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iPhone: The Home Automation Remote Killer
Posted by John Mahoney at 8:15 AM on September 5, 2008
There are already a few home automation iPhone apps in the store, but here at CEDIA it's clear that all of the home automation heavies have definitely discovered the obvious: the iPhone makes for a great universal touchscreen remote for everything from your AC to your living room blinds to your music collection. And most of them won't make you pay the price of a snazzy dedicated touchscreen controller to get it, either. Most of them.
Of the apps by Crestron, Lifeware, Z-Wave and Control4 we've seen here at CEDIA, Crestron's seems to be farthest along (pictured above). It can control multiple rooms in multiple houses all via Wi-Fi or AT&T data, and is a free download and add-on. Z-Wave, probably the most accessible system that you don't have to have a Cribs-worthy home to run, will sadly charge you US$10 a month for the privilege of freaking out your pets while you're on vacation or locking your doors from bed. Lifeware's app is still in its nascent stages, but it will pack more Media Centre integrations (in case you're running the baddest Media Centre in the world).
Control4's app (above) is the least impressive--the first version will only work in your home on the same Wi-Fi network as your system, which is puzzling. And it'll cost you a "license" that will likely be "over US$100 and less than US$500," to make up for lost touchscreen remote revenue.
All the apps are currently getting finishing touches, but each will be available before year-end. For now, check out iViewer.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
eAngulus
Posted September 5, 2008 9:33 AM
My guess is if they can controll IR then it would have to be via a PC somewhere. IR connected to PC and then you control the IR output via the iPhone. If I'm wrong then it may be a good idea anyway.
Red T-Rex
Posted September 7, 2008 1:33 AM
Logitech should have provided an SDK for their remotes particularly the Harmony i1000 (which I have) and they would have all sorts of wonderful apps for it for home automation. Now it's too late. Asking $700 for just a remote when you can get the iPhone as well for the same price has just put them out of the remote business.
Dancing Milkcarton
Posted 8:36 AM 5/9/08
Hi, Sonos? Yeah, it's me. Look... I love my Sonos setup, but if you don't release that Sonos app you've admitted to having, I'm afraid it's going to be a lot harder for me to justify buying another zoneplayer. M'kay?
Dancing Milkcarton
Ken_Darrow
Posted 8:28 AM 5/9/08
I bet Jobs gets giddy when he reads about these developments. With the INTERNETS always on for these things, I think the possibilities we're seeing is just the tip of a huge iceberg.
Ken_Darrow
majortom1029
Posted 8:54 AM 5/9/08
Like bandit says how will an iphone control something that uses ir ? Will they include an ir transmitter of somekind?
majortom1029
Broncoskip
Posted 8:45 AM 5/9/08
Hello, Yeah hey dad. Yeah, I don't know why the blender turns on every time you call Aunt Lisa. What's that you say? When you call grandma the neighbors garage door opens and the radio in the basement starts playing Sanatra?
Yeah, something like that.
Broncoskip
bandit
Posted 8:40 AM 5/9/08
How does the iPhone control TV input that uses IR signals??
bandit
acekrn
Posted 9:25 AM 5/9/08
yes.. but can it control my girlfriend's dildo when i'm at school and she's still sleeping in?
acekrn
phlavor
Posted 9:39 AM 5/9/08
@majortom1029: @bandit: They utilize a WiFi receiver hooked up to a IR flasher that you stick next to the IR receiver of your device.
phlavor
gamecrazychris
Posted 10:31 AM 5/9/08
"It can control multiple rooms in multiple houses" I so want to turn crap off in my friends houses while they're home and scare the **** out of them.
gamecrazychris
tasset
Posted 10:19 AM 5/9/08
I would love to try the goods already out at perceptiveautomation.com cause it looks darn cool. Only problem is when you try to piece together sensors for every window and door it starts to get up there in price...
tasset
ghmlco
Posted 10:58 AM 5/9/08
And once they've used them it will, in turn, force many people to buy an extra iPod Touch (or two, or three) to use as dedicated controllers for when they're not at home and the rest of the family is...
Jobs must be thrilled.
ghmlco
Dakota Courtois
Posted 12:30 PM 5/9/08
iPhone still doesn't beat my PalmRemote on my good ol' PenCentra 130 with CE 2.11. MisterHouse does what I need alongside this.
Why do I need an iPhone again to do the same crap my CE 2.11 machine from 1999 does again?
Dakota Courtois
Keebler
Posted 1:00 PM 5/9/08
Hmmm, although I think this is a great use for the iPhone/iTouch, none of the options above sound too appealing. The way I summarized it in my head:
-Crestron = not usable because automation system is outlandishly priced (not for me)
-Z-Wave = $10 a month (whack business model for something like this)
-Lifeware = long time off
-Control4 = greedily priced
I'll wait till something a little more reasonable hits the streets.
Keebler
tech-tard
Posted 1:33 PM 5/9/08
Like Dakota Courtois mentions, this capability has been available for any wifi+touchscreen PocketPC/WinMo pda (or any that you can add wifi to) for years now.
The limitation previously was you needed a device that had ConsumerIR, but since WACI has been around it's another story, since you can now have commands sent over WIFI that the WACI will translate into IR for you.
The only problem is waiting for YIPI 3 to come out of beta so you can design your own sweet control button web pages.
tech-tard
RehabEng
Posted 11:59 PM 5/9/08
This is not new. Products like Homeseer already let you do z-wave x10 and IR control through a webserved page. You can use the iphone or any other web device, and it doen't cost a fortune or monthly fees....
RehabEng
RalphWiggum
Posted 3:42 AM 6/9/08
Would love to see a Sonos app@Dancing Milkcarton:
Agreed. I'd love to see a Sonos app!
RalphWiggum
joestoner
Posted 5:09 AM 6/9/08
@Dakota Courtois: You're cool, we get it. Gizmodo was foolishly trying to tell you that you specifically need to get rid of that PenCentra 130 with CE 2.11 because a mobile phone happens to have recently gained similar capabilities.
On behalf of all of the internet which has been telling you to buy an iPhone, we're so sorry. We'll let you enjoy your own toys now, and stop discussing other toys on websites and forcing you to visit them.
joestoner
indyarrowfire
Posted 10:14 AM 9/9/08
Okay, so I have all the sound machine apps available, I got animals, Instruments, Silly Sounds, and Army Men and Even Say a Blessing. Now why don't we have Talking Stewy from the Family Guy and Talking MR T and Talking Mr Rodgers and so on. Id pay 99 cents for apps like these. I have a few of the key chains that do it, now we need real apps to do it. Come on Developers, Give us what you got!
indyarrowfire
cerebralentropy
Posted 4:54 AM 6/9/08
For all you Open Source junkies, there's OpenRemote. They are stil in the development stage, but they are working on an app that will work on the iPhone.
cerebralentropy
nappermisu
Posted 1:42 PM 5/9/08
I can see it now..car alarms (i mean iCar Alarms) lol, walk up to your car and press a button on your iPhone and "chirp-chirp". Oh well more new apps = more new potential iPhone buyers. Which means Apple and AT&T will need to keep on there toes to meet the demand of a growing market. Things are just starting..my only fear is that my 8gig wont cut it when im gonna want 30+ gigs of apps on my iPhone 3 years from now.
nappermisu
mpleasant
Posted 10:05 AM 5/9/08
SmartLabs released SmartLinc (uses INSTEON technology) which also lets you control your whole home from anywhere in the world using your iPhone/iPod Touch or any web-enabled mobile device. It is already on the market and for sale from Smarthome. The app itself is free, but you do have to purchase the product module to connect to your router. It's a one time $119 investment with no subscription fee and you don't have to wait until the end of the year to buy it.
mpleasant