Indianapolis — Creston is bringing smartphone-based NFC (Near Field Communications) technology to the home-automation market customers for one-tap triggering of room settings for lighting, temperature, shades, entertainment systems and other systems connected to a Crestron automation system.
Paper-thin tags, about 1-square-inch in size, can be embedded in convenient locations in a room such as behind wall keypads and faceplates. When an NFC-equipped smartphone is near the specially programmed NFC tag, a room’s systems will automatically change to a user’s preferred settings.
Homeowners would program their own settings on their smart devices, and Crestron integrators will be able to easily program in NFC support into Crestron controllers, the company said.
Many Android smartphones are NFC-enabled, and Crestron said it will add iPhone and iPad support as soon as Apple adds NFC to them.
The technology, dubbed AirConnect, “introduces a level of personalization that users could only dream of before,” said marketing VP Sean Goldstein. “It enables the Crestron control system to recognize who you are and instantly activate your preferences, all by simply walking near a NFC tag with your smart device.”
