Total Home Control: A Multi-­‐Application Approach A practical guide on the benefits of implementing multi-­‐application based AV and Home Control Solutions for the home 1 Brought to you by Total Home Control: A practical guide on the benefits of implementing multi-­‐application based AV and Home Control Solutions for the home By Gordon van Zuiden, cyberManor, Inc. Executive Summary There is a significant change occurring in the way homeowner’s are enjoying and controlling their home entertainment, lighting, heating, security, and whole house audio. Increasingly entertainment content is streamed from the cloud or stored on large network drives in the home. Lighting, heating/cooling, security, and whole house audio systems are now all connected to the home network and the internet – and the homeowner is turning to the smartphone they have in their pocket to control all of these experiences. In this white paper we will review the details of this changing electronic landscape in the home and how an electronic integrator can best position themselves for the design and installation opportunities that a multi-­‐application, smart device enabled home will offer the custom integration home technology professional in the years ahead. Introduction The advent of smart mobile devices has dramatically changed the way we all live, work, play, and learn. In the same manner that desktop personal computing changed in our lives in the latter part of the 20th century, smart mobile devices continue that trend but at an even greater order of magnitude. Last year there were approximately 400 million desktop computing devices shipped around the world (and that number is staying relatively flat) and there are now over 1.2 billion smart mobile devices shipped every year, a number is growing at 15-­‐20% year*. Apple alone has over 400 million smart mobile devices in their product lineup (the iPhone, iPad, and iPod). ** * Data from a Q2, 2012 report from IDC. IDC is a global market intelligence and consulting firm. It specializes in providing market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. ** Reported by Tim Cook in his Apple iPhone 5 product introduction speech Q3, 2012. 2 Brought to you by Because of Apple’s ongoing innovation in smart phone technologies and dominance in the tablet marketplace the focus of this white paper will be on Apple based AV and home control solutions. The large screen of the Apple iPad, coupled with the fact that over 100 million of these products have been sold to date, have made it the “de facto” platform for most of the leading home control and AV applications. With the release of the iPad mini, the dominance of iOS mobile control in the home is expected to be even more pronounced–since a 7” screen is the ideal form factor for most home control applications. In fact, we envision that with this newer, lower cost iPad mini there will be a strong demand for placing these tablets in charging cradles in each room of the home that has music, lighting, or TV control requirements. Most of the solutions proposed in this white paper can be implemented on Android based platforms – it is just that Apple’s significant market share has influenced most AV and home control application developers to write their applications for the iOS platform before they embrace the Android platform. As a result, this white paper will focus on mobile iOS application solutions for the custom home technology professional and the key design decision parameters involved in optimizing iOS based AV and home control solutions. These AV and home control solutions are primarily integrated into larger homes – typically over 2500 square feet in size – since the demand for customized home control and AV distribution increases with the size of the home. A one bedroom can have a whole house music system and TV zone all in one room – there is not much of a need for total home control and AV distribution. On the other hand, a homeowner with a 5000 square foot home with 4 or 5 bedrooms, several zones of audio and video, multiple heating and cooling zones, a security system, an advanced lighting control infrastructure and surveillance cameras becomes an ideal candidate for the AV and home control solutions outlined in this white paper. These homeowners will often employ the services of a custom home technology professional for their design and integration work. Evolution of Home Technology Architecture Over the last decade we have witnessed dramatic changes in the manner in which AV content is consumed, distributed, and controlled throughout the home. These changes are largely the result of four factors: -­‐
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The widespread deployment of broadband internet access to the home The prevalence of wired and wireless home networks The number of products that are now sold with network connections embedded in the product (it’s not just the computers and the printers connect to the home network – now TVs, receivers, thermostats, cameras, music systems and many other devices connect to the home network) 3 -­‐
The ubiquity of wireless smart mobile platforms in the home and the intuitive AV and home control software applications The rapid spread of network-­‐connected devices in the home has created an increasingly complex residential network architecture. A little over a decade ago the home network consisted of a couple of home office computers and a printer connected to the home router/switch for the primary purpose of checking emails, completing reports, or just surfing the internet. The next evolution in the home network was to add and distribute entertainment resources – allowing the homeowner to stream music to their whole house music system, recorded TV content to any room in the home, or movies from the Internet. Today the home network has grown to include all of the systems in the home – cameras, sprinkler systems, HVAC systems, security systems, door locks and more and more products every day (Figure 1). As a result, we now have the network architecture in the home that allows us to control and manage all of these intelligent products from mobile wireless devices both inside and outside of the home. Figure 1 Evolution of AV Content and Distribution Broadband internet connections carry an “always on” stream of entertainment content to the home in the form of movies, music, or TV. Services like Netflix, Pandora, and HuluPlus (to name just a few) allow homeowners to enjoy high quality entertainment content from any device in their home that is connected to their broadband gateway/router. And today, almost every AV device has a wired or wireless network connection to provide access to this broadband stream of entertainment content. TVs, receivers, BluRay players, set-­‐top boxes, and gaming stations all have network connections to view and listen to this entertainment content in any room of the 4 home. The era of discrete AV content in the form of VCR tapes, DVDs and CDs is drawing to a close – almost all of this content is now available from the Internet or stored on gigabyte hard drives inside the home. The widespread acceptance of wired and wireless home networks permits these AV systems to connect to each other and to be easily controlled by smart wireless devices like the Apple iPad. Connecting TV set top boxes (like those from TiVo) to one another on the home network allows content recorded in one room of the home to be easily be viewed in another room in the home. And the wireless network coverage in the home permits one to watch streamed TV content on the iOS devices in the home. Connecting networked audio players (like those from Sonos, Autonomic Controls and many other manufacturers) allow music that is playing in one room to be easily streamed to any other room inside the home or to the backyard. And you can easily control each of these AV sources and zones from iOS applications – such as the Sonos infrastructure example shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 The networking infrastructure of digital AV distribution allows content from one source (the Internet or a local digital hard drive in the home) to be streamed to many devices and rooms simultaneously across the network inside the home. This is fundamentally different from the AV and home control architecture of only a few years ago when most AV content was only available in a given room and could be viewed or heard in a different room if it was physically switched to a new room (typically accomplished with an expensive AV switch). This was a one source to one destination architecture where one AV source could only serve one room at any 5 given time. This is dramatically different from today’s networked architecture in the home where one AV source can easily serve multiple destinations at the same time (Figure 3). Audio Video Streaming Solutions Figure 3 The home entertainment content (music, photos, TV shows, movies) will be stored in the Internet cloud, on a computer, on a network drive, or on a mobile device. The key to effectively enjoying this content from every device in the home is the ability to easily locate the content and play it back in various locations throughout the home. The best way to accomplish this task is to make sure the homeowner’s content is synchronized to a centralized storage server – either an always on network storage drive in the home and/or a cloud based storage service. Not all entertainment content can be easily moved from one hard drive to another due to copyright restrictions. In those cases, it is important to choose a system where the copyright content can still be digitally moved across the home network from one location to another. TiVo allows you to stream recorded TV content from one TiVo set top box to any other TiVo set top box in the home. Kaleidescape has a movie server product that allows you to stream your recorded movies from their server to any other Kaleidescape set top box in the home. The Apple iTunes store allows you to playback any of the content that you purchased from their store to up to five iTunes enabled products in the home. 6 This evolution of AV streaming and control places new demands on the caliber and quality of the routing, switching, and wireless architecture of the home – demands that must be met to ensure the reliability of these networked distribution solutions. Home Network Design Considerations The robustness of the home’s wired and wireless network should not be underestimated. The reliability and performance of the iOS AV and home control applications are critically dependent on the ability of the home network to deliver high quality audio and video streams around the home and to reliably control them from various mobile iOS devices. This requires business class switches that have the ability to process and switch bandwidth intensive video streams and business class wireless access points and controllers that can provide a seamless (and security protected) wireless experience anywhere on the homeowner’s property. There are a number of these products on the market from Cisco, Netgear, PakEdge, Ruckus and many others -­‐ and it is critically important that the custom integrator deploy best of class networking products from these various manufacturers to ensure a high quality networking experience in the home. An in depth analysis of the specific capabilities of these various products is beyond the scope of this white paper. Evolution of Home Control With the prevalence of wireless networks in the home and the phenomenal success of iOS mobile devices, especially the iPad in the home, we have witnessed an explosion of applications for AV and home control with these products. Today there are individual applications that can control a home theater, lights, thermostats, security systems, motorized window treatments, door locks, cameras, sprinklers, whole house audio systems, hot tubs, pools, garage doors – and the list keeps growing every day (see Figure 4 for a lighting, window treatment iOS control example). This is a significantly different home control scenario than we had just a few short years ago when the primary option to integrating and controlling these systems required professionally programmed total home control software and proprietary controllers and touch screen interfaces. Products from companies such as Crestron, AMX, Control4, and Savant (to name just a few) are widely used today by custom electronic integrators to provide these total home control solutions – and now all of them offer an iOS application to provide total home control functionality. Now the key design decision to be made is whether to offer a homeowner one control application that works with a specific central total home controller that serves as the primary application for all of the home subsystems or a more “a la carte” solution where each 7 subsystem has its own application written directly by the manufacturer? This is a critical design decision and each approach is examined in detail in the following sections. Figure 4 (It should be noted that in any of these iOS based design solutions it is very important that all of the home’s key subsystems be designed to work even if there is a failure with the iOS device or the home network infrastructure. It is critical that thermostats, lights, and security systems will still work in the home even if the iOS control devices do not work. Therefore in all of these integrated design solutions there are still hard wired standalone systems that provide heating and cooling, lighting, and security for the home. The iOS control of these systems augments and enhances the control of these platforms – they do not replace the traditional thermostat on the wall, the light switches, or the security keypads.) iOS AV and Home Control Design Considerations There are number of design considerations that need to be understood in designing an iOS based home. Specifically these are: Will we use a single total home control application – or multiple applications? When should we use hard, tactile buttons for control? When do we use soft, touchscreen buttons? How will the subsystems be controlled? And from where? 8 What are the features of the best AV and home control iOS applications? How can I reduce annual power consumption in the overall design? The main parameter for the deployment of any total home AV and home control system is that it must be easy to use and reliable – this is the mandate that we hear from every client. The problem has been that most AV and home control systems have been just the opposite – challenging to operate and often unreliable over time – for many different reasons. We now have a unique opportunity to correct these past challenges in the home. Using best of breed home AV and control applications on Apple iOS devices, supported by a robust network of connected subsystems, can give the custom installation industry the solutions required to effectively address these past concerns. Single Application AV and Home Control vs. Multiple Applications A single application provides a “one stop control experience”. Open a Crestron or Control4 home control application and you have full control of your music, lights, thermostats, security system from any iOS device in the home – there is no need to move to other applications, try and find them, and learn their disparate interfaces. Who wants 4 remotes on their coffee table to control the TV experience when you can do this with one universal remote? The same logic could be applied to an iOS device with multiple applications. Another strong argument for a single home control application is the interoperability – or automation function – between subsystems. If one wants to leave the home and arm the security system while automatically turning off the lights – this function can easily be programmed into an away button on a total home control platform – no need to traverse multiple applications to complete this effort. These are good arguments for the implementation of a single total home control application but the strength of these concerns is dissipating over time, here’s why. The concern that using multiple iOS applications to control lighting, thermostats, AV experiences, cameras, and security systems is as difficult as using multiple AV controls is becoming less and less valid. Most homeowners already have multiple applications on their iOS devices (in fact Apple says that the average customer now has over 40 applications on their iOS devices) and they have proven they can easily navigate to these applications and use them effectively – even though each has a different interface. (And in the event that you do want to use an iOS device for just one application – say an iPod touch that would just be used as a universal remote controller for a TV zone – then Apple latest iOS 6 version allows you to lock 9 down their operating system so that only the universal remote application can be loaded – see Figure 5). Figure 5 Perhaps more important than the concern over the number of home control applications is the quality of these applications -­‐ how well are the home control and AV applications written and designed to effectively and intuitively control their given subsystem in the home. Many of the companies that provide total home control solutions manufacturer their own touchscreen -­‐ they are motivated to ensure that all of their home control software features are compatible with their own touchscreen before they have full compatibility with iOS touch screens. As a result there are often inconsistencies with the control software interface on the manufacturer’s touchscreen with that of the application they write for Apples mobile products -­‐ making it confusing for the homeowner as to what home control systems can be controlled on the manufacturers touch screen vs. the apple touchscreen. Software control applications written in FLASH, for example, are usually compatible with a manufacturers own touchscreen product line but not on iOS devices. A strong argument can be made that the control of a TiVo based AV system, Lutron lighting system, Sonos whole house audio system, or NEST HVAC system – written specifically by the system manufacturer for their own product -­‐ is at least as intuitive and feature rich as the integrated single application control of a whole house control system solution. Equally as important, these software interfaces improve over time with each update that these individual manufacturers deploy for their subsystems. Often there are several of these updates a year and they occur automatically. It is much more challenging for a total home control hardware and 10 software manufacturer to make these changes across all the subsystems they support on a timely basis – without the need for an onsite client visit by a certified total home control programmer. And what about the subsystems that a total home control manufacturer may not support? There are several home subsystems that are not natively supported by these total home control systems. Many of these systems (like the Sonos music system) are integrated into total home control platforms with the support of third party integrator developers like Extra Vegetables, but some are not supported. If you want an application control based sprinkler system from cyberRain you need to buy their sprinkler controller which only supports iOS control – currently it will not work under any of the total home control offerings. To understand where this trend is headed it is important to appreciate the underlying technical challenges for any single home control manufacturer or custom integrator to keep up with all the advancements in the intelligent subsystems throughout the home -­‐ and to integrate all of the latest feature sets into one single home control platform. It is a very difficult, expensive, and time consuming task. In the words of one of our clients “with technology constantly changing over time I have found that manufacturers and integrators have an almost impossible task of keeping up with those changes. “ On the other hand, any given manufacturer of a subsystem in the home like TV set-­‐top boxes, lighting or whole house audio only has to write their iOS application software interface for their own products (which they obviously know well) and make sure that it is compatible with the latest iOS release – not the dozens of different total home control platforms on the market. In addition, these manufacturers are highly motivated to write these applications for iOS devices since the market for iOS control devices exceeds the number of touch-­‐screen products sold by total home control companies by several orders of magnitude. With respect to the concern that applications do not “talk” to each other, that argument is losing ground as well. We can already see some applications deploying software hooks to communicate with other applications using “app URL schemes”. And several manufacturers are now transferring the control information in the home to their own servers in the cloud (like Lutron). As more and more home control information is stored in the cloud these various subsystem companies can port information back and forth to automate the functionality of the subsystems in the home. Alarm.com is an example of a security company that knows whether a home is in an armed or disarmed state on their cloud based servers. Now when one arms a security system powered by Alarm.com it can send this armed information state to the lighting 11 control information (stored in the Lutron cloud) and request that Lutron turn off the home’s lights – subsystem interoperability is enabled without the need for extensive custom automation programming. The holy grail of total home control continues to be the pursuit of the single iOS application that could give us the best of breed system and control interfaces for all of the home's electronic systems -­‐ for today and tomorrow's new technologies. The problem is that the rate of technological innovation in the home is growing at an exponential rate and no single company can keep pace and offer a "best in class" unified control interface for all of these disparate systems over time. With the ability to put network IP control on a chip for under $2 – the “Internet of All Things“ in the home becomes more of a reality with each passing day. Only a home control platform using independent iOS control interfaces can keep pace with the plethora of new, intelligent electronic devices and systems in the home. The Need for Physical Control Buttons A home with only iOS control platforms for AV control lacks the tactile, physical hard buttons that many homeowners prefer. On an iOS device changing channels and turning volume up and down require that you find the appropriate “soft button” location on the touchscreen rather than just being able to feel the appropriate button, depress it, and get tactile feedback on the response to the control action. But several manufacturers have now developed customized cradles for these iOS products that augment the iOS touch screen with these buttons (like Savant and Clare Controls) – and I expect more of those products will emerge in the near future, helping to satisfy the demand for physical touch screen control. This can be the best of both worlds, a high resolution graphics screen to show images of channel logos, music cover art, and graphic program descriptions -­‐ and hard buttons on the side of the touch screen to easily navigate the content sources, adjust volume, or turn on and off the system. It is interesting to note that all iOS devices do have one physical button that many iOS audio/video applications have already taken advantage of in their application – the volume up and down button on the side of these touch screens. Sonos uses this button to allow you to adjust volume up or down in a given zone (or zones) and Roomie Remote uses this button to control the TV or receiver volume. Lighting control also requires the use of physical control buttons. Almost everyone is used to walking into a room and turning on lights from a wall switch or keypad – not from a touchscreen device. But when these switches or keypads are connected to the home network (typically over a wireless signal) the homeowner can enjoy the best of both options. The 12 physical, instant response of an in-­‐wall keypad or switch coupled with the convenience of controlling lights in other areas of the home (or away from the home) with an iOS lighting control application from Lutron and many other lighting control companies. Security systems also need physical button-­‐based keypads on the wall. Leaving or entering a home one expects to find an on-­‐wall security keypad to arm and disarm. It’s great that one can perform this functionality from an iOS device inside or outside the home (e.g setting the alarm after we have left the house because we forgot to turn it on) – it is very important that a physical hard-­‐wired keypad is still left on the wall to provide this alarm functionality. Should there be an issue with the wireless network or the home’s internet connectivity – we don’t want to compromise the arming/disarming/notification functions of a security system. iOS Control Location Considerations As previously mentioned, the key to any successful custom electronics installation is its ease of use for the clients. If the system is as easy to use as a light switch that turns a light on and off, a volume control knob that instantly turns music on and off – every time – then the installation is a success. Or course the challenge is that our client’s want to create lighting scenes and music zones for the home, or view content from several different sources on their TVs – tasks that one cannot complete with just simple on and off controls. Clients want more and more feature sets with their electronic subsystems and yet ease of use is still paramount. To meet these expectations we need to place the control of the home’s electronic systems in the palm of their hand, in a docking cradle in the room, or on the wall. The more touch screen real estate we have the easier it will be to navigate these AV and control choices – but these products lack the convenient mobility of a handheld device. Let’s review the pros and cons of each of these solutions – and where they would be most appropriate in the home. iPod or iPhone mobile devices These devices have the smallest screen and are therefore the most portable. They are great for controlling subsystems like audio and lighting from the backyard or garage where there may not be a stationary iOS device. iPod or iPad devices in a charging cradle The benefit of this solution is that the control platform will always be charged and in a predictable location. This is a great solution for TV zones where you always want to be able to find the TV remote control and know that it is charged. This is also an application where the benefits of the large screen iPad really become apparent. The larger iPad screen gives the client the ability to see many more AV control options as well as full screen electronic program 13 guides. The TiVO application, for example, allows you to view detailed program and guide information, change channels, record TV content, and even stream live TV or recorded content back to the iPad for use inside or outside the home. iPod, iPad or iPad mini in a wall mount bracket There are a number of third party manufacturers that allow one to mount an iPad, iPad mini or iPod in the wall – either fixed in the wall or removable. The advantage of the fixed in-­‐wall solution is that the iOS device will always be charged and cannot be misplaced. Another advantage is that it places the iOS control platform at the correct visual height so that it is very easy to see the touchscreen to control a subsystem like whole house audio. Everyone is already accustomed to use wall mounted switches and keypads for controls so this is a very natural way to control various subsystems in the home. The drawback to this solution is that iOS form factors change every few years – the most current wall based iOS device today will be outdated in a few years. To replace the iOS device may require cutting a different size hole in the wall. Another consideration is that most clients prefer to reduce the amount of control interfaces on their walls – reducing what is commonly referred to as “wall acne”. Adding a touchscreen to a wall that already has light switches, volume controls, and a nearby thermostat or security keypad may be undesirable. iOS Control Software Considerations The best AV and home control iOS applications have rich, and easy to use graphical interfaces – written for all of the iOS form factors. A unique aspect of iOS applications written directly by the subsystem manufacturer is that the graphical control interface mirrors the look and feel of the physical wall interface. When you look at the NEST graphical interface to control the thermostat it looks exactly like the physical thermostat on the wall – it’s very intuitive for a homeowner to control the temperature up or down within the iOS application. The same intuitive interface can be seen in the Lutron iOS lighting software – it emulates the look and feel of the Lutron seeTouch keypads. Many of these iOS control applications give bidirectional feedback for the control of systems in rooms that you cannot see or hear (like a whole house audio system). They provide rich and intuitive cover art, meta-­‐tag information, and are quick to respond to user interaction. Many will offer some light programming capabilities for the homeowner, such as changing light dimming levels or the timing of motorized window shades. The best applications have remote access capability (when appropriate) to their supported subsystem and are frequently updated to incorporate new product features – at no additional cost to the client. 14 Power Consumption One of the significant benefits of an all-­‐iOS engineered home is there is no need for an always on total home control processor. All the computing processing is already being done by each of the home’s stand-­‐alone subsystems -­‐ the lighting control, whole house music, thermostats, security panel, irrigation control, etc. There is no need to add an additional layer of electrical overhead to drive the total home control processor every day of the year. Some of these processors require up to 85 watts/hour to run or 745KWH per year – not an insignificant annual load. Summary Today’s connected home is far different from the home we lived in just a few decades ago. In the early 1920s and 30s electricity was first installed in homes and it dramatically changed how we enjoyed our homes – this utility enhanced our entertainment, comfort and security. Today’s network connected home, tied to an always on broadband internet connection, dramatically enhances and extends these same services – to anywhere inside or outside our homes. The challenge over the last decade has been to reliably manage and control all of these new services that can enrich our lives. The widespread adoption of smart mobile devices from Apple have given manufacturers of entertainment, comfort, and security systems the ubiquitous interface that makes it much more intuitive for homeowners to manage, control and enjoy the full, rich range of capabilities of these subsystems. Total home touchscreen based control was traditionally available in the form of expensive total home control processing equipment, custom touch screens, and custom programming for a finite set of supported manufacturers. Today almost any manufacturer can update their product with network connectivity and write an easy-­‐to-­‐use iOS software application to control their product – they only have to ensure compatibility with an IP based home network and the Apple iOS operating system and they can place the control of their product into the hands of hundreds of millions of homeowners. From thermostats to garage doors to door locks to pool/hot tub controls – this trend towards product intelligence, network connectivity, and iOS control is rapidly changing the landscape of how we enjoy and control our homes. These systems, when properly designed and integrated into the home, will forever enhance the way we live, work, and play. 15 Case Study – Day in the Life Scenario In this case study we will bring the iOS world to life – showcasing examples of how an iOS enabled home enriches the daily life for a couple named Don and Barbara Jones. Friday begins early at 6AM the Jones residence with the soft music of James Taylor coming from their iHome alarm clock application on the iPod stationed at the head of the bed. Don reaches over to turn off the alarm and at the same time opens up the Lutron application to draw back the motorized curtains in the bedroom and turn on the bathroom lights. As he gets ready for work he turns on the iPad that is stationed by the bathroom sink, launches the TiVO application that streams live news TV coverage of the weather, stock, and traffic information for the day. Don’s wife Barbara wakes up to go the kitchen to make coffee and pauses in the hallway to open the Sonos application on the iPod mounted in the kitchen cradle to play Smooth Jazz music from the integrated ceiling speakers in the kitchen. She loves the premium Sky.FM smooth jazz internet streaming service – it’s always on at the touch of a button and never plays advertisements. Barbara then goes into the family room where she starts her morning workout using a DVD video from Jillian Michaels. She picks up the iPad in the family room and launches the Roomie Remote application to turn on the TV, the receiver, and the DVD player – all with the touch of a single button labeled “Play DVD”. She adjusts the volume up of the workout DVD with the physical volume button located on the side of the iPad. As Don leaves his home to go to work he can’t remember whether he closed the driveway door so he reaches for his iPhone and launches the Liftmaster application which shows him that the garage door was still left open – he taps the garage door icon and the door closes. Back at home, when Barbara completes her workout she opens up another application on the family room iPad which will turn on the home’s hot water recirculating pump – so that when she starts her shower in a few minutes it will immediately have hot water. Barbara loves this application -­‐ it saves water and energy from not having to keep the hot water recirculating pump on all day. As Barbara drives off to attend a school board meeting she realizes that she forgot to set the home security alarm the home on her way out. She reaches for her iPhone and launches the Alarm.com application to set the house alarm. And in her rush to leave for her meeting Barbara remembered that she left the home heating system on so she launches the NEST thermostat application and reduces the temperature of the home from 72 degrees to 50. Don is now in the office and after his morning staff meeting and he gets a ring on his iPhone that someone is at his home’s front door. He launches the VisiTor application on his iPhone and 16 can see that his neighbor Tom has come over. He can hear Tom say on his iPhone that their dog escaped into their backyard again and wants to know if he should keep the dog at his house for the day or return him. Don tells his neighbor that he is disabling the home alarm security system and opens up the home front door with the Lockitron door lock application from his iPhone so that he can put their dog back in the home. Impressed, Don’s neighbor asks him to give him the phone number of the custom installation company that provided these features – he wants to add them into his own home! After Barbara’s board meeting she goes to lunch at her favorite delicatessen in town. She has an hour before her next afternoon meeting and she opens up her iPad to launch the TiVo application that recorded and stored the previous evening’s show of 60 Minutes. The iPad has not only become her main home control tablet but now it serves to deliver her TV, music, and movie entertainment when she is on the road. Don is ready to come home from a difficult week at work and is ready to soak away the stress of the work week in their backyard hot tub. To conserve energy the hot tub has been turned off during the day -­‐ but on his way home he turns on the Jandy hot tub control application from his iPhone so that the hot tub is on and heated by the time he arrives. Also, on his commute home he remembers to turn up the NEST thermostat so that the home is comfortable upon his arrival. Barbara is also heading back home after a day full of meetings -­‐ when she pulls into the driveway she notices that the front lawn looks pretty dry. Normally the programmed sprinkler system automatically waters their lawn but the last few days have been warmer than normal. Barbara launches the cyberRain irrigation application from her iPhone and selects the front lawn watering zone to manually turn on for the next 45 minutes. in anticipation of guests arriving at their home tonight she opens up the Lutron application to turn on the front and backyard landscaping lights and the Pianodisc application to softly play the piano in the home’s entry way. It’s 7:30 PM and Don and Barbara’s friends have arrived to join them for an evening BBQ in the backyard. Don picks up his iPod to open up the Sonos application to stream his favorite Pandora music station in the backyard. The San Francisco 49ers are playing a Friday evening game and their guests are interested in seeing the game. Don mutes the Pandora music from his iPad and launches the TiVo application to start streaming the football game to the iPad from the TiVo in the family room. When they are all about to sit down for dinner, Don pauses the live TV stream on his iPad and they can watch the rest of the football game after dinner from the TiVo connected to the family room TV. 17 Night falls and as the Smith’s climb into bed after an active week and they can’t remember if they turned off the backyard landscape lights. They pick up the iPod by the bed’s headboard and open up the Lockitron application to lock the front door and the Lutron application to turn off the backyard landscape lights. And while the Smith’s are recharging their batteries with a good night’s sleep – the iOS devices around the home are recharging their batteries to be ready to assist the Jones’s family on another full day of AV and home control activities. (To view the application screen shots of the application vendors mentioned in this Day in the Life Scenario, please visit: http://pinterest.com/cybermanor/apple-­‐av-­‐home-­‐control-­‐ideas/) 18 Brought to you by About cyberManor Gordon van Zuiden is the Founder and President of cyberManor (http://www.cybermanor.com/), a full service home technology integrator headquartered in California’s Silicon Valley. With over 15 years of experience in the sale and support of personal computer and networking products to corporate accounts, Gordon founded cyberManor in the summer of 1999, one of the nation’s first custom electronic integrators to focus on IP based technologies for the home. cyberManor’s mission is to design, install, and integrate Internet-­‐empowered home networking solutions that enhance the entertainment, communications, and comfort of their client’s homes. Mr. van Zuiden currently serves on his third term with CEDIA’s Board of Directors (CEDIA represents the Custom Electronics Design and Installation trade) and has served for three years as the co-­‐Dean of CEDIA's Electronic Systems Design Track, developed the certified CEDIA ESD course on Digital Home Electronic Solutions and has consulted on the development of COMPTIA’s HTI+ Network Certification program. He is also a monthly columnist on home networking topics for Residential Systems and Electronics House magazines. Mr. van Zuiden has taught courses or been a panelist on Digital Home Entertainment and Networking Solutions at the national trade shows of CES, CEDIA, ehExpo, CEPro Summit, National Kitchen and Bath Association, IEEE, and internationally in Digital Home Expos in Russia, the Netherlands and Mexico over the last decade. He has also been a consultant to industry manufacturers and custom integrators across the United States, teaching full day seminars on the applications and benefits of networked home technologies. Mr. van Zuiden graduated with a BSME degree from Stanford in 1977 and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson school in 1983.
© Gordon van Zuiden. TiVo and the TiVo logo are trademarks of TiVo Inc or its subsidiaries worldwide. All rights reserved. iPhone and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc. Android is a trademark of Google Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 610 University Avenue Los Gatos, CA 95032 www.cybermanor.com 408-­‐399-­‐3331 19 The following appendix is a compilation of most of the AV and home control applications that are referenced in this white paper (as seen in the home control graphic on this page). They have been chosen because of the successful integration experience we have with these products for our clients – and my own home! But this is far from an exhaustive list – in any given system category – entertainment, comfort, and security there are dozens of manufacturers that have iOS based control solutions for their products – and that list is growing daily. The value of the custom electronics integrator will be to choose and integrate these “best of breed” hardware subsystems and iOS applications that will best fit the needs of a given client. Category Company Website Heating and Cooling NEST www.nest.com TV Watching and Recording TiVo www.tivo.com Whole House Music Sonos www.sonos.com Whole House Lighting Lutron www.lutron.com Security System Alarm.com www.alarm.com Monitoring Cameras Panasonic www.panasonic.com Irrigation cyberRain www.cyber-­‐rain.com Garage Doors LiftMaster www.liftmaster.com Player Piano PianoDisc www.pianodisc.com Pool and Hot Tub Zodiac Pool Systems www.iaqualink.com Door Locks Lockitron www.lockitron.com Front Door Entry Station Visiomatic www.visiomatic.com Phone System Invoxia www.invoxia.com Universal TV Remote Control Roomie Remote www.roomieremote.com Alarm Clock iHome www.ihomeaudio.com Weather Station WeatherHawk www.weatherhawk.com Energy Management The Energy Detective www.theenergydetective.com Coffee Machine Scanomat www.scanomat.com 20 Brought to you by Heating and Cooling Control Description: Control your home's temperature from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with the Nest Mobile app. Last-­‐
minute trip? Change the temperature from the ski slopes. Coming home early to a cold house? Turn up the heat on your way. The Nest Mobile app allows you to adjust your Nest Learning Thermostat from anywhere. Please note that the Nest Mobile app can only be used with a Nest Learning Thermostat. -­‐ Check and change your Nest's temperature remotely -­‐ View and edit your Nest's schedule remotely -­‐ View when and for how long your heating and cooling system was on for the last 10 days -­‐ Access the settings of your home's Nest Learning Thermostat -­‐ Find out if you're saving energy with the Nest Leaf -­‐ Enable unique System Match energy-­‐saving features tuned for your home and system type -­‐ Support for the 2nd generation Nest Learning Thermostat (2nd stage cooling, 3rd stage heating, emergency heat, humidifier, dehumidifier, dual fuel) -­‐ Improved settings to support System Match features (Early-­‐On, Heat Pump Balance, True Radiant) -­‐ Ability to remotely lock your thermostat with a 4-­‐digit PIN code Screen Shot: 21 TiVo Whole House Personal Video Recorder Control Description TiVo® Premiere (Series4) DVR customers can get the TiVo experience in the palm of their hands with the FREE TiVo app. Turn your iPad®, iPhone® or iPod touch® into command central for your TiVo DVR. Now you can search, browse, discover and share without ever interrupting the show you’re watching. Add a TiVo Stream (www.tivo.com/stream) to your TiVo account and all the shows on your TiVo Premiere can now be watched on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. Have all your favorite shows wherever you go, from the kitchen to the patio to your kid’s soccer practice or on your next long flight. Features * Browse the channel guide without interrupting the show you’re watching * Schedule and manage recordings, ongoing Season Pass® recordings and To-­‐Do List * Toggle between a TiVo remote control replica or an intuitive, gesture-­‐based remote control * Instantly schedule, search and browse shows while you’re away from home * Browse your recorded shows list and start a show from the app with a single touch * Search across TV, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video & Hulu PlusTM —and get integrated results on what you’re looking for * Explore cast and crew while watching a show * Post comments or show recommendations to Facebook or Twitter from within the app * Supports multiple TiVo DVRs on the same network * Modules currently available, or coming soon, from major home automation systems manufacturers Requirements: Apple iPad or iPhone with iOS 4.0 or later. Android phone or tablet with OS 2.1 or later. TiVo software: Version 14.8 or later. Local Wi-­‐Fi network required for full functionality; some features available when away from your DVR via your wireless data network. Availability: Downloadable from the AppSM store (iOS) for iPad and iPhone or Android Market and Amazon App Store for Android, Kindle Fire and other 7-­‐inch Android tablets 22 Screen Shots: 23 Whole House Audio Control
Control all of your music, in every room, from your iPad. Manage your iTunes library, the best online music services, shows and podcasts, and thousands of radio stations around the world on the multi-­‐pane view, exclusive to iPad. Browse through cover art or drag and drop to create playlists to stream through every room of your home. Play a different song in each room, or play together in perfect synchronization, while adjusting the individual volume of each player. Description: Use with the SONOS PLAY:3 or SONOS PLAY:5 or any Sonos component running v3.8 or higher to enjoy all of your music, in every room. FEATURES • Stream all the music on earth all over the house, wirelessly -­‐ no docking or computer required. • Works seamlessly with Anubis.fm, Aupeo!, Deezer, iheartradio, JUKE, Last.fm, MOG, Pandora®, Rdio®, Rhapsody®, SiriusXM™, Slacker, Internet Radio, Spotify®, Stitcher, Wolfgang’s Vault®. (Service availability varies by region.) • Instantly access music stored on your computer, and play music from a NAS drive or Apple Time Capsule without turning on your computer. • Play a different song in every room or the same song in perfect synchronization. • Control the music selection and volume in each room individually. • Search for any song with the touch-­‐screen keyboard. • Drag and drop songs or albums into the queue or now playing pane. • Wake up or fall asleep to your favorite music or Internet radio station with full-­‐featured alarms. • Set up or expand the Sonos system wirelessly with the touch of a finger. • Play Apple Airplay® music sources all over the home. 24 Screen Shots: 25 Lighting and Shade Control Lutron Home Control+ requires a Lutron total home control system (RadioRA 2, HomeWorks QS or HomeWorks Illumination). The Lutron Home Control+ application allows you to control your RadioRA 2 or HomeWorks QS lighting control system with the convenience of the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Features: iPad only: -­‐ Quickly access multiple system features in one place with the HomeGlance screen -­‐ Control Vacation and Security settings form the HomeGlance screen (HomeWorks Illumination only) -­‐ Save energy without compromising performance using the Energy screen iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch: -­‐ Adjust light and shade levels (including venetians) throughout your home -­‐ Control system keypads including button feedback and raise/lower controls -­‐ Edit time clock events (Schedules screen on iPad) -­‐ Adjust your temperature settings and schedules -­‐ Easily edit the light and shade levels programmed to keypad buttons and time clock events in real time using the Level Editor -­‐ Change the Grafik Eye scene that is activated by a keypad button or time clock event in real time using the Level Editor -­‐ Control ceiling fan speeds throughout your home (HomeWorks Illumination only) -­‐ Manage multiple RadioRA 2, HomeWorks QS, and HomeWorks Illumination systems in the same app -­‐ A demo mode is available to preview the application prior to connecting to a running system Note: Users of the free iPhone application (Lutron Home Control) should consider upgrading to Lutron Home Control+ to gain Level Editor, Temperature, Time Clock, Pico, and Venetian support. 26 Screen Shots: 27 Security Alarm Control The Alarm.com iPhone and iPad app lets you monitor and control your Alarm.com-­‐enabled security system in real-­‐time from anywhere. Alarm.com works with the security system in your home or business to give you instant access to what’s happening when you’re not there, connecting you to your system so you can control it while you’re on the go. Description: With the Alarm.com iPhone App, you can: -­‐ Arm or disarm your system remotely -­‐ Make sure your system is armed when you’re away -­‐ Watch live video and recorded clips from your security cameras -­‐ See what doors and windows have been opened and closed -­‐ Access a complete, searchable system event history With Alarm.com, you can also receive real-­‐time email, text message, and push notifications on your iPhone whenever your security system reports an event that matters to you. Find out immediately when: -­‐ Your kids get home from school -­‐ The housekeeper arrives or leaves -­‐ There's flooding or a water leak in your basement -­‐ Your medicine cabinet is opened -­‐ Your pool gate opens -­‐ Your safe is accessed -­‐ Your security system is disarmed (and who disarmed it) -­‐ Someone attempts to log into your account -­‐ You forgot to arm your system when you left for work or vacation 28 Screen Shots: 29 Camera Control Description: View and control your Panasonic Network Camera on your iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch. Quick & Easy Access to your Panasonic IP Cam over both Mobile Phone and WIFI Networks Move with a swipe. Zoom with a pinch. -­‐ Pan, Tilt & Zoom control available for supported Panasonic PTZ models. Faster than the internet browser interface. -­‐ Your camera(s) appears right away in the multi-­‐cam view once the App loads -­‐ then double tap a camera to view a bigger high speed image. Save snapshots. -­‐ Snapshot feature allows you to save the camera image to your photos folder for use later. Record video clips -­‐ Record the live stream from your camera -­‐ Up to 30 seconds for each video. Add unlimited cameras. -­‐ Your password details are saved securely, meaning you only need to enter them once, and you can add as many Panasonic Cams as you want. Screen Shot: 30 Irrigation Control Description: Control your irrigation system from your iPhone or iPod touch (internet access is required), provided you have the Cyber-­‐Rain XCI Cloud Smart Irrigation Control System installed. The Cyber-­‐Rain Cloud Smart Control app allows you to view the status of your Cyber-­‐Rain irrigation controller(s), to perform manual runs for various zones, stop an existing run, put one or more controllers on hold, and to upload images of your irrigation zones. The Cyber-­‐Rain XCI Cloud Irrigation Control System uses advanced water-­‐saving technology based on local weather forecast data for your area to maximize water savings. This eliminates the need for expensive and short-­‐range remotes to verify that the irrigation system is running smoothly from the field. Cyber-­‐Rain is a leader in water conservation technologies for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. Screen Shots: 31 Garage Door Control Description Control your LiftMaster® MyQ™-­‐enabled garage door opener, gate operator, and house lights from anywhere in the world. The LiftMaster® Internet Gateway App is perfect for anyone who has ever left the house and wondered if their garage door or gate was open. The LiftMaster® Internet Gateway accessory and App allows you to monitor and control your MyQ™ enabled garage door opener and gate operator with one swipe of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. -­‐monitor and control multiple garage door openers -­‐monitor and control multiple gate operators -­‐edit account information -­‐enhance your security by adding a passcode of your choice -­‐modify security levels This innovative App brings you convenience and safety you can only get from LiftMaster garage door openers and gate operators. Requires a LiftMaster™ MyQ™ enabled garage door opener or gate operator and a LiftMaster® Screen Shot: 32 Player Piano Control Description: Controls the audio/piano balance when sending PianoDisc® music to your player piano. Easy Music Chest PlayList. Audio&Piano volume high/low limit control. Easy PianoDisc Radio. Turn on and off speaker or piano during performance. Calibrate to an individual piano. Three presets that save favorite volume/balance levels. Recall Level feature. Remembers volumes and levels for individual songs. Must have a PianoDisc enabled piano. *Scroll through albums and touch an album cover. The album opens up, and you see all of the songs on that album. Touch any song to jump to it. Screen Shots: 33 Hot Tub and Pool Control Description: Intelligent Pool Control: Anytime. Anywhere. Control virtually every element of your pool or pool/spa automation system, even on the go. Complete Control – Monitor and adjust all equipment controlled by the AquaLink system: •
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Pool Temperature Spa Temperature Water Falls Spillovers Laminar Jets Light Dimmers Color and White Lights Landscape Lights Filter Pump Booster Pump Pool Cleaner Screen Shots: 34 Door Lock Control Description: One less thing in your pocket. Lockitron lets you replace your keys with your phone. If you have a Lockitron-­‐enabled lock or have been invited to one, then this is the app for you. Using Lockitron you can lock and unlock Lockitron-­‐enabled doors that you own or have been invited to. You can also monitor logs and invite friends, co-­‐workers and family members to use your lock. Screen Shots: 35 Front Door Station Control Description: Video Intercom for iPhone and iPad. The doorbell rings… Now, you immediately see who’s at the door: With visiTor you communicate with your visitors from the comfort of your sofa -­‐ or wherever you are in your home. • When someone calls, the image automatically appears on your iPhone or iPads. You can now talk directly with your visitor and open the door. • If you have multiple cameras installed, you can easily change between different views, e.g. monitoring the exterior of your home. As long as you stay within the wireless range of your home, visiTor is always ready for you -­‐ the most useful innovation since the invention of the doorbell! All that is required for the visiTor app is the controller, an iPhone or iPad with iOS 4.3, a Video intercom system (e. g. Siedle, Mobotix, Ritto, TCS, Gira, etc.) and a wireless connection. Screen Shot: 36 Phone System Description: Characteristics for the NVX 610: This app transforms your iPod touch, iPhone, iPad into the configuration and user interface of your invoxia phone. We built an easy-­‐to-­‐use, clever and intuitive app around: -­‐your contacts, -­‐your recent calls -­‐a keypad, -­‐your voicemail (depending on your carrier). Fixed-­‐mobile convergence as you never saw it before! Find your mobile, Skype and business contacts merged into your « Contacts » button and your recent calls into « Recents ». Receive both your calls from your fixed line and your mobile on one device. Benefit from all the advantages of Skype™ at work: use the full power of your invoxia desktop phone during your Skype conference and conversations. Your invoxia desktop phone is : -­‐Made for iPod touch 4th generation and iPod touch 3rd generation -­‐Made for iPhone 3GS, 4S, 4 and 5 -­‐Made for new iPad, iPad 2 and iPad Screen Shots: 37 Universal Remote TV Control Roomie is a universal remote to control your home theater components supporting thousands of devices – often via direct communication over your home network rather than requiring additional hardware. Roomie also provides a personalized TV guide, and live feedback for many devices with information like your receiver's volume. Features: • IP Control with Automatic Discovery: World class IP control library supports over 86,000 commands on thousands of devices with no adapter required via your Wi-­‐Fi network. Provides advanced two-­‐way feedback support with automatic discovery of devices on your network. • Infrared Control: High-­‐end home theater code library supports virtually all components when paired with an infrared adapter. • Virtual Remote: Roomie provides a remote for any supported device, automatically optimizing each remote for iOS with all of the commands from your original remote and often more advanced commands including "discrete" power on and off. • iTunes Control: Control your music and video library including Airplay to your AppleTV, play functions, playlist selection, position scrubbing, album art, volume, and more. • Integrated TV Schedules: Provides TV listings for US, UK, Canada, and 14 other countries including personalization of listings with favorite channels integrating with your devices to tune your channels directly. TV listings include program details, graphics, and full cast and crew credits. • iCloud Synchronization: Configuration changes can be instantly and automatically synchronized among all your iOS devices. • Advanced Macros and Automation: Advanced macros can be created for precise control over your systems. Using the extensive command library, macros can sequence complex command timing over multiple types of connection easily automating high-­‐end home theaters, multiple rooms, or houses. • Remote Customization: Buttons can be created, removed, and customized to your liking. • Dropbox and iTunes Backup: Configurations can be backed up to iTunes locally or Dropbox. • IP Receivers: Unlike traditional IR solutions, Roomie knows your IP receiver’s volume, power, mute, input, and mode status showing live feedback for many aspects of your system. Song, album art, integration with receiver iPod and streaming services are also provided. (See Roomie website for supported models.) • Infrared Learning: Roomie now integrates learning infrared commands directly into the app. In the event you need to learn infrared commands if they are not part of our extensive library, it's now just taps away. Both the iTach IR series and L5 are supported learners. 38 Screen Shots: 39 Alarm Clock Description: iHome+Sleep is the award-­‐winning*, feature-­‐rich alarm clock for iOS devices from iHome. iHome+Sleep requires iOS 4.1 or later on iPhone & iPod touch, or iOS 4.1 or later on iPad. For extensive information about iHome apps and app-­‐enhanced products, visit us at http://www.ihomeaudio.com/apps. iHome+Sleep is the most feature rich alarm clock app for iOS. Including many ways to enhance your sleep lifestyle, including: • Fully customizable alarm manager • Nap alarms • Gentle wake • Wake and Sleep volume control • Wake and Sleep to iPod library • Wake and Sleep to Internet Radio (requires $1.99 iHome+Radio app) • Full screen clock display with custom photo backgrounds • Sleep statistics and editable sleep log • Wake and Sleep reminders • Wake to a summary of social feeds, for your "Overnight News" • Integration with iHome Set for quick configuration of iHome app-­‐enhanced devices Screen Shots: 40 Weather Vane Description: WeatherHawk Mobile connects to your WeatherHawk IP module and displays the information in a beautiful iPhone style. Name the station and point the app to the IP address of your WeatherHawk IP module and WeatherHawk Mobile will always show your current weather information in the units that you choose. Screen Shot: 41 Energy Management Description: TED-­‐O-­‐Meter displays energy usage collected by a TED 5000 Gateway. The TED 5000 is a device that measures your home's energy usage. It comes with a gateway that can be connected to your router in order to read the energy usage data from anywhere on your local network. Visit http://theenergydetective.com for information and sales. TED-­‐O-­‐Meter connects to your own TED 5000 gateway over your local wireless network, or to your static IP address if you have configured port forwarding to the gateway. TED-­‐O-­‐Meter displays daily and monthly present, low, average, peak and total statistics for power, cost, and CO2. It also shows daily and monthly present, low, and peak voltage. In addition to the meter, the application displays total and projected monthly usage. Screen Shot: 42 Coffee Machine Description: “Finally the iPhone makes coffee” -­‐ Scanomat August 2012 • Brew coffee from the TopBrewer directly from your iPhone • Order our coffee products from the built-­‐in shop (coming soon) • Explore Scanomat’s line-­‐up of professional machines The TopBrewer is a unique, professional coffee brewer with built-­‐in quality components – and the first iPhone controlled coffee brewer in the world. Operate any TopBrewer machine and brew fresh bean-­‐to-­‐
cup quality coffee, americano, espresso or with fresh milk, latte, cappuccino, macchiato and more with just a few taps in this innovative app. Say you want a bit more milk in your cappuccino? No problem. With the TopBrewer app from Scanomat you can increase or decrease milk foam, strength of coffee or even the size of drink! When you have made your own special selection, save the drink as a personal favourite. Thus your favourite drinks are just a swipe away. The TopBrewer is an innovative world novelty and has created an entirely new category within coffee brewers. It turns the common conception of coffee brewing and dispensing completely upside down and its simple sculptural design is breathtaking. This is not just a coffee machine. Screen Shots: 43 610 University Avenue Los Gatos, CA 95032 www.cybermanor.com 408-­‐399-­‐3331 44