Ecobee’s Home Kit Thermostat Hits Retail
TORONTO – Smart-thermostat maker Ecobee is selling through Apple stores for the first time with the launch of a HomeKit-certified version of its Ecobee3 Wi-Fi thermostat, which also became available through Ecobee’s web store and through Amazon.
The HomeKit-enabled Ecobee3 will be available in Home Depot and Best Buy stores and online sometime in July.
The HomeKit-certified Ecobee3 joins a growing list of HomeKit-certified products. It’s available for $249, including one free wireless remote sensor, but the thermostat supports a total of 32 sensors. Additional remote sensors are available in a package of two for $79.
The remote sensors monitor temperature and occupancy in multiple rooms, enabling the thermostat to adjust the temperature to the desired setting in what Ecobee called “the rooms that matter most.” It’s also said to know when to turn on heating or cooling equipment based on a home’s energy profile, a user’s schedule, and the weather outside.
The thermostat and sensors cut heating and cooling bills by an average of 23 percent, the company contended.
Legrand Adds In-Wall Amp/Keypad
MIDDLETOWN, PA. – Legrand expanded its selection of in-wall amplifier/keypads with the launch of the 60-watt AU7050 for its On-Q Digital Audio System, supplementing the 20-watt AU7010.
AU7050 offers the same basic distributed-audio controls as the AU7010: on/off, volume/mute, source select, and favorites. The AU7050 operates into 6- and 8-phm loads and gets power from the PW1020 Digital Audio Power Distribution Module, which is located in a distributed-audio system’s central enclosure.
Pricing wasn’t revealed.
The addition “offers greater flexibility for the professional integrator to vary power by zone to meet the specific needs of each room within the system,” said Desirée Webster, marketing communications manager for the company’s On-Q and NuVo lines.
TiO Takes Training On The Road
MELBOURNE, FLA. — Anuva Automation, the maker of TiO (Turn it On) building-automation products, took training on the road for the first time in the U.S. with the launch of its “Grow Your Business Tour.”
The tour complements the company’s the Ninja Dealer Training Program, a multi-course online training system that also offers awards for selling and installing TiO systems.
Training sessions started in July and run through September. Roadshows in Canada were held in June.
Thread-Certified Home Automation Products Seen In 2015
SAN RAMON, CALIF. – The Nest-led Thread Group expects the first Thread-certified home-automation products to be available to consumers late this year now that the organization has released the Thread specification.
The release enables member companies to access Thread’s technical specifications and documentation to build Thread-compliant products. Non-member companies and developers can access Thread technical white papers at ThreadGroup.org/downloads.aspx.
The group also said it will launch a Thread product certification program in September to test Thread-compliant products. Thread-compliant chips and software stacks will be available from ARM, Freescale and Silicon Labs to enable development of end products.
Thread’s wireless home-automation standard delivers interoperability at the physical and media access control (MAC) layers but leaves it up to individual suppliers to choose their own application layer with command protocols.
