Redwood City, Calif. – iControl Networks, a supplier of home-automation platforms to such service providers as cable operators and monitored-security companies, plans to offer a self-installed home-automation/security system through brick-and-mortar and online retailers, marketing VP Greg Roberts told TWICE.
iControl currently offers three platforms to cable companies, telcos and monitored-security companies, one of which enables self-installation by consumers.
The company’s fourth platform is incorporated in its Piper system, which it acquired in April when it purchased Piper developer Blacksumac of Ottawa, Ontario. For now, the Piper hub and companion Z-Wave enabled accessories are available direct to consumers at GetPiper.com.
“We just launched it to the end user, and I expect to see it in multiple distribution outlets, including brick-and-mortar and online,” said Roberts. “It [retail distribution] is definitely part of the growth strategy,” he said without confirming a time frame.
The Piper solution, dubbed an “all-in-one Home Awareness and automation device,” is ideal for renters and people living in multiple dwelling units, he said.
The Wi-Fi- and Z-Wave-enabled Piper hub incorporates high-definition wide-angle pan-and-tilt camera with zoom. It also incorporates motion detector, noise-sensing microphone, indoor/outdoor temperature sensors, and a humidity sensor. It connects to hundreds of Z-Wave-enabled accessories, including door and window sensors and smart plugs to control table lamps, the company said.
The hub and accessories can be monitored and controlled via smartphones, which also receive alerts and display the hub’s camera video.
The Piper web site retails one all-in-one hub for $239, one hub with three Z-Wave accessories at $359, three hubs at $649, and three hubs with five Z-Wave accessories at $849.
