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AMP Targets April For CEBus Delivery – -November 13, 1996

Home automation supplier AMP of Harrisburg, Pa., will shelve its Smart House-standard home automation system for a CEBus-based system that will be available next April.

Development of the CEBus-based Smart One system, originally demonstrated at the 1995 CEDIA Expo, 3took longer than we thought² because the company was 3grossly optimistic² about the time needed for beta testing in homes, conceded marketing manager Dick Jaeger.

3Smart One will effectively replace our Smart House system,² said Jaeger, who cited the ability of CEBus-based systems to be retrofitted easily in existing homes because they transmit digital control signals over a home’s electrical wiring. Smart House, on the other hand, sent control signals over twisted pair wiring and was suited more for installing in homes as they are being built.

AMP, the only company currently providing Smart House-based home automation products, is the last remaining member of the Smart House Partnership, a consortium of suppliers that developed the standard. CEBus was also developed by multiple manufacturers but as an open standard under the auspices of the Electronic Industries Association.

A variety of proprietary automation standards are also in use, including X-10 systems intended for residential applications and an Echelon standard used mainly in commercial and industrial buildings.

AMP’s Smart One consists of an RF remote that transmits commands to an A/V-component-size controller that can be stacked with home theater components.

The controller automates the operation of home theater systems by transmitting control commands to various A/V components through IR emitters attached to the infrared receivers on the components’ front panels. The controller also sends on/off commands to CEBus-compliant light switches via a house’s electrical wiring.

Remote control of select low-voltage systems, such as motorized drapes and blinds, sprinkler systems, and HVAC systems, is achieved by sending commands through electrical wiring to one or more Smart Bridge modules, each incorporating eight outputs that can be programmed for 12 VDC or 24VAC operation.

Consumers would use the RF remote to manipulate menus appearing on any TV set in the house.

AMP also offers On Q wiring that conforms to the CEBus standard. On Q wiring consists of four twisted pairs for transmitting audio, and data and coaxial cable for transmitting video. Smart One’s next public appearance will be at June’s Habitech show.

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