European Custom Installer

System Integration for the Connected Home

Home Automation

Launching Connected Home Solutions in Europe

  • PDF

by Tom Kerber, Director, Research, Home Controls and Energy, Parks Associates

Individual Connected Products

Tom KerberMany countries throughout Europe have exceeded the 50% mark for broadband penetration.  In particular, broadband subscriptions in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland exceed 85% of households. In Italy and Portugal, 55-60% of households have broadband subscriptions.

Broadband creates the foundation for the connected home, opening a conduit for many new control and management applications. This high-speed, persistent connectivity enables cloud services like real-time feedback and automated controls, which can send repair notifications and synchronize operations to off-peak hours.

The connection to the Internet also allows devices to offload the computing power from the devices to central servers where extensive analytics can be performed, providing sophisticated solutions at a small cost premium.  Both broadband and the cloud allow solutions to use existing displays such as smartphones, connected TVs, or tablets to interface with connected devices in the home. Using existing screens in the home instead of a dedicated display also lowers hardware costs and allows for faster product development cycles.

Today, numerous connected products targeting the residential market are available. Lowe's premiered its Iris line of products in 2012 and will showcase its solutions at the upcoming Smart Energy Summit, February 25-27, in San Antonio, Texas.

In Europe, lighting dimmers from KlikaanKlikuit, smart plugs from Elro, alarm systems from Woonveilig, and IP cameras from Marmitek are widely available in retail outlets such as Saturn, where 3% of floor space is dedicated to home controls.

 

Read more...

Nortek Acquires 2Gig

  • PDF

Core Brands owner Nortek acquires residential security and home automation system developer 2Gig Technologies for around $135 million.

Nortek 2GigOnce the acquisition is finalised Nortek will fold 2Gig into subsidiary Linear LLC, provider of home security, garage door openers, commercial access controls, PERS and other electronic systems.

Linear is a familiar face for 2Gig, having collaborated with the company on the Go!Control all-in-one security and automation touchscreen control panel.

This is the second time in less than 6 months 2Gig gets acquired-- on September 2012 2Gig made part of a $2billion purchase (together with its biggest customer, Vivint) by Blackstone Capital.

Go Nortek to Acquire 2Gig Technologies

Crestron Software at ISE 2013

  • PDF

The Crestron ISE 2013 stand houses an EMEA software launch-- Crestron Studio, a unified development environment promising make home automation system design and programming easier for installers.

Crestron StudioThe company claims the software simplifies the once lengthy tasks of system and GUI design, with backward compatibility allowing users to update and support 2- and 3-Series SIMPL programs, user drivers and VT Pro-e projects.

SmartObjects are the building blocks for the system-- drag-and-drop presets allowing users to instantly add controls for commonly used functions, such as media players, lighting, weather, TV and intercom, complete with proper buttons, knobs, sliders and switches for each type of source.

Read more...

Crestron Shows Off at ISE

  • PDF

ECI gets a tour of the Crestron stand at ISE 2013-- a massive Hall 2 number (a first for a company used to Hall 1) housing a live "Integrated by Design" building environment.

Crestron standFirst seen at the show were the 3-Series building control systems, with built-in BACnet/IP support allowing the management of a independent systems through a single platform, creating what Crestron describes as "a truly smart building."

ISE 2013 hosted a Crestron preview-- the CLWI wireless dimming and control system. Designed for the European market, the CLWI series uses inifiNET EX wireless technology for cost-effective, Crestron-compatible 2-way dimming.

The company says the series is ideal for both new and retrofit installations, thanks to a shallow profile fitting in European single gang boxes and screw-clamp connectors for speedier installs.

Read more...

CEDIA: Smart Homes for Everyone

  • PDF

Smart homes should be within the expectations of all future customers, CEDIA Region 1 education manager Geoff Meads says in the opening of the 1st Smart Building Conference.

Smart building conferenceTaking place a day before ISE 2013, the Smart Buildings Conference is an InfoComm/CEDIA joint venture attracting not only installers, distributors and manufacturers but also architects, design consultants, developers, electrical contractors and other stakeholders within the construction sector.

Once the reserve of wealthier customers, CEDIA proposes the smart home market should be open to all incomes. "We need to start delivering great homes for the average family," Meads says. "For homes with just 2 or 3 bedrooms."

Meads points out two potential connected home market drivers-- prospective home buyers and elderly customers looking into telemedicine.

The conference also hosts STEP (Sustainable Technology Environments Program) Foundation director Allen Weidman, who urges installers to move into smart building technology (SBT).

"Think beyond AV," Weidman says. "Start with smart spaces, then go on to claim smart buildings!"

Go Smart Building Conference at ISE 2013

ADT Pulse Goes for Mass Market

  • PDF

ADT makes a 1st appearance at CES this year, showing the Pulse open platform to potential partners-- now with a TV interface and Apple AirPlay integration.

ADT PulseThe TV interface comes through a Samsung Smart TV app. Controllable via regular remote, the app allows users to check on Pulse systems (such as security camera feeds) while regular TV viewing runs in the background.

The system is currently entirely manual, and lacks the automatic display of screens according to "events" (such as doorbells). However ADT plans to offer voice recognition features in future versions.

A second Pulse feature seen at CES 2013 is AirPlay integration, allowing users to control AirPlay music through the Pulse app environment.

ADT also to enter the lucrative home health market through a partnership with medical monitor device maker Ideal Life, with medical device integration in the Pulse ecosystem.

Go ADT at CES 2013

The Next CE Battleground

  • PDF

CES 2013 was more than just oversized TVs and smartphones-- "smart" appliances also make an appearance, with vendors insisting that, yes, fridges, ovens and even the humble fork need wifi connections and smartphone control.

Samsung SmartfridgeAttracting much attention at the show was the latest Samsung take on the fridge, the T9000, a gargantuan 4-door number with a 10-inch touchscreen running on a custom OS. It has a wifi connection and runs a variety of apps, including Twitter, Epicurious and even a Google Calendar client.

It also has advanced coolilng technology (supposedly to keep food fresh for longer while an Evernote app allows the sharing of photos, videos and recipes. From the fridge. Amazing

LG also had a full kitchen range at CES 2013, with smart fridges, washing machines, ovens and robot vacuum cleaners. The unique selling point here is NFC-capability allowing users to check on appliances with a simple tap of a smartphone.

Read more...