Smart Home Blog

Chinese company EKON produced its own automation system to control home or office. It uses proprietary Power Line protocol (not X10 as I understand) to send data between controller and execution units. The EKON controllers are embeded into touchscreen control panels. The consumer can choose between wall-mounted, table-mounted and wireless ones.

Together with managing of electrical stuff in your home of office EKON system allows to make security and CCTV using Alarm&CCTV Controller add-on. Using the touch panels consumer can see the alarm signals and watch video from the security cams.

The EKON system is a ready-made software and hardware solution. From one hand it’s good because the system contains only tested and working parts. But the its big disadvantage is proprietary technology and devices. It’s impossible to use switches or dimmers produced by other manufacturers. Another aspect which can be very important is integration EKON with other systems to have, for example, multi-room control. Have no idea how easy or hard to do that. In any case it’s good to have alternatives. Especially in the area of DIY home control systems.

Using powerline devices you can avoid additional wires to connect two devices in the different rooms. For example, it’s so popular powerline adapters to organize home LAN. You may know that whole-house music system needs additional wiring. But Russound – well-known producer Hi-End A/V distribution systems, offers another way to bring music in all rooms of your home. Its new system Avenue distributes high-quality music to multiple rooms using HomePlug technology. The system contains two pieces: the Avenue Hub and Avenue Points. The Hub is placed in the equipment room with Russound’s CAV 6.6 music distribution system. Each line output from the CAV plugs into a port on the Hub, which plugs into a standard AC outlet. The Avenue supports up to six different zones. The powerline also provides a return path for control signals from the keypads, touchscreens or any other interface that uses Russound’s RNET protocol.

Each music zone is supplied by its Avenue Point that plugs into the powerline to communicate with the Hub and delivers music to the speakers (thanks to built-in amp) and RNET control signals to and from the keypad or touchscreen.

The price of Avenue is not finalized but it might cont about $4000 including one hub with three points of audio.

[via CePro]

Netgear and DS2’s announced a 200Mbps Powerline HD solution. This amazing speed is caused by rapid growth of HD TV. More and more home entertaiment devices support it and it time to broadcast HD content through a building’s existing electrical wiring omitting cables.

The new HD ethernet adapter (HDX101) and networking kit (HDXB101) are selling for $129.99 and $249.99 respectively.

via Engaget]