Crestron is using its annual presence at CEDIA Expo in booth #1901 to unveil more than 20 new features and integrations to its Crestron Home platform, including new automation capabilities, customization options, integrations and new integrator tools.
Michael Short, senior director of marketing operations and residential at Crestron, emphasized that Crestron Home aims to provide a seamless smart home experience with a sleek interface, while new features enhance dealer efficiency and system capabilities based on their feedback.
“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,” Short said in a statement.
“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.”
The new features include enhanced programming and automation tools that allow dealers to create “if-then, when” statements to the automation process and to create experiences that flow to match the homeowners’ lifestyle. This conditional logic allows for the creation of complex and nuanced automations with a defined set of conditions.
Lightapalooza took place in late February, and the growth of the event has mirrored the rapid ascension lighting fixtures and controls.
Crestron gives the example of a sunset sequence that could be created so that when the sun is going down, and the light sensor in the living room falls below 30%, the living room’s lights rise to 80% to create a warm and inviting atmosphere that transitions seamlessly from day to evening.
According to the company, a multi-trigger sequence could also be introduced so that when a movie streaming app is launched, the system knows it’s movie night and to dim the lights, close the blinds, and adjust the speaker volume for the best viewing experience.
The latest updates also introduce a new branding feature that allows dealers to promote the incredible work they do. Now, dealers can personalize their projects by adding their logo to the Crestron Home app and touch screens, enhancing brand awareness with a sleek and professional look.
The latest updates also introduce a new branding feature that allows dealers to add their logo to the Crestron Home app and touch screens.
Following an update that increased lighting support on the Home OS back in May 2024, Crestron says it is continuing to commit to an open ecosystem by adding a native integration with Lutron’s Ketra lighting, expanding the many lighting options within the Crestron Home platform.
The company is also releasing its Crestron Home SIMPL, a new features designed to enable easy integration of the Crestron Home OS lighting configuration with custom Crestron control processors programmed via SIMPL. This is designed to give dealers the ability to leverage Crestron Home OS lighting while maintaining the flexibility and customization capabilities of SIMPL programming for projects that require a custom solution.
Courtesy/Crestron
Crestron is also beefing up its access control and security features, including offering enhanced user management of door locks for Crestron EX Locks and the Yale Pro 2 Deadbolt Lock. Each family member or guest can receive access to specific locks for convenient home entry. The Crestron Home platform will also have 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.
Crestron is also introducing pin code protections for Crestron touch screen interfaces. Pin code protection now allows chosen touch screens to be locked down during certain instances or at all times. For example, homeowners can turn on pin code access to the living room and kitchen touch screens when hosting family during the holidays and switch them back to normal mode when everyone leaves, the company says.
Codes can also be turned on in spaces like a primary bedroom where homeowners may want private access and prevent unauthorized users from accessing control of that space.
Crestron Home OS also introduces a number of integration and compatibility improvements, including:
Integration with the Crestron Digital Graphics Engine 1000 (DGE-1000): Upon release of the DGE-1000 later this year, homeowners will have 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.
Horizon® Glass Keypads: These white and black glass finishes aim to enhance the aesthetic and design of the home and work seamlessly within the Crestron Home OS ecosystem.
Saros® PoE Speaker Support: Crestron continues its trend of network-based deployments and professional management by introducing support in Crestron Home for Saros® PoE speakers.
Axxess Industries Hospitality Solutions: Crestron Home OS extends its integration capabilities to the hospitality sector through support for Axxess Industries PrivacyService. Introduce privacy and service features such as “Privacy/Do Not Disturb” for hotel guests. For residential applications, one can even add a plug-in doorbell chime anywhere in the home.
Sonos® Line-In Support: Crestron Home OS introduces 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.
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