European Custom Installer

Lighting company LIFX announces a wifi-connected means for customers to add coloured accent lighting to their homes-- Beam Kit, a thin light rail one can control via companion app.

Customers can arrange the Beam strips in a variety of different shapes to provide "cutting edge illumination" for home accent lighting. The package contains 6 individual Beams, together with 1 corner connector piece and a power pack. In turn, each Beam is 10cm long and features 10 blending light zones for a range of colours.

Samsung brings security specialist ADT to add optional monitoring services to the SmartThings home automation offering, bringing a combination of DIY smart home products and professionally installed and monitored security systems.

Dubbed the ADT Home Security Starter Kit, the base bundle includes a Security Hub, two door and window sensors and a motion sensor. The Security Hub features a 7-inch touchscreen, built-in siren, battery, cellular data backup and encrypted wireless technology. It also acts as a SmartThings hub, meaning it connects with SmartThings devices as well all the security sensors found in the package.

Samsung also plans to add other security devices in the future, including fire, carbon monoxide and water sensors. Control comes through companion SmartThings mobile device app, while the ADT partnership provides optional subscription-based 24/7/365 professional monitoring.

RTI announces a special edition of the T3x handheld system control-- one with a white finish, part of a 25th anniversary celebration allowing dealers to vote on their favourite finish colour.

The T3x remote was first shown off in different finishes back at ISE 2017. In the aforementioned special edition colour vote, the white finish won by a landslide, leading to the white version of the flagship remote.

Pioneer clearly believes audiophiles still care for the humble CD as it presents the PD-70AE-- a flagship CD player and DAC combining original pickup control and quiet drive technologies with the latest in digital audio design.

The PD-70AE promises the best in components, including a full-balanced circuit featuring independent left and right channels to minimise interference when passing analogue signals through a balanced input. An on/off switching function for RCA output is also available for a high signal to noise ratio and high separation for XLR output.

The digital and analogue circuitries have individual power supplies, while a custom electrolytic capacitor promises to bring out the best from CDs and SACDs. The RCA terminals are machined and gold-plated, and a lock range adjust function allows customers to make fine adjustments in a six-increment scale in order to reduce jitter.

MATRIX follows the MATRIX Creator Internet of Things (IoT) dev board with the addition of Z-Wave certification, marking the company's debut into the residential custom installation market.

As the company puts it, Z-Wave certification allows custom installers to use the MATRIX Creator to build custom smart home apps delivering highly specific functionality. In addition, such apps can be sold to other customers with similar unique requirements, creating an opportunity for a recurring revenue stream.

“The reality is that integrators may not be able to satisfy all of their client’s requirements with a big-brand automation system,” the company says. “With the MATRIX Creator in their toolkit, though, they can seamlessly build and add customized functionality to accommodate any request beyond the system’s out-of-box capabilities. The MATRIX Creator fills in the gaps, serving to seamlessly pair with a whole-home automation system and satisfy all of a customer’s requests, no matter the ask.”