It's been a tough year of loss for so many of the musicians we love, especially those that grew up in the 80s and revered them as icons. Yet, I know it’s ridiculous to blame the arbitrary goal posts in time we call a year for the loss of the many beloved celebrities gone in 2016. I’m certain our perception of 2016 is skewed, yet I can't help but be glad to see an end to this year. Rest in peace 2016. And good riddance.
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Saturday, December 31, 2016
Friday, December 30, 2016
Thursday, December 29, 2016
USPS Christmas Ornament Tracks Holiday Package Shipments
If you’re an Amazon user who has ever wondered if your packages have reached loved ones during the holiday season can always ask Alexa if your shipments have been delivered. But what about those who ship directly via the U.S. Postal Service?
The USPS is hopping onboard the home gadget train this holiday season with a Christmas ornament that tracks packages from its festive spot on the tree.
Officially called “The Most Wonderful Ornament,” the bulb changes color as the status of a package is updated, reports Engadget. When the package is out for delivery the ornament lights up blue. When it’s been dropped off, it turns red. When the recipient has opened it, the ornament will turn green.
USPS users can already check online or on their phone to track a shipment, but The Most Wonderful Ornament is making what might have been a stressful activity easier and more festive. However, BGR reports that the ornament is not wireless, which may not look stellar on a Christmas tree, depending on how skilled you are at hiding wires.
The ornament uses cellular technology and a sensor that determines when the box is open. It’s integrated with the existing tracking system to fetch information and subsequently turn the corresponding color.
USPS is only doing a limited trial in 2016, but it plans to refine the product and perhaps release many more next year.
The post USPS Christmas Ornament Tracks Holiday Package Shipments appeared first on Electronic House.
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Streamline Your Morning Routine with Smart Home Technology
Rise and shine has taken on a whole new meaning at the lakeshore home of Drs. Carol Parlow and Joseph Fairbrother. Their luxury condominium on the northern shores of Lake Ontario awakens before they do, as the outdoor lights begin to dim, the kitchen lights activate and the window shades rise.
As busy as these two physicians are, they found a way to get their day started as simply and smoothly as possible: by using a Crestron home control system to orchestrate operation of various electronic devices in their home. And it’s not just the morning routine that the Crestron system has streamlined. The sophisticated home control system makes the home fun like a well-oiled machine all day long.
Catering to a Busy Lifestyle
“Now that we are in a modern place, we thought control should be modern as well,” says Dr. Parlow, who describes herself as a tech geek. “We just knew it should be easy to get everything automated, like the music, lighting, and shades.”
While the doctors go about their daily routines, so does the condo, but that doesn’t mean the homeowners can’t take cover when they want to. While some scenes like “Morning” are set to run automatically, others are triggered manually when the doctors interact with touchscreens, remotes, and keypads located in various places throughout the home.
Lighting Leads the Way
OneTouch Automation began its design and programming work with the scenes that impact the home’s lights. “Lighting is the most important system in the house,” says Naz Kawsar, OneTouch principal. “You always have to have lights.” Certain lights illuminate automatically in the morning and at dusk, and dim to five percent in the hallways during the night. “That’s enough light for someone to walk around safely, but not too much to disturb someone who is sleeping,” Kawsar explains. “The “Night” scene also keeps the outside lights on from dusk to dawn.”
Made in the Shade
For example, the living room shades lower midday, just as the sun’s rays begin to stream through the living room window. This helps keep the room cool without taxing the home’s HVAC system. It also helps protect the furnishings and carpet from UV damage.
The time-of-day control is handled by the Crestron system’s built-in astronomical timeclock, which dispatches commands based on the daily sunrise and sunset. “Without the astronomical clock, it would be very hard to determine when sunset happens on, say, January 7 or October 5,” Kawsar says. “We just input the latitude and longitude of the home and the system automatically adjusts the time for the shades to lower or rise based on the position of the sun.” For on the spot control, a touch of the “Privacy” button on any Crestron touchscreen, remote, or keypad signals the shades in a given room to open or close.
Concert Quality Sound
Audio sources include the media server, AM, FM and satellite radio, plus a Crestron docking station for the iPod. Video sources include cable, Apple TV, and a Kaleidescape movie server for DVD and Blu-ray discs. Each room has a Crestron light switch and either a keypad or touchscreen for full room control. The doctors can select audio sources, browse through music libraries, play songs, and adjust volume from the touchscreen or keypad in the room. For addition convenience, the light switch also features buttons for volume control. “It’s like you are in a concert hall,” says Kawsar. “It’s an out of this world experience.”
Simply Stated
It was important to the doctors that operating this system would be simple, even though there are many components to a system of this size and scale. From the kitchen touchscreen, they can simply drag-and-drop an audio or video source icon onto the room or area they choose and instantly enjoy the content. They can call up any programmed scene, check the weather, control the lighting and shade position in any given room, adjust the heating or air conditioning, and even go online, all by simply touching an icon.
They can also watch TV on the same 24-inch touchscreen that presents home control options. “I like the fact that you can have different sources in different areas of the house,” says Dr. Parlow. “My husband might watch the Masters in the living room, while I have music on in the kitchen.” Dr. Parlow also has the ability to project her laptop contents onto any video display in the house, which allows her to easily review patient files at home. “I don’t have a specific office in the house. I want to look at my work on a big screen because I have trouble seeing it on the small screen. Instead of having an ugly computer monitor sitting on a desk in the middle of the room, I can just sit down in a chair and display it on a large screen TV.”
Don’t Panic
The doctors initially told Kawsar what they wanted the home to do on its own, but they added and subtracted things after living there for a few months and figuring out their routine. They have presets for just about every scenario, even ones they hope never to use. A push of the “Panic” button flashes all the lights in the home until help arrives, while going on vacation couldn’t be made any easier. “If you go on holiday, you press a “Vacation” button and it simulates your behavior when you’re home,” says Dr. Parlow. “So the lights go on and off and the shades go up and down, making it look like you’re home.
Welcome Home
It’s always good to arrive home after a long day’s work, but for the doctors, homecoming is as simple and welcoming as possible. A push of the garage door opener triggers the garage lights, the interior hallway lights that lead to the elevator, and several other lights, while soft music begins to play throughout the condo. Without a doubt, Crestron has given the doctors the kind of living experience they wanted. The most comprehensive technology offered today, combined with a luxurious living environment, makes home life simple, safe, and stress-free.
The post Streamline Your Morning Routine with Smart Home Technology appeared first on Electronic House.
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New Year’s Resolution: 5 Ways to Make Your House Smarter
By Justin Schwartz- CEO, SAGE AV
Smart home products are becoming increasingly popular. By the year 2020, smart home automation devices are expected to become a $57 billion dollar industry. So, is now is the time to seriously consider investing in smart home technology, or should you wait? If you’re making a New Year’s resolution to live smarter, more economically, and more comfortably, 2017 is the year to give you house and your life a high-tech makeover.
1 Energy Savings
The average household spends almost $2,000 on energy costs per year. With just a few smart upgrades, it’s possible to make your home more efficient, as well as cost effective. Forty-five percent of smart home users report their smart home technologies saved them over $1,100 annually. Smart home products from lighting (automatic timers, dimmers, motion detectors) to thermostat (programmable thermostats) control and even irrigation systems (automatic irrigation systems) offer homeowners a way to begin saving on their energy costs immediately. A connected smart home energy monitoring system makes it easy for you to not only view your energy costs, but respond to that usage and take control of the costs. Ultimately, a smart home helps minimize the use of energy around the home, and in turn makes your life easier by automating tasks you would otherwise do manually.
2 Increase the Resale Value of Your Home
If you are looking to boost the resale value of your home, smart home technology is a good investment. A recent study by Coldwell Banker found that 64% of home buyers are interested in purchasing a smart home. According to the study, homes with already installed devices could make a huge difference in how fast and how much the buyer might spend on their new home. In fact, 81% of current smart home device owners say they would be more willing to buy a home with connected technology in place. Not only are Americans more interested in smart home technology, but homeowners and builders have found that smart home automation drastically raises a property’s value and makes it sell faster. According to experts, adding the right smart home technology to your home or requesting those features in your next property is both worth the expense and the effort.
3 Life-Saving Features
Fires, flooding, and carbon monoxide are just a few examples that can destroy your home and threaten your life. With advances in smart home technology, you can now receive warnings that will protect you. Smart home technology can monitor fire or plumbing leaks and prevent thousands of dollars in damage when homeowners are away. Smart homes give homeowners the ability to know what’s happening with their homes even while they are not present by generating alerts to let you know there is a problem. For example, smart smoke alarms come in handy if there is a fire and you aren’t home. The alarms can send an alert through apps to your smartphone or device. Additionally, alerts can be set if your smart devices are low on batteries, or if there is carbon monoxide in the home. Minor leaks which could potentially turn into devastating damage can now be prevented through the notification of smart home technology. In all these cases, knowing what’s happening in your home can give you peace of mind, and the ability to address problems before they escalate, all changing your life for the better.
4 Security
Personal and family security remain key drivers in the adoption of smart home devices. According to recent reports, 90% of consumers agree that security is one of the most important reasons to purchase a smart home system. With smart home security, you can arm and disarm your home even when you are not there. Smart surveillance gives you the ability to monitor live video from security cameras, as well as receive notifications if an intruder is on your property.
In addition, motion activated lights, motion and sound detectors, home entertainment systems, blinds, video doorbells and even door locks can be smart, all giving the appearance of a more lived-in feel, as well as added security measures. All in all, smart home systems present unlimited opportunities to keep you and your family safe.
5 Convenience
Convenience is one of the biggest reasons that people build or purchase smart homes. The ultimate convenience of a smart home is its ability to learn your preferences and daily routine and then act accordingly. According to studies, 87% say that technology makes their lives easier, while 57% agree that these devices save them time. Smart homes have systems such as heating and cooling, multimedia devices, lighting, electronics and appliances all communicating with each other in addition to giving its users remote access. All of these smart home technologies streamline common household tasks.
The post New Year’s Resolution: 5 Ways to Make Your House Smarter appeared first on Electronic House.
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Holiday Light and Sound Show
Christmas may be over, but the holiday spirit lives on at John Krug’s home in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. The home systems integrator from Atlantic Marine Electronics employed the same products and systems he installs in his clients homes to create a dramatic holiday display that has passerby stopping in their tracks to admire. Here’s how and why he did it:
Here’s why: “I use Total Control from URC to handle all the scheduling of my holiday light and sound show. I don’t usually make it home in time to get everything set for the light show each night. With Total Control, I don’t have to be there to mess with things. It all happens on a set schedule automatically. And if we have bad weather, I can easily remote in with the URC Mobile app and cancel the show for that night. Next year, I want to create an interface for people walking by to select the song they want to hear. I’m sure I will be using Total Control for that too.”
Here’s what happens: At 5 p.m. the outdoor lights turn off and the lights turn off in the upstairs bedroom, living room, and foyer. Then the Christmas tree in the living room turns on and my audio system’s outdoor zone turns on to a certain set volume. The Lightorama light controller is then triggered to begin playing the light show. At 7 p.m. the sound turns down a bit since it gets quieter in my neighborhood by then. At 8 p.m. the sound shuts off so my neighbors don’t go too insane from hearing the same 20 songs. (People can still listen to an FM station in their cars) At 9 p.m. the light show shuts down, then my exterior lights come back on.
YouTube video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks1Odx0O1i4
The post Holiday Light and Sound Show appeared first on Electronic House.
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Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Fluance Signature Series 3-Way Floorstanding Speakers Review
The Fluance Signature Series Hi-Fi Three-Way Floorstanding speakers were recently relaunched after significant improvements were made to its crossover. This large tower speaker uses two 8" woofers, a fiber-woven 5.25" midwoofer, and a silk-dome tweeter in a wave-guide, and it promises serious bass extension well below 40 Hz. This impressive driver array is set in a gloss black front baffle with some stylish touches that belie the very affordable speaker cost. Initial enthusiasm about the earlier version of the Signature Floorstanding speakers gave way to mixed reactions due to a problematic crossover, but we have the redesigned version in our hands, so let's see how it performs in our listening tests and subjective measurements to determine if this is the best $700 deal for tower speakers today.
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Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Flood Sensor Works with Apple HomeKit
Fibaro is bringing the first flood and leak sensing device to Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem, along with two other HomeKit-enabled devices: a motion sensor and door/window sensor.
All three devices are designed to subtly blend in to home décor and be placed around the home to monitor changes in their surroundings.
The sensors run on wireless Bluetooth LE (low energy, so as not to drain the battery) and can be controlled remotely via the new Fibaro app or the Apple Home app, available in iOS 10.
Fibaro Flood Sensor
An LED indicator and an alarm both alert homeowners of flooding, and also of any tampering with the device. The sensor can trigger a smart home scene and notify a user of a problem through the Fibaro app or Apple’s Home app.
Homeowners can also use the Fibaro Flood Sensor as a temperature sensor. If the sensor is placed in the garage or basement in cold weather months, users can ask Siri to check the temperature where the sensor is placed and stay ahead of burst pipes, drafts or other problems.
Fibaro Motion Sensor
Battery-powered and communicating via Bluetooth, the device looks like an eye, with an LED indicator that changes colors to signal motion, temperature level, or light. The Motion Sensor is equipped with tamper protection through a built-in accelerometer. Any unauthorized attempt to relocate or change the sensor’s view angle should trigger an alarm.
Fibaro Door/Window Sensor
Fibaro App
Fibaro designed a new app exclusively for use with its Apple HomeKit product line. Fibaro’s HomeKit devices can be controlled with voice using Siri directly from an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch. With an Apple TV, the app also allows for remote access and management outside the smart home. The Fibaro app gives users extended functionality including device status checks.
Retail pricing:
- Fibaro Flood Sensor $69.99/ea
- Motion Sensor $69.99/ea
- Door/Window Sensor $59.99/ea
All three products are expected to be available by the end of 2016.
The post Flood Sensor Works with Apple HomeKit appeared first on Electronic House.
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GUESS Watches Connect with Amazon Alexa
Style and smarts combine forces, thanks to a partnership between GUESS Watches and Amazon. Watches with GUESS Connect technology are able to integrate Amazon Alexa cloud-based voice service, enabling you to access dynamic Amazon Alexa skills on the go via your wrist. Using nothing but the sound of your voice and a push of a button, you can shop online, create a workout, learn a new recipe, order a car service, and control popular smart home products among other skills, in real time.
By uniquely housing a fully-contained Martian module that sports a microphone and clear audio speaker, the GUESS Connect allows users to connect to their smartphone’s resident voice command app, so wearers can give voice commands, talk and listen, and respond to texts and emails directly from the watch. In addition, using the free iOS and Android App, users can customize which notifications are received on the watch, create unique vibration patterns to distinguish between alert types, and recall the most recent notifications with just a tap of the watch glass.
GUESS Connect is available on Guess.com, Amazon, and select retailers in the USA priced at $249.
The post GUESS Watches Connect with Amazon Alexa appeared first on Electronic House.
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The Ultimate Game Room: Control the Arcade with Your Voice
You have to give the consumer electronics industry props for innovating and creating systems with whatever technology it can get its hands on. Nothing is off limits, out of bounds, too big or too small.
Liberty Games, the game room specialist based in the UK that sells pool tables, arcade machines, pinball machines, and other gaming favorites, thought way outside automation box by syncing an entire game room with Amazon Echo.
- Pool table
- Jukebox
- Arcade machine
- Pinball machine
Liberty Games adapted these four most popular game room products to make them smarter and more interactive, with the help of a Raspberry Pi, a tiny computer that facilitates easy programming, and a Logitech Harmony Hub.
There were two big parts of the setup, says the company. Creating the skill and executing the result. The first task was to teach Alexa a new skill. Amazon documents how to build a skill by creating a list of phrases people would use to ask Alexa to perform the action as well as what Alexa would say back to the user. Liberty Games also created cards to display in the Alexa app on iPhone or Android.
This is all done on a server that talks to Alexa. The same server talks to the Raspberry Pi, which is what makes the magic happen.
For any coders/programmers out there, this communication with Alexa is done via JSON, making it platform independent (although you can host your skills on Amazon Web Services).
The execution is done a little different depending on the equipment. The CD Jukebox is controlled using an infrared remote, which provided an easy process to hook up the Logitech Harmony Hub to Alexa and program in a CD-playing command.
The pool table, arcade machine, and pinball machine are coin-operated using a mechanical coin drawer. All three use Raspberry Pi and PiFace Digital, an add-on to the Raspberry Pi. Liberty Games wired the outputs of PiFace Digital to the coin mechanism and ran a small piece of code on the Pi to trigger the mechanism to release the pool balls.
The server, which was already communicating with Alexa, just needed to sync to the Pi to pass on the command, which it did pretty quickly.
The post The Ultimate Game Room: Control the Arcade with Your Voice appeared first on Electronic House.
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New Homeowner’s Insurance: Look for Discounted “Smart Home” Policies
IoT (Internet of Things) has taken the home front by storm. Products like smart connected thermostats, lights switches, and security sensors are becoming increasingly more commonplace in all types of residences, as the price of smart home devices continues to decline consumers’ familiarity of and appetite for the technology grows.
Research firm Gartner forecasts that 20.8 billion connected things will be in use worldwide by 2020—and it’s a movement that has industries, even those outside of the tech world, taking serious note. Insurance companies, in particular, are in a unique position to offer customers who add certain IoT devices to their homes special discounted rates on homeowner’s insurance.
Smart Products Provide Better Safety
Why? When devices within a home are able to communicate potential problems like flood, fire, and burglary to a homeowner’s smartphone, appropriate measures can be taken to protect the home, property, and belongings from theft and damage. The notification feature can save the homeowner, and the insurance company, thousands of dollars. Furthermore, IoT also can help insurance companies glean a clearer understanding of the steps you as a homeowner are taking to better protect your residence.
“Today, insurers calculate your risk and policy pricing by knowing your credit, your claims history, the type of house you live in and your location,” says Kevin Meagher, vice president of business development for ROC-Connect, a company that has developed a smart home solution specifically for insurers. “In the near future they are going to recognize that data delivered by IoT devices could paint a potentially different risk picture. If an insurer knows that you are able to respond more quickly, they equate that to mitigation of loss.”
IoT: A Game Changer for Insurance Companies
IoT stands to be a real game-changer for the insurance industry, yet few insurance companies have chosen to exploit the opportunity to attract new customers, reduce claims, improve customer engagement, and generate new revenues. One reason might stem from the fact that smart home technology is unfamiliar territory to an industry that has followed the same basic business model for dozens of years. According to an FC Business Intelligence survey, IoT has the potential to seriously disrupt the insurance industry, yet 50 percent of more than 300 companies say they lack a clear strategy for IoT implementation.
To help insurance companies ease into IoT, ROC-Connect has developed a home safety solution for insurers. Included in the kit are fire and water sensors and a hub which enables customers to monitor their homes remotely, and provide insurance companies with data that can help them recognize risk and reduce potential loses. According to Meagher the basic kit will cost less than $150, and customers will be able to add sensors depending on their needs and size of house. He expects insurance companies to bundle the kit with their homeowner’s insurance policies, although it’s still too early to tell how the distribution part of the puzzle will flush out. “We have only pulled the wrappers off the kit in mid-November, and are currently testing it in pilot programs with a few insurance companies,” Meagher says.
Insurers Embracing Technology
State Farm blazed the trail in 2013, when it announced that it would offer its insurance customers special promotions on the Lowe’s Iris Safe and Secure kit and the Iris Smart home kit, in addition to providing qualifying customers with discounts on their home insurance.
The Hartford insurance company appears to be moving in this direction, too. The Hartford Center for Mature Market Excellence and the MIT AgeLab recently interviewed a panel of experts on housing, aging, and technology from the fields of occupational therapy, interior design, computer science, gerontology and engineering, and a survey of homeowners to identify the top 10 smart home technologies that can make life easier, help with home maintenance, and enhance safety and security for homeowners over the age of 50.
The top 10 products are
- Smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
- Wireless doorbell cameras
- Keyless entry
- Automatic lighting
- Smart water shutoff valves
- Smart home security systems
- Smart outlets/plugs
- Smart thermostats
- Water and/or mold monitoring sensors
- Smart window blinds
As a way to demonstrate the impact of technology on the safety, convenience, and maintenance of a home, The Hartford created a digital smart home that consumers can access and view at their leisure. http://ift.tt/2inkMrF
The post New Homeowner’s Insurance: Look for Discounted “Smart Home” Policies appeared first on Electronic House.
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Monday, December 26, 2016
Hsu Research CCB-8 Bookshelf Speaker Preview
It has been awhile since Hsu Research has released a new speaker, so their announcement of the new CCB-8 bookshelf speaker at the 2016 RMAF audio show came as a welcome surprise. The CCB-8 is a coaxial speaker design that uses the pole piece and cone shape of its 8" woofer as a constant directivity horn for its high-sensitivity tweeter. This design promises to rectify many of the problems inherent in conventional loudspeakers, especially concerning the center speaker. Read our preview to see if the Hsu CCB-8 is the cure for your loudspeaker ailments.
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Saturday, December 24, 2016
2016 Audioholics Product of the Year Award Winners
This year wasn't a leap forward in AV receivers, but the loudspeaker and subwoofer market really dazzled us with higher performance, and higher value products. We put a list together of the most memorable products we've reviewed in 2016 including an Atmos/DTS:X AV processor, budget and midpriced bookshelf and floorstanding speakers and subwoofers and more. Check out these great products and our detailed product reviews to see if they should be in your home theater room in the near future.
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Friday, December 23, 2016
Thursday, December 22, 2016
OPPO UDP-203 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Player Preview
After a quick peek of OPPO's UDP-203 at CEDIA we were chomping at the bit for more information on this 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player. Well it's finally here; The OPPO UDP-203 will be available in early Spring 2017 for $549. A great price for ANY 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player, but with a name like OPPO you can bet it will be great. Read on for more in depth information on this awesome new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player from OPPO to see if it should be on your post Christmas list.
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Water Damage Prevention System Shuts Off Hot Water Main
More than 14,000 water damage claims are filed every day, costing insurance companies over $5 billion annually. Guardian by Dome aims to change this by developing a smart water damage prevention system that not only detects leaks but responds by shutting off the water main.
“What Nest did for climate control, Guardian will do for water damage prevention. This standalone system not only provides convenience but also peace of mind for a very real and often financially devastating problem: water damage,” says Matthew Cwiokowski, director of home automation at Elexa Consumer Products.
The Guardian, promoted as being able to install in less than five minutes, includes the following:
- Smart Water Valve Controller:The controller installs on an existing water main with no plumber or tools required. It has an optional battery backup to ensure your home is protected even without power.
- Water Detector:The sensors connect to the Valve right out of the box automatically with no configuration required, can be placed virtually anywhere across hundreds of feet, and have a 10-year battery life.
- Smart Siren:The siren notifies users of detected water leaks via beeps or verbal warnings – perfect for homeowners or apartment residents without access to a water main shut-off valve.
The post Water Damage Prevention System Shuts Off Hot Water Main appeared first on Electronic House.
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Comcast Xfinity Home Now Offers Smart Lighting and Voice Control Features
Comcast continues to enhance and refine its Xfinity Home home control platform by enabling new home security and automation commands on its voice controlled X1 television remote. Customers can now control General Electric branded plug-in and in-wall smart switches, as well as Sengled’s Element Touch connected LED lightbulbs from theirXfinity Home app and touchscreen. Additionally, customers can say “Xfinity Home lights turn on/off” into the Xfinity X1 voice remote to manage these new devices through the X1 operating system.
“Xfinity Home is redefining what customers should expect from their traditional home security service,” says Daniel Herscovici, senior vice president and general manager of Xfinity Home. “By adding General Electric and Sengled to our growing list of curated smart home devices that we integrate with Xfinity Home, our customers will be able to create unique experiences that connect the devices that are important to them such as streaming security cameras, door locks, thermostats, and lights. We’re the only company that can integrate all these devices into a unified experience on an easy-to-use platform.”
Other devices currently able to be integrated with Xfinity Home include August Smart Locks, Chamberlain MyQ garage controllers, Lutron Caséta wireless controllers and dimmers, and Nest Learning Thermostats.
Xfinity Home customers can also create “rules” or automated commands that trigger different functions and experiences. For instance, customers can set a rule to turn a light on every day at sunset or every time the front door opens. They can also set a lighting schedule so their home appears occupied while they are not at home or to save energy.
Xfinity Home functions are managed with the Xfinity Home mobile app, online portal, and in-home Touchscreen Controller. In addition, X1 customers with Xfinity Home service can use their X1 voice remote to say things like “Xfinity Home Cameras” to see their camera feeds; “Xfinity Home Arm,” “Xfinity Home Arm Night,” “and Xfinity Home Disarm” to arm and disarm their security system; and “Xfinity Home” to easily and quickly pull up the main menu of commands.
The post Comcast Xfinity Home Now Offers Smart Lighting and Voice Control Features appeared first on Electronic House.
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Napa Valley Home Earns Region’s First Residential LEED Platinum Status
The owners of this beautiful three-bedroom, three full and two half-bath, 4,600-square-foot home wanted it to be the first residence in Napa Valley, Calif., to achieve LEED Platinum status. To accomplish this, it would take some serious focus on sustainability and energy efficiency — so that’s just what they did.
“To my knowledge, no other custom home in Napa is LEED Platinum certified,” says Ellyn Elson, who lives in the home with her husband, Larry. “I’ve come to realize how important it is to build with sustainability in mind.”
LEED Status Through Automation
One of the keys to achieving LEED Platinum was the installation of a complete integrated lighting, climate, and shade control system based on the InFusion control platform from Vantage. The home systems integrators at San Francisco-based Artistic Lighting & Electric worked with Vantage to design and install the system, which was customized to meet the unique needs of the Ellyn and Larry. Included in the system were a host of sensors, keypads, dimmers, and touchscreen controls to provide the homeowners with a way to easily manage their energy use without compromising the home’s decorative appeal.
“It’s a system that really integrated a lot of distinct functionalities throughout the entire home,” says Artistic Lighting & Electric’s Eastman Webber, who designed the system for the Elsons’ home. “And it was all done in a very user-friendly way.”
Simple Setup of Lights, Temperature and More
The Vantage system allows the Elsons to control everything from lighting and temperature settings to audio/video systems through sleek touchpanels with a graphical user interface. Various zones throughout the home can be programmed for different temperatures, and different lighting modes automatically set the stage for entertaining, dining, navigating outdoor pathways, and other needs.
“There’s also a vacation mode and a mode to set a specific scene for the sconces if I just want some quiet light,” the homeowners say. “The touch panels are really nice and simple to use.”
Engaging Energy Saving Strategies
Contributors to Platinum Status
The status is a nice acknowledgement of the sustainability and efficiency of the Elsons’ home. But, for Ellyn, the motivation behind it all is much bigger than that.
“It’s important to me to be kind to Mother Earth,” she says. “I have eight grandkids, and I’d like to leave the world a better place for them. We could make a real difference if more people would do the same.”
The post Napa Valley Home Earns Region’s First Residential LEED Platinum Status appeared first on Electronic House.
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