviser who remains active in UK energy efficiency policy development, Dr. Fawkes is an experienced public speaker and was awarded the Energy Institute’s Individual Achievement Award in November 2012.

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ZigBee Gets Low-Power Controller

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GreenPeak Technologies launches the GP490 at IBC 2013, a chip it describes as a low cost, ultra-low power ZigBee PRO communications controller for the manufacture of cost- and energy-optimised sensor applications.

GreenPeakAccording to the company the chip is ideal for door, window, temperature and light sensors. It operates on a single coin cell battery for over 10 years and supports bi-directional commissioning, bi-directional communication, and full security mode.

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