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Motorola Connected Home Gateway home automation all-in-one hits the FCC with Verizon tags
We first got our eyes on Motorola's Connected Home Gateway home automation box during CES 2012, and now that it's passed through the FCC it should be ready to do its all-in-one magic in real consumer's homes sometime soon. What makes this device special is its ability to speak more than one of the various wireless home control protocols currently in use, easily connecting to, controlling and spitting out macros to make multiple things happen with a minimum of user interference or setup. Want to dim the lights, lower the temperature and turn on security cams as soon as you step outside your door? It can do that. This will all be a part of Verizon's Z-wave based Home Monitoring and Control system at some point, if you're still wondering what possibilities are out there, check out our CES demo video embedded after the break.
Motorola and Verizon team up for Z-Wave monitoring service, let you control your home as you roam
Do you have Verizon broadband and an overwhelming desire to dim your lights remotely and spy on the kids while you're out on a date? Verizon's mew Home Monitoring and Control service lets internet subscribers add Motorola's Z-Wave-based 4Home automation system to their existing package, enabling access to networked cameras, light controls, smart thermostats and door locks. With the $10 monthly service, you can monitor a collection of wireless cameras, unlock doors for family members or guests, or adjust the thermostat using a web-connected tablet or smartphone. The basic Home Monitoring Kit will run you $70, and includes a wireless camera and single light control. A $170 Energy Control Kit swaps the wireless cam for a connected thermostat and Energy Reader, while a $220 Home Monitoring and Control Kit includes all of the above. Door locks, window sensors and additional cameras are sold a la carte, making a complete system a rather pricey proposition. Jump past the break for a handful of man on the street customer testimonials (spoiler alert: they love it!).
Yale demos NFC-enabled residential locks, germaphobes rejoice (video)
Assa Abloy has already brought NFC-based door locks to some Swedish hotel rooms, but one of its subsidiary companies is now looking to bring them to your doorstep, as well. Earlier this month, Yale Locks & Hardware unveiled what it hopes will be the first NFC-enabled residential lock to hit the US market. With this system, all you'll need to do is wave your smartphone in front of one of Yale's Real Living line of motorized locks, which will then automatically open (as long as you've been authorized to do so). Demoed at this year's CEDIA Expo, these revamped locks are also compatible with either Zigbee or Z-Wave home automation technologies and support Assa Abloy's Mobile Keys software, which allows users to securely load all of their digital keys on their handsets. Pricing and availability remain unclear, but you can unlock more details in the brief demo video and full press release, after the break.
Sigma Design's 'ultra thin' TV box design promises HD in a tiny package
It's not much bigger than many of the wall warts currently filling outlets in your power strip, but this reference design from Sigma Designs could be your next cable box. With HomePlug networking, Z-Wave RF remote control technology and the ability to process multiple 1080p streams at once built in, it only needs to be plugged in to the wall (and connected to a TV via HDMI) to get to work. connect to the network and pull in video from the internet, feeds from an IPTV provider like U-Verse (or Comcast eventually), or multiroom streams from a connected DVR. At its heart is the SMP8670 chip unveiled at CES that's optimized for XBMC, Adobe AIR and Flash which could make it an ideal extender for someone like TiVo or Boxee, if Sigma can get them to bite on the concept. Until then, all we can show you are a few pics of the bare internals in the gallery and a press release after the break. %Gallery-126765%
Editorial: Android@Home is the best worst thing that could happen to home automation
As the resident Engadget home automation nerd, Google's Android@Home announcement rocked my little low-powered RF world yesterday. Seeing a brand like Google get behind home automation is the stuff I've been dreaming about ever since Nokia dipped a toe into the tepid Z-Wave waters back in 2008. Unfortunately, Nokia abandoned its Home Control Center ambitions shortly thereafter, leaving the industry in the hands of such consumer powerhouses as Zensys, Sigma Designs, ExpressControls, AMX Corp, Control 4, Echelon, and Jung. Heard of them? No, no you haven't, and that's my point. Home automation has long suffered from the lack of a consumer-centric approach. Consumer electronics companies have almost universally come around to the new mantra of user experience. Most companies have finally awoken from their deep eighties slumber to realize that a single product can no longer dominate an industry on its own -- the age of the Walkman is over. For success, a product must encompass great software, great services, hardware that just works, and stellar support when it doesn't. In short, the user experience is what sets the product apart. Home automators have yet to realize this but Google's announcement could force the issue.
Square Connect SQ Blaster and SQ Remote review: Home automation, unified
Having already taken our first feverish steps down the path of an automated home, we figured it was time to try and integrate the home entertainment system with the household lighting. Our goal coming into this review was to sit down on the sofa and hit a single button on an old, unused iPhone 3G to automatically dim the lights, fire up the 5.1 sound, flip on the media streamer, and ignite the projector. To accomplish this seemingly monumental task we installed a WiFi-enabled SQ Blaster in the TV cabinet, a puck-shaped IR blaster from Square Connect that communicates with MiOS home control gateways like Mi Casa Verde's Vera. So, did we succeed? Did we achieve the ultimate in home-owner nerdvana? You'd better believe it. Read on to find out how.
APX Alarm becomes Vivint as it expands into Z-Wave home automation
Heard of APX Alarm Security Solution? Probably not. But that's ok, it's par for the course when discussing home automation, a market segment mostly ignored by the big boys of consumer electronics. Today APX is making a grand entrance into home automation thanks to a $443 million investment by Goldman Sachs. The company's new lineup of Z-Wave-based automatic door locks, video surveillance, lighting and small appliance controls will be sold under the new Vivint identity. Better yet, the new Z-Wave modules are designed to work with the APX Go!control alarm panels already purchased by some 170,000 customers, according to APX. Look for products to be generally available on March 1st.
Somfy Tahoma Z-Wave and RTS home automation gateway (hands-on)
Typically there are two ways to go with home automation solutions built around gateways: cheap but labor intensive DIY solutions using off-the-shelf products, or expensive professionally installed solutions using proprietary technologies. Somfy's Tahoma Total Home Automation gateway fits somewhere in between. Tahoma supports Somfy's own RTS communication protocol to control Somfy's own line of window coverings in addition to Z-Wave for pretty much everything else. Unlike solutions like Vera from Mi Casa Verde, Tahoma must be professionally installed. The company partnered with Cooper Wiring, Evolve, and Leviton to optimize device integrity while remaining (mostly) true to the Z-Wave protocol. From there the end user is free to move about the automation cabin in order to customize scenes to their liking. We had the chance to see it in action here at CES and came away impressed with both the browser-based user interface and iOS app. Look for it to launch in Q2. Until then, we've got video.
SQ Blaster Pro is a WiFi, Z-Wave, and IR blaster home automation powerhouse
We've seen plenty of IR blasters around the Engadget trailer but few, if any, include WiFi and Z-Wave home automation radios. But that's exactly what the boys over at Square Connect have planned as a followup to their existing SQ Blaster product. A trick that lets you control your home theater equipment, window coverings, lights, and HVAC systems from the company's own SQ Remote iPhone app. At least that's the plan when it ships sometime around Q2, possibly touting WiFi Direct capability and Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS). The device above is a non-working prototype that just happens to look nice with the Apple TV. It features cutouts for a USB port (power and setup), IR extenders, built-in blasters, and removable antenna. Working models are already in field testing with shipments expected to land in the homes of consumers sometime in Q2. %Gallery-113322%
Somfy's slick Tahoma Z-Wave and RTS home automation gateway
Apparently fed up with the fragmented state of home automation solution, Somfy, best known for its selection of automatic window coverings, just announced an automated home gateway of its own. TaHomA (get it? Total Home Automation) is very much a device like Mi Casa Verde's Vera, only with what looks to be a much slicker Home Motion UI and support for Somfy's proprietary wireless RTS communication protocol in addition to Z-Wave. Unlike MCV, however, Somfy is taking a more managed approach by offering an expert setup option performed by certified dealers. After which, you'll be able to manage all of your wireless appliance modules and automatic scenes from anywhere in the world -- via PC, iPad, or iPhone -- thanks to Somfy's remote support server. You can always make changes to Tahoma yourself or ask a dealer to do it on-site or remotely. Tahoma is set to launch in the US sometime in the first quarter half of 2011 for an undisclosed price. We'll see what we can do about getting some hands-on time with it right here at CES before then. %Gallery-111970%
Verizon to demo Home Monitoring and Control system at CES, launch pilot in Jersey next month
Looks like home automation may finally be taking baby steps towards the mainstream -- Verizon's just announced that it'll be demoing that long-rumored Home Monitoring and Control system at CES 2011, with a planned beta rollout in New Jersey to follow. The system will allow users to remotely view security cameras, lock doors, and control lights, thermostats, and appliances through their smartphones or FiOS TV boxes -- the same capabilities most other automation systems offer, but with the added benefit of being integrated and installed by Verizon. The pilot homes in Jersey will receive an energy reader, smart appliance switches and thermostats, door and window locks, a power strip, motion sensors, an indoor pan-and-tilt camera, and a fixed indoor / outdoor camera when the system launches next month, but Verizon says that's just the beginning. We're told the system will use Z-Wave wireless control units and WiFi security cameras, so we're guessing there'll be a central box that integrates everything -- and we've got a feeling this whole thing is based on 4Home (pictured above), which was just acquired by Motorola Mobility. We'll find out more at CES -- stay tuned.
Mi Casa Verde Vera review: Home automation, simplified
Home automation and jetpacks are surprisingly similar in that both of these space-age technologies have, for decades, been over promised and under delivered. Who here wouldn't love to tap a single button when exiting the house to activate the alarm, shut off the lights in the kids' rooms, lower the thermostat, and lock all the doors? That's the convenience, the promise left unfilled as we say goodbye to 2010. We live on a planet that still requires humans to manually close the blinds at the end of the day and flip on a light switch some 90 years since the commercial introduction of the incandescent light bulb. How primitive. And it's downright criminal in ecological and financial terms that we still can't easily monitor and control the power usage in our homes let alone the trickle of wattage vampired off the individual electrical sockets feeding our greedy horde of household electronics. How is this possible given all the advances we've seen? Wireless and sensor technology has advanced far beyond what's required to automate a home. Just look at smartphones, for example, that now ship standard with 3G (and even 4G) data, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS radios in addition to sensors for motion, temperature, moisture, proximity, and even direction. We don't have the answer to home automation's dilemma -- to dig into that topic we'd require a few thousand more words, at least. All we know for sure is that the biggie consumer electronics companies are reluctant to sort it out. As such, dozens of small companies are left to deal with a mess created by an industry incapable of coalescing around a set of interoperable home automation standards. One such company is Mi Casa Verde. A tiny startup that launched its linux-based Vera home automation server back in 2008 with a renewed promise to make home automation setup and control as easy for novices as it is robust for techies and enthusiasts. We've been using a recently launched second generation Vera 2 for a few weeks now. Sure, we haven't quite reached one-button nirvana, but as home automation newbies we're proud to say that we've automated a few helpful in-home lighting situations while skirting the clutches of the Dark Angel sequestered within our fuse box. Better yet, we can control it all from an iPhone -- including the Christmas tree. Click through to see how we did it. %Gallery-111569%
iControl and uControl engage in home automation merger, domestic disputes seem inevitable
Come one, come all -- we're guessing you won't want to miss the most comical business arrangement since the latter part of 2007, when ROK acquired a majority share of Rock. Believe it or not, iControl and uControl have somehow put their selfish ways aside to come together as one, but it's pretty clear who's really in control. The merged company will forge ahead as iControl Networks, leaving u with nothing but fading memories and half a bottle of Jack. In all seriousness, this melding of minds could definitely give the home automation world a boost it's badly in need of; fragmentation and a lack of universal compatibility (not to mention stratospheric pricing) has severely hindered adoption in the consumer universe, and we're hoping that these guys can somehow make ZigBee, Z-Wave and your ZR1 talk to each other sans any hoop jumping. 'Course, we wouldn't expect any sort of quick collaboration -- these two have to get on speaking terms before any magic happens, you know?
HDI Dune's universal media player / home automation boxes show up at CEDIA
After making their debut at IFA earlier in the month, the HDI Dune family of media streamer / Blu-ray combo units appeared Stateside at CEDIA 2010. We spent most of our time checking out the HDI Dune Max, a $499 unit which includes a well-thought out menu system that pulls in info and box art from internet databases and features the ability to play back Blu-ray content from discs or image files equally well, but builds on that with additional streaming capabilities (we saw some Russian TV in action, but were told a Netflix app is on the way) and stream content to the company's HDI Dune Smart family of extenders, or integrate with an control Z-Wave compatible home automation setups with the HDI Dune Home add-on. Also present, but not connected, was the $1,999 HDI Dune Pro unit that builds on the Max with upgraded internal components at home in any high quality rack and home automation hardware built-in, check out a few pictures in the gallery and a press release after the break. %Gallery-103330%
Yale introduces Zigbee and Z-Wave remote lockable deadbolts
No, these aren't the first deadbolts available that can be integrated with your security system or home automation, but unlike some others, they don't require a subscription either. Yale was demoing two models at the Control4's CEDIA booth including one with a capacitive touch screens. Using either Zigbee or Z-Wave the locks can communicate with Control4 and thanks to the internal replaceable batteries can remotely lock and unlock your doors. In addition you can quickly see if you've secured your abode without the need to check it one last time before you go to bed. Both models will start shipping next spring with the touch screen version going for an extra benjamin over the $299 one with regular buttons. %Gallery-103160%
There finally piloting Nokia's Home Control Center in Finland
It sure started out as something promising. When Nokia spun off its Home Control Center technology to There Corporation last year it seemed that easy DIY home automation and power management was just around the corner. Yet here we are, almost two years after first hearing about the effort with nothing but a convoluted mess of unfriendly ZigBee and Z-Wave (to name just 2 "standards") home automation products to choose from. There is hope, small as it may be. There Corporation just announced that it's working with Mitox Oy to conduct a pilot in Finland for customers of Helsingin Energia (Helen) using a There-provided web-based solution built around the ThereGate. It allows individuals to monitor their total power consumption in real time as well as the individual devices and systems that consume energy. Better yet, There Corp employs a "rate control concept" that automatically adjusts power usage to hours when energy costs less based on simple guidelines programed by the user. Unfortunately, There Corporation's focus is on Nordic countries until 2012 before looking to dominate European home energy management in 2015. Call us crazy, but this market seems ripe for domination by a major consumer electronics company right now, not in 5 years.
Gemtek's Moorestown tablet comes with a DECT phone, runs MeeGo and controls your home
OpenPeak brought us one of the first Atom-based tabletphones at IDF 2008, but it may have passed on the torch in more ways than one -- this year, it's Gemtek's turn to show off a Moorestown machine with Linux on board that shares a host of design cues. Who-copied-whoms aside, we have to say the "IP Media Phone" is a mildly intriguing device, combining a DECT cordless handset with a 7-inch MeeGo tablet, the latter ready for both VoIP and video chat thanks to an integrated webcam and mic, and has full home automation controls thanks to 4Home software and a built-in Z-Wave radio. 802.11 b/g/n WiFi connects it to the base station / charging dock, which has room for two USB ports, an ethernet jack, and an SD card slot, while the tablet itself features mini-HDMI, mini-USB and a headset adapter plus an SD card of its own. Though the glossy fingerprint magnet of a capacitive touchscreen left much to be desired, laggy to respond to our press, we were told the tabletphone's an early prototype with wholly unfinished hardware. If history's any indication, expect to see the final form thoroughly rebranded when it likely arrives in the first half of next year. %Gallery-102383%
There Corporation's ThereGate passes FCC muster, Nokia-flavored home automation on the way
After Nokia sold off its home automation assets to another Finnish firm by the name of There, the idea was that we'd finally see some product in the marketplace in early 2010. Well, here we are in the middle of April and there hasn't been anything made available just yet, but we'd chalk this up as a good sign: the so-called ThereGate -- the cerebral cortex of There's system -- just garnered FCC approval. As a refresher, this is a box that packs 6GB of internal storage (expandable with an SDHC slot), a 4-port gigabit router, 802.11n WiFi, and a GSM / 3G radio -- which is all interesting in itself, but the real magic comes into play when you notice that it supports the Z-Wave short-range mesh networking protocol as well. Though There's focus is on "energy saving and efficiency" with support for things like power meters, the Z-Wave radio should allow it to interact with a variety of compatible modules to control lighting, security, and the like -- and naturally, There's Nokia roots mean that you'll be able to access the box remotely using your phone. We don't know when this will be released exactly, but it's got support for both European and US Z-Wave frequencies, so we might see a coordinated launch on both sides of the pond before too long.
D-Link DWM-351 turns the doorbell into a 3G video intercom
In lieu of a cost-effective, consumer-friendly home automation standard being available, products like the D-Link 3G Door Phone have emerged to address ad hoc automation needs. This suped-up, waterproof doorbell allows home owners to monitor the front door over a 3G cellphone or PC via the unit's integrated 0.1 megapixel camera, SIM card, speaker, and mic. Home owners can then see the visitor as a snapshot or over one-way 3G video while interacting over a two-way voice call. Unfortunately, it won't allow you to remotely unlock your door; for that you'll need something like a Schlage lock and a fussy Z-Wave network to go with it. Alternatively, devices like the Siemens Gigaset HC450 intercom has the option to control your electronic door lock from your home landline (accessible via your mobile phone) but lacks video and direct 3G data access. Hey, nobody said home automation was going to be easy.
Home automation shocker: Bulogic bridges Z-Wave to Zigbee smart power meters
Z-Wave. Zigbee. If you're a home automation nerd, these words mean something to you. You are an extreme form of pure nerd, and we envy your ability to invest in things like replacement light switches while the rest of us scrimp and save because now we have to watch TV in an extra dimension we never asked for. Anyway, that Z-Wave network you might have? Well, the Bulogics Smart Grid Controller bridges a Zigbee power meter into it using a new Sigma Designs chip, so you can track all your power usage easily and do something called "end-to-end load shedding," which either helps you save power or requires a painful medical procedure. You're welcome.
