HAI Lowers Prices Of Omni Keypads

LAS VEGAS— Home Automation Inc. (HAI) unveiled a new lower priced in-wall LCD keypad that controls its Omni series of home automation controllers, which were recently upgraded to control a greater selection of home subsystems.

New Orleans-based HAI introduced the 33A00-1 LCD keypad at CES at a suggested retail of $141, excluding flush-mount kit. The keypad can also be surface-mounted. The price is 15 percent lower than the company's previous in-wall keypads, HAI said. Enhancements include slimmer profile, larger buttons and cool-blue backlighting.

Because of new upgrades to the company's Omni controllers, the keypad will control Lutron's RadioRA wireless-RF dimmer/light switches and subsystems. It will also control subsystems based on Universal Powerline Bus (UPB) technology, a new powerline carrier technology that is "the digital replacement for aging X-10 analog technology," said HAI president Jay McLellan.

HAI adopted the technology in its own lighting system, but it can also be used for other applications with low-data rate and low-cost requirements, he said. One manufacturer, he noted, is using UPB in a central-vacuum system to momentarily turn off the vacuum when the doorbell or phone rings.

UPB is licensed by inventor PCS of Northridge, Calif. and its Web site is www.pcslighting.com.

HAI offers lighting, thermostat, and security subsystems that can be controlled from its controllers, which also integrate with other brands of subsystems.