CEDIA 2009: Home Automation and more

Home Automation

Home Automation is also a big part of the CEDIA Expo, with multiple companies showing off their automatic light switching, curtain closing, bath running wares. Surprisingly, unlike with the various home theatre companies, the focus was less on bespoke offerings for millionaires and more about modular systems that are both easier and cheaper to integrate into an average home’s existing electrical system.

Both of the home automation companies we talked to, Rayleigh Instruments and BPT, offered similar systems. These were based around a central control unit which connects to your home network via Ethernet and offers a web accessible front-end for setup and fuull control of the system. Automation is then accomplished by a range of small modular control modules and actuators, small enough to easily be hidden behind light switches or fitted onto blinds, curtains and pretty much anything else you could think to move with an electric motor.


The systems are even able to integrate with your heating and water system, allowing you to remotely heat the house in time for your arrival home, sense your presence in a room and increase/decrease the temperature and lighting accordingly and even to run a bath and have the system auto-regulate the water temperature for you, all from the web interface accessible anywhere in the world.

It really is stuff right out of The Jetsons and is enormously impressive, especially as the new modular systems have brought pricing down considerably. While you’re still looking at between £5-10k for a decent home automation system (not including installation), in certain parts of the UK that’s less than 5% of a house's cost and is sure to add to the value of any house - as well as being enormously cool into the bargain.

Anywhere I Roam iPhone

Considering its enormous popularity, it was unsurprising that the iPhone had a strong presence at CEDIA, with many products offering iPhone support via custom apps. However, the most innovative offering we saw was C-remote’s “Bobby” app, which effectively turns your iPhone into a universal remote control for any and every device in your living room. By mapping a vast number of devices into the app’s online data base, you can easily download the required remote for any device, with a working remote appearing on the iPhone or iPod Touch’s screen.

Unfortunately Apple chose not to include IR connectivity with the iPhone, so you’ll need a separate network-to-IR transmitter box (so no switching off all the TVs in Curry’s Digital), but considering the hardware required costs around £100, and the app less than £6, it’s still cheaper than some universal remotes and does it all using an existing device. We’ll definitely be looking at Bobby in the near future and as far as iPhone apps go it’s certainly one with a great deal of potential.

Final Thoughts on CEDIA

CEDIA is certainly a unique event, and there were some amazing kit and technologies on show, but throughout I couldn’t help feel I was just putting my nose up at the bakery window of home theatre and automation. There were exhibitors who are able to offer home theatre installations costing in excess of £100,000, offering incredibly sophisticated media and automation products that the vast majority of us will never realistically be able to afford.

Devices such as the Kaleidescape and Xtream Media Servers were things of beauty and were enormously slick, but the ludicrous costs involved make these products exclusive to the very wealthy. Perhaps that’s what the companies involved want, as richer clientèle inevitably mean fatter profit margins, but I found myself frustrated that the amazing technological marvels like home automation or opulent home theatre setups were still far beyond any average Joe’s reach. When you’ve grown up with dreams of such fanciful technology it's saddening to think that while the tech is out there, for now at least we’ll have to make do with still putting our Blu-rays into the player ourselves.