Automated Home

Control4 have announced a new family of of wireless lighting control products.  The company says they reduce programming complexity and are ideal for both for retrofit and new build projects. The new Control4 Wireless Lighting family includes Keypads, Switches, Controllers and Dimmers.  Make sure to check out both videos below… Control4, a market leader in home automation systems, today [...]

There have been plenty of Google Glass reviews already but last Sundays episode of ‘This Week in Tech’ provided one of the best insights yet into the product.  The $1,500 developer preview should be more like $200-$500 once it’s available as a consumer product in 2014.  But it’s going to require an adjustment to ’social norms’ before we [...]

A recent post on our C-Bus Forums highlighted a couple of new videos from Clipsal on their new eDLT (enhanced Dynamic Labelling Technology) switches… The best just got better with Clipsal’s eDLT (enhanced Dynamic Labelling Technology). The eDLT provides sophisticated and user friendly control of your C-Bus System and offers the ability to customise the colour [...]

HouseLogix are launching their new ZigBee Voice Control Device for Home Automation called VoicePod.  It’s a completely hands free system that interprets voice commands and sends appropriate signals to the home automation system using wireless ZigBee technology. VoicePod can be used to control all the usual HA suspects, including TV, music, thermostats, lighting, shading, security and [...]

The £170 ZipaBox from little known Croatian company Zipato challenges VeraLite’s Micasa Verde on price, yet promises a feature set on a par with high-end controllers like the Fibaro Home Centre 2. We put the ZipaBox through its paces to find out if it can really deliver. For this test, we’re using a ZipaBox together [...]

Logitech have announced two new universla remotes.  The Logitech Harmony Ultimate is a £229 touchscreen and hard buttoned offering and the Logitech Harmony Smart Control at £109 provides a smartphone interface to your home cinema and other equipment   Both units employ the new Harmony Hub.  Check out the videos below… Today, Logitech announced the expansion of its Harmony [...]

Ah the Raspberry Pi and Home Automation, a match made in heaven.  Now a new software project “RaspLogic” aims to provide a smart home controller offering a simple interface to build powerful macros. The project – RaspLogic is a software that want to make a simple, user friendly and cheap way to control things in [...]

Keene have just launched a new IR Distribution amplifier to their range… Designed and manufactured in the UK the Keene Pro4 has some powerful features for demanding installations. It has four IR Receiver inputs, and uniquely all four receivers can be located in the same room if needed. Normally multiple IR receivers will cause timing issues [...]

Here’s another video from Apple based Home Automation company Savant Systems.  This latest tour of their Soho apartment shows the technology integrated across the home.  Using the iPad to control itunes for whole house audio plus extensive lighting control too.  ’True Image’ provides a photo of the apartment and touching the lamp in the photo controls that lamp. [...]

Control4 have announced a new Lithium-Polymer rechargeable battery and recharging cradle for their SR-150 and SR-250 System Remote Controls.  The ‘Remote Recharging Station’ will be available in April 2013 for $130 from Control4 dealers.  Check out the video and PR below… Control4, a leading innovator in IP-based residential and light commercial automation systems, announced today a new Recharging [...]