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Nokia spins off Home Control Center team as There Corporation, slips product into 2010
Remember Nokia's Home Control Center launched in December with plans to send home automation product to retail by the end of 2009. Well, it's been upended today with Nokia bowing out of its own smart home activities and licensing the technology to the independent There Corporation -- a company that now employs Nokia's former Smart Home team. Unfortunately, we're now looking at the beginning of 2010 before we see the first solution dubbed Safety 360; a "security kit" for monitoring fire and water leakage alarms, intrusion detection, and energy consumption monitoring through the use of the Home Control Center device (pictured right), door/window sensors, motion, flood, and smoke detectors, and a "Binary Switch with electricity meter"... whatever that is. You know, at this point, we'd be happy for a big name consumer electronics company to sweep in, set a de facto standard, and kick the dozen or so proprietary and so-called "industry standards" to the curb so that we can finally take home automation mainstream. Maybe that'll be Z-Wave which is the only home automation communication standard listed under the device specs for Nokia's There's Home Control Center. The promise of the ubiquitous automated home has been floundering for decades now -- enough's enough.
Mac-friendly Houseport USB To Z-Wave adapter shipping soon en masse
For those that don't visit Fry's Electronics on any regular basis, you probably reckoned that Wayne Dalton's totally promising USB To Z-Wave adapter had simply failed to ever make it onto store shelves after being launched 14 months ago. Turns out, the device (and the OS X-friendly Houseport software) has just been loosed from its limiting "Fry's exclusive" agreement, and it's about to ship out to anyone who desires it starting June 1st. We're told that the hardware and software hasn't changed since CES 2008, and even the retail price ($87) will remain the same. Of note, eager beavers can snag a limited number of upgradeable pre-production units today for $79, but then again, you never really know what you're going to get. Hang tight, Mac-owing home automators -- your long-awaited solution is nearly here.
Is Verizon planning a Z-Wave home automation system?
As home automation starts building up steam it looks like Verizon might be giving Nokia's to-be-released Home Control Center a little run for its money. According to CE Pro, FCC documentation has been found describing something called the Verizon Home Monitoring Gateway and Home Monitor Service. Apparently based on technology from 4Home, the Z-Wave compliant system uses a Westell-branded Control Point gateway featuring Internet connectivity and automation capabilities. The site also describes widgets for controlling surveillance cameras and various room modes, such as "Home," "Away" or "Movie Time!" Devices can be accessed and functions scheduled either through a web browser or directly from Verizon mobile phones equipped with a "4Home" button. Neither Verizon nor 4Home have yet commented on any of this, but we're keeping our eyes peeled.
Nokia's Z-Wave Home Control Center hands-on and video
Since hearing about Nokia's foray into the world of home automation, our curiosity has been seriously piqued. Thankfully, our girl-on-the-scene Drita has captured video of the new software / hardware combo in action on the Nokia World show floor. It looks like a fully decked out system is going to run you a hefty fee (given all the components required), but can you put a price on the extreme laziness it will enable? We didn't think so. Check out the pics on Engadget and the thrilling video out after the break!
Nokia launching Z-Wave Home Control Center next year
Who doesn't long for a smart home system that gives you full control of your thermostat, lighting, AV, and security system from the convenience of your cellphone? While many proprietary and "standards-based" off-the-shelf solutions exist, things quickly break down due to the lack of interoperability, cost, or sheer complexity of medium-to-large home automation designs. Enter Nokia who just announced its Home Control Center, a platform open for third parties to develop "plug and play" solutions, all of which can be controlled via your phone or PC from both inside and outside the home. HCC will let home owners switch devices on and off as they monitor and control their electricity usage while providing access to objects such as temperature sensors, cameras, and motion detectors. Ultimately it will integrate more complex systems like security, heating, and ventilation. Although few technical details were provided, a research paper from last year that outlined Nokia's Smart Home strategy called for a 802.11n WiFi home gateway device (presumably from Nokia) with optional GSM/GPRS module integrating into a home network of Z-Wave and ZigBee-compliant devices. The system is expected to include pre-packaged Smart Home kits ranging from starter, security, energy, and baby monitoring when it goes retail (Europe first) by the end of 2009.Update: Good news, remote access only requires a web browser. As such, you can use any cellphone with a decent browser to manage your home remotely.Read -- Press ReleaseRead -- Product brief [Warning: PDF]Read -- Research paper [Warning: PDF]
Vera home automation system wants to be the greenest of them all
As the global economy curls up into the fetal position in the face of rising energy costs, we're as determined as anyone to be as energy efficient as possible -- as long as it's completely convenient, of course. Mi Casa Verde hopes to help with that with Vera, a Z-Wave / 802.11 hub with an exceptionally robust web interface for monitoring the energy usage of devices in your home as well as turning them off, setting up scenes, events and timers, and operating locks and security cameras. Since it's a low impact little device running a stripped down version of Linux, it operates on less power than desktop-based solutions -- a benefit that Mi Casa Verde claims makes it one of the few systems that save more power than they use. Its retail price will be competitive, with the box at $299 and a secure remote access gateway at $8 per month, but Mi Casa Verde is trying to entice would-be testers with a pre-street sale price of $149 and one year of free remote access service -- that option will be available through October 31st, with the final product available to conscientious tree-huggers (tech savvy and otherwise, the company hopes) everywhere on November 15th.[Thanks, Dmitry]
Schlage LiNK web-controlled Z-Wave door locks priced right out of consideration
We first spotted Schlage's web-controlled Z-Wave door locks back in May, but Schlage was still working out details on everything from the name to pricing, and it looks like ditching that key for online access will be pretty pricey: a LiNK lock "starter kit" will run $299 for a lock and Z-Wave Ethernet bridge that enables network control, with additional locks going for $199. On top of that, you'll be charged $12.99 a month for access to the LiNK portal and mobile apps, including 100MB of video storage if you add a video camera to the system. Good luck with that, Schlage -- turns out regular keys don't charge a monthly fee to keep doors locked.
Schlage announces web-enabled Z-Wave door locks
The Z-Wave standard for home automation has already proven itself to be a pretty versatile bit of technology, and it looks like its now set to ensnare yet another part of your house, with lock-maker Schlage set to introduce some web-enabled Z-Wave door locks. Those will let you lock or unlock your door from your PC, cellphone or any other wireless, web-enabled device -- or, of course, from the lock itself. That's done with the aid of a Z-Wave gateway that connects to your router, which relays the RF signals to and from the lock (or one of up to 256 other Z-Wave devices), and gives you the added benefit of extending the life of the batteries in the lock, which Schlage says should last for up to three years. Otherwise, the details on the locks themselves are pretty light, with the folks at Schlage only going so far as to say that they'll look "pretty similar" to their non-Z-Wave locks (pictured at right), and that they'll be "affordable," though presumably not less than the $150 their current locks go for.[Thanks, Steve]
Microsoft and friends team up to study potential connected home applications
Those looking to better unify your lighting, security, HVAC and home theater are in luck, as a new team has just been formed to investigate what you want, what you need and how to deliver it. Whirlpool, Bell Canada, Cisco, Direct Energy, HP, Legrand, Leviton, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Zensys and the Z-Wave Alliance have all come together to "conduct an in-depth study about the state and future of the smart home." More specifically, the crew will be asking consumers what types of connected home applications could be created or improved upon, with a few examples consisting of TV-based Caller ID screens, remotely controlled temperature / lighting and the ability to crank your home stereo to 11 when a crook breaks in. Yeah, we're totally bluffing on that last one, but you never know.
ControlThink's new Z-Wave USB Adapter is firmware-upgradeable
While we have interns to switch off the lights and regulate Engadget HQ temperature, plenty of folks rely on the Z-Wave standard for home automation. Unlucky for them, most Z-Wave adapters need to be replaced every year or so to support new protocol features, so ControlThink built what it's billing as the "industry's first upgradeable Z-Wave USB Adapter." The cute little USB dongle goes for $40, and runs at 4x (40kbps) speeds, but is backwards compatible with 1x devices. We know, you can hardly contain your excitement.
USB To Z-Wave Adapter, Houseport software comes to OS X
Admirers of Macs and Z-Wave have longed for the day in which they could finally use their two dearest loves simultaneously, and thanks to Wayne-Dalton, that day is upon us. The WDUSB-10MAC is hailed as the world's first Z-Wave-enabled home control system "designed specifically for the Mac OS X operating system." Mac users simply plug in the USB dongle, install the bundled Houseport software and go wild creating and managing their home network. When all is said and done, OS X users will be able to "control light switches, appliances, electronics, thermostats and other Z-Wave-enabled devices from their computers or through the internet" -- a feat previously only achievable by booting into Windows. Not too shabby for $87, eh?[Via CEPro]
Actiontec's zControl home automation gateways get official
Seeking to "change the way people manage their household electronics," Actiontec is getting set to unleash an outpouring of zControl products. We'd briefly heard about the firm's standalone unit that connects to the home router a few months back, but here at CES even more details are starting to flow. Apparently, Actiontec will be pushing out an entire series of Z-Wave-based wares "designed to centrally manage household electronics such as lights, security cameras, thermostats, motion detectors, garage door openers, motorized shades and automatic sprinklers through the home network." Furthermore, zControl will give owners the ability to dictate connected items remotely, and while we've no room to mention every piece of the forthcoming lineup, you should know that the zControl Starter Kit -- which includes a zControl unit, one indoor camera with motion detector, one lighting control module, and a remote control -- will be available next month for $399. Hit the read link for lots, lots more. [Via eHomeUpgrade]
Hawking reveals HomeRemote Pro monitoring solution
Merely months after Hawking finally got its act together and began shipping out the HomeRemote, the firm is already upping the ante with a new model at CES. Logically dubbed the HomeRemote Pro, this iteration weds IP and Z-Wave technologies to enable users to control lighting, access control, video monitoring, climate control and entertainment -- and that's just for starters. The system also touts a new web server-based system that reportedly "allows for true plug and play installation," and yes, there's already a slew of peripherals (lamp / appliance modules, door sensors and motion detectors) ready to snag as you futilely attempt to quell your paranoia. Users can grab their own starter kit while looking over a shoulder next month for $200, and considering that you can keep an eye on things even from a cellphone, you really won't ever have to wave goodbye when leaving home.
Hawking starts shipping the HomeRemote Z-Wave / Wi-Fi home controller
It took them a year and a half, but Hawking Technologies has finally started shipping the HomeRemote, that net-enabled Z-Wave controller that can be acessed via any web browser -- even a cellphone browser. Looking a little sleeker than before, the $229 box serves as the master controller for all those Z-Wave devices you have in your house, and runs a slick web interface so you can turn your lights on and open the garage door from anywhere in the world. Add in the $179 HomeRemote camera and the system will also stream video -- we're not sure how good it'll look over "any cellphone web browser" but Hawking says it'll work just fine. Make sure to check the read link for Hawking's hilarious promo video in which the video feature is used to futilely monitor a dog eating a shoe -- down, Fluffy!
