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| EMagazine Volume 4 Issue 4 August 1999 |
Features
Interviews
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| Home Toys
Interview - August99 - [HTI Home Page] |
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WHOLE HOUSE SYSTEMS INTERVIEW While interest in whole home automation is steadily increasing it is still media control that drives most of our customers. This means multi-source, multi-zone audio control and integrated Media Room/Home Theater systems are the "hot buttons" for most of our customers. However, lighting is a very close second, and integration to security is something most customers look for from their PHAST system. |
QUESTION 1 - New House Construction. What is the process for including your home automation system in my design and construction process? Who should I talk to first ... when should I start ... what do I need to know ahead of time etc.
PHAST uses value-added resellers (dealers) to design and install PHAST systems. PHAST dealers can become associated with a project in a number of ways; through an architect, builder, or interior design professional. Many times PHAST customers develop a relationship with a dealer through a referral from a friend or as a customer to a high-end retailer who also does custom work.Because PHAST systems interact with so many subsystems in the home (lighting, HVAC, etc.) it is critical that the PHAST dealer work with the other trades people from the earliest stages. PHAST components communicate on a Category 5 (wire type) PHASTlink data buss that should be pre-wired before any sheet rock or interior finish work is completed. This communication and scheduling process can be managed by the builder, an architect, a project manager, or sometimes by the homeowner themselves. However, it is critical that a master project contact list be maintained and distributed to all parties and that regular meetings take place to make sure that key details are not missed.
QUESTION 2 - Old House Renovation. What is
the process for adding your home automation system to my old house? Do I need to tear out
walls etc.? Who should I talk to first ... what do I need to know ahead of time etc.
QUESTION 3 - What systems can I automate using your equipment? (i.e. Lighting / Entertainment / Security / Other) What is the most popular system to automate in the home ? What is the most cost effective system to automate? What is the most fun to automate?
The possibilities are almost endless, PHAST concentrates on five core areas of automation: Lighting, Security, HVAC/environment, Telephone/Intercom, and Audio/Video. The features most users want for all these subsystems are readily available in the Landmark Designer software, however there are also specialized tools available within Landmark to allow integration of just about anything imaginable. Our PHASTlink Partners Program (P3) allows other manufacturers to directly implement PHASTlink technology into their products, to date we have had over 100 companies sign on to produce compatible products. To date we have released products ranging from Proceed surround sound processors to Europlex security systems. We are also working with pool and spa control manufacturers.While interest in whole home automation is steadily increasing it is still media control that drives most of our customers. This means multi-source, multi-zone audio control and integrated Media Room/Home Theater systems are the "hot buttons" for most of our customers. However, lighting is a very close second, and integration to security is something most customers look for from their PHAST system.
People seem to get the most kick out of highly integrated home theater systems as this typically has more "wow" factor than lighting or HVAC control.
QUESTION 4 - How will I interface and control the system once it's installed? Do I need to call the dealer to make changes to schedules and modes etc.? How are software changes made (PC / Controller / Other)?
We offer a wide variety of system interfaces, from graphical touchpanels (both wired and wireless) to wall mounted keypads and PC’s. The Landmark system supports schedules and modes as well as an astronomical clock, it is very common to allow the users to elect between several modes themselves from a touchpanel or keypad.If there is a PC connected to the system (about 60% of Landmark systems have PC’s attached) the dealer has the power to allow the user to work with a fairly simple graphical scheduling engine giving them some more choices. Access to these more in-depth features of the system can be password controlled by the dealer to prevent the kids in the house from wreaking havoc on the system. We also offer a utility (remote PC) that allows the user to access any feature of the home they like via a PC link over the Internet or a LAN or WAN. We also have the ability to integrate DTMF control into the system allowing the user to control the home and get voice feedback from anywhere they have telephone access.
The program controlling the home is authored on a PC and then downloaded to the Landmark system to either run independently or with a PC, programming changes are accomplished via a PC. We are now entering a period of explosive development in terms of Internet accessibility and control with the whole family of AMX and PHAST products. We have recently debuted a line of products (Netlinx and Weblinx) and protocols (ICSP or Internet Control Systems Protocol) designed to link the home to net based information and services in wholly new and powerful ways.
QUESTION 5 - What features set your system apart from the others? How can I compare the features and prices of the various systems offered?
Completeness is the single feature that most distinguishes Landmark. There are excellent control systems available in the market from AMX and Crestron, however they do not process audio or provide residential lighting solutions. Lutron, LiteTouch and Vantage all offer excellent lighting control systems, while some have the ability to extend into some areas of automation they do not come close to offering as complete a system as Landmark. Niles, Audio Access, and ADA are in the multi-source, multi-zone audio business, but do not offer other whole home features comparable to Landmark.Because there is no one offering a product with this breadth of options you are forced to compare to the group of products required to provide like features. Example, an AMX system coupled with a Lutron Lighting control system and an ADA multi-zone is comparable to a Landmark system addressing all three of these areas. Because you are only dealing with a single master processor on the Landmark side cost is usually considerably lower and integration much simpler.
QUESTION 6 - Is your system expandable and upgradable? How do I go about expanding? How do I go about upgrading?
There is not a single Landmark system out there that comes close to our theoretical maximum size (around 32,000 network nodes), so expanding is not an issue. Devices are added to the system by attaching them to the network physically and then identifying and programming then in the Designer application. All new PHAST products (and AMX products) are designed with compatibility to our existing systems in mind, so upgrades should not be a problem.QUESTION 7 - Is your system compatible with other equipment and systems available? Which systems and how do they interface?
Landmark supports control outputs for Infra red control, contact closure (relay) outputs, serial data output via RS232, RS422 and RS485 as well as the ability to sense contact closure and TTL (Thin Transistor Logic) signals from other systems. This array of features allows our dealers to connect the Landmark system to just about anything that is controllable. However, as I mentioned above our P3 program takes this to another level, allowing the dealer to program a Lutron Homeworks system or ITI security system as if it were PHAST produced equipment. This is unprecedented in terms of simplifying the very daunting task of a whole home integration.QUESTION 8 - Home Networking of systems and appliances is the buzz these days. How will your system integrate with the future home network which includes data, communication, information etc. as well as automation, security and entertainment?
AMX and PHAST have worked hard to stay on the forefront of emerging standards, we are members of the Digital Harmony (IEEE 1394) Group as well as the Home RF (wireless standards) working group. We participate in the Wiring Americas Homes (WAH) initiative and the have exhibited at Microsoft’s WinHec exhibition based on our compatibility with their Home plug and play technology. We work hard to be involved in every emerging standard so make sure that we are on the forefront of forward going compatibility.QUESTION 9 - For a new house of 3000 sq. ft. / 3 brms what would an "Entry Level" automation system cost (ballpark range)? Assume we want to automate the lighting, 2 room entertainment system (Adults and Kids) and security system.
Using a complete Landmark solution would provide slightly more than the customer is looking for (8 sources into 4 zones on the audio side) and provide for control of up to 8 Infra red components and lighting for 5 zones. Because there are dealer margins to consider and installation issues I can only guess at an installed cost, but $7,500.00 is in the ballpark. However you could reduce that cost by over $2,000 by using an integrated A/V receiver with a second zone capability built in. This would provide for only the two zones required (this is what I did in my house and it works very well).QUESTION 10 - Look into your crystal ball and tell us about the future of home automation. The technologies ... the marketplace ... the cost ... the availability and just the plain old fun we can look forward to.
The entry into the field by IT giants like IBM, Microsoft and Intel will serve to increase consumer awareness. Increasing deregulation of the utility industry is forcing many of these players to look to value added services as an avenue to hold market share. We are already seeing alliances between utility providers and developers to make wired planned communities much more common in the future. The biggest single change in the technologies themselves will be the emphasis on getting "outside the curb" and connecting home control systems to the internet, community intranets, content providers and service utilities.QUESTION 11 - Where can I learn more about your system and how do I find a dealer in my area? (include links, addresses, tel, fax, contact names etc.).
Our web site http://www.phast.com is an excellent source for finding out more about our system. There you will find a locator for all of our regional marketing firms, these folks can put you in touch with a local system. If anyone has more specific questions they can give us a call at (800) 979-9637 or e-mail me at Steve.Alexander@phast.com