Review: A Logical Approach To Control

Until recently, consumers interested in interconnected platforms and devices have been forced to choose from a limited list of vendors, which adds to the price and, due to their incompatibility with other products, can reduce the capabilities of a home network. HomeLogic is trying to reverse this trend with IP-based hardware that connects audio, video and home theater components, as well as lighting, security and HVAC subsystems to home networks and control systems.

HomeLogic works closely with a diverse list of manufacturers, including Audio-Request, HAI, Honeywell, Lutron, Panasonic and Russound, and sells various EdgeBrick boxes for most specialized sets of controls. These EdgeBrick variants--ClimateBrick, LightingBrick, IrrigationBrick and PoolSpaBric--manage particular systems and devices in the home. HomeLogic also offers the SerialBrick, which manages any other RS232- or RS485-enabled device via IP. In addition to allowing integrators and customers a greater choice of devices for a home integration, HomeLogic makes it easier for integrators to attack retrofits by connecting devices already in a home.

The EdgeBricks communicate through embedded Web servers and can be accessed by any computer in a home or remotely via the Web. HomeLogic also provides software modules such as drivers, a configuration program and schedulers. All the software that is required to control a device is contained in an EdgeBrick.

The company frequently develops new drivers to support manufacturers' devices. These are automatically pushed out to EdgeBricks over the Internet, so integrators do not have to manage the devices once they are installed.

HomeLogic also provides various software interfaces for controlling devices and systems. The company has interfaces that run on wireless touch screens, in-wall touch screens, Java-based Web screens for PCs and Pocket PCs, and even a modem connection interface designed for remote control. The remote access has the same level of functionality as the other interfaces, though some tasks, such as viewing cameras, are not practical due to slow connectivity.

In addition to the EdgeBricks, Home- Logic offers preprogrammed touch screens and wireless tablets, and is now selling a complete home theater solution. HomeLogic OEMs the technology to vendors including Aprilaire and Pentair Water. Aprilaire, for instance, uses this technology to IP-enable its thermostats.

Through an interface on HomeLogic's corporate Web site, Digital Connect Lab engineers connected to various subsystems located on a test network at HomeLogic's offices, and found the device interfaces to be highly intuitive. Home owners will be able to navigate to any subsystem and easily gain control of a device. Even complex tasks such as changing thermostats and lighting schedules are designed well enough for the average home owner to use.

The same cannot be said about the competition. On systems sold by AMX and Crestron, home owners have nowhere near the same level of control of devices because information is often hard-coded into a program. Typically, AMX- or Crestron-certified integrators have to go back to a client to change scheduling tasks on thermostats or any other subsystem. Moreover, during installations, programming AMX and Crestron equipment requires knowledge of low-level hardware codes and therefore it is extremely difficult to update, so integrators must farm jobs out to experts or keep high-paid dedicated programmers on staff. Vendors such as Global Caché and Lantronix also make adapters that allow devices in the home to connect to an IP network, though they offer limited software and interfaces.

HomeLogic's HomeBrick device controls all of the EdgeBricks in a home. The HomeBrick is an embedded Microsoft XP controller that resembles a PC and includes a hard drive, so it also functions as a digital music server.

HomeLogic provides a network assembly kit that interfaces an 18-port switch through a router and provides connection to four subsystems through EdgeBricks. The system arrives enclosed in an electrical housing with openings for all external ports and outlets. Digital integrators place the box in a basement or closet and run wires from it to the subsystems.

HomeLogic's software allows integrators to finish a huge part of a job before walking into a home, because driver and device configurations can be programmed at their offices. Because jobs are less complex at a job site with HomeLogic, digital integrators can bid more competitively and focus on marketing and the business side rather than spend many man-hours on installation. In homes pre-wired with Cat 5 cabling, digital integrators simply have to drop the appropriate EdgeBrick boxes, quickly test for functionality with the company's Configurator software and add events based on home owner requests.

HomeLogic makes UI programming simple. The company offers software that generates interfaces dynamically, so integrators do not need to put in the legwork to do so themselves. For instance, by selecting lighting, climate, irrigation, home theater and security, HomeLogic's Home Tab software will arrange and display only those systems on a screen and provide the integrator with the appropriate connections to the devices.

HomeLogic allows customers to remotely monitor their homes. If a home has a dynamic IP connection, Home- Logic's controller box sends a message to a remote HomeLogic server updating its connection whenever an IP changes. When the customer logs on through HomeLogic's Web site, the server verifies the user and checks its IP table and then routes the connection to that IP.

One warning: These connections are protected by passwords without using certificates or other verification methods. Integrators should therefore use multiple password layers as a good practice.

HomeLogic is also developing a partner program. To learn more, see the related article

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