Crestron Electronics which provides home automation solutions has announced additional features to its Crestron Home OS 4.
Set to be unveiled at CEDIA Expo 2024 this month, there are 20 new features, as well as further integrations.
New smart home conditional sequences introduce the ability to create “if-then, when” statements to the automation process to personalise scenarios.
The addition of conditional logic gives dealers the ability to create complex automation scenarios with a defined set of conditions that must be met before an action is triggered.
For example, a sunset sequence could be created so that when the sun is going down, and the light sensor in the living room falls below 30 per cent, the living room’s lights rise to 80 per cent to create an atmosphere that transitions seamlessly from day to evening.
A multi-trigger sequence could also be introduced so that when a movie streaming app is launched, for example, the system knows it’s movie night and dims the lights, closes the blinds, and adjusts the speaker volume for the best viewing experience.
Crestron says that this offers dealers easier and more efficient automation configuration alongside far more customisation options for their customers.
Also, dealers can personalise their projects by adding their logo to the Crestron Home app and touch screens.
As for lighting solutions, Crestron’s native Lutron Ketra lighting integration expands the range of lighting options already available within the Crestron Home platform.
Crestron says that by providing an open and flexible platform, it allows homeowners and dealers to choose the lighting solutions that best suit their needs while still having access to the Crestron digital lighting platform.
It has also released the Crestron Home SIMPL Integration Modules – a feature that enables integration of the Crestron Home OS lighting configuration with custom Crestron control processors programmed via SIMPL.
This allows dealers to leverage Crestron Home OS lighting while maintaining the flexibility and customisation capabilities of SIMPL programming for projects that require a custom solution.
As for security, Crestron Home OS offers a combination of features to improve who has access to your home and their level of access too once they are inside.
Enhanced user management of door locks is available for Crestron EX Locks, including the brand-new Yale Pro 2 Deadbolt Lock, allowing each family member or guest to receive access to specific locks for convenient home entry.
Crestron Home OS is also now introducing a more unified view of garage doors, gates, and locks as well as integration of the myQ driver for Chamberlain and Liftmaster garage doors with Wi-Fi connectivity into the “House Access” area of the app.
Beyond access control of exterior entries, the Crestron Home platform now allows more control over the security of your touch screens for spaces within the home.
Pin code protection permits select touch screens to be locked down during certain instances, or even at all times.
Crestron Home OS also introduces a number of integration and compatibility improvements, including Integration with the Crestron Digital Graphics Engine 1000 (DGE-1000) which will be released later this year and allow homeowners more flexibility and choice to display the Crestron Home interface on larger third-party touch screens as well as have HD Streaming video support directly within the OS.
Also, the Crestron Home OS has introduced Sonos speakers line-in support, enabling better audio control and switching capabilities. With this update, Crestron Home OS can instruct Sonos devices to switch between eARC or line-in inputs on demand.
“Crestron Home is about delivering a smart home experience that assimilates with the lifestyle of the homeowners by providing ultimate control delivered in a sleek interface,” said Michael Short, senior director, Marketing Operations and Residential at Crestron.
“Our dealers are at the heart of each of these projects and these latest features were designed to help streamline several processes that will ultimately help dealers deliver more to their clients. Whether that’s through new system capabilities or the opportunity to natively bring in new third-party devices, we continue to use their feedback to make the OS more powerful with every update.”
A noteworthy update coming to OS is the Crestron Home Environmental Summary Report. With this new feature, all support teams have to do is print out the Environmental Summary Report, and they can immediately review the system’s environmental controls, all the lighting scenes, shade scenes, quick actions, loads, sensors, and keypads.
