Middletown, Pa. –
Custom-install brand On-Q is expanding its focus on networking and retrofit
solutions to complement its traditional structured-wiring solutions for
home-wide audio, video, lighting control and home automation, said Fritz
Werder, VP and brand general manager of Legrand’s home systems division.
On-Q, a
Legrand-owned brand, “has been a leader in structured wiring for years, and
we’re looking beyond structured wiring and beyond new construction,” he said.
The network solutions
will include wired Ethernet products and, for retrofit installs, network
products based on the Wi-Fi, powerline and MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance)
standards, he said. On-Q will adopt the no-new-wires standards to become an
“infrastructure enabler” of audio, video and data over a home’s existing wires
rather than offer source products with the technologies embedded, he said.
The brand is also
considering the adoption of the ZigBee wireless-control standard, but such
products won’t be display at September’s CEDIA Expo, he said.
Before the CEDIA
Expo, the company will ship its first wireless device that streams music via
Wi-Fi from PCs, Macs and Apple and Android mobile devices to the Studio and
Classic lyriQ multi-room audio systems, which are built around a
structured-wiring enclosure. The new device, called the LyriQ AirQast Main
Source, incorporates Wi-Fi and multiple audio decoders. Main Source mounts next
to the structured -wiring enclosure so that users can send music wirelessly to
a LyriQ system for home-wide distribution over CAT-5 cables. Music that can be
streamed includes songs stored on PCs and mobile devices as well as songs
streamed from select compatible services, including Pandora, SiriusXM, Last.fm
and YouTube. Additional music services will be supported in future versions of the
company’s app and PC software.
With the app, multiple users can wirelessly
share music stored on their devices, build collaborative playlists, add songs,
skip tracks and control volume.
The wireless
solution, whose price wasn’t disclosed, complements a wired solution in which
users could connect smartphones and tablets to the LyriQ system via wall plates
equipped with stereo RCA inputs and a USB input.
Also before the
Expo, the company will ship the delayed AirQast tabletop speaker pair, which
uses Wi-Fi to stream music from a PC. The $399/pair speakers were pushed back a
couple of months to August add multiple new features, including Wi-Fi streaming
from Apple and Android mobile devices and collaborative playlists. The speaker
pair uses the PC/Mac music software program and mobile apps that will be used
for the LyriQ AirQast Main Source.
The speakers are
rated at 2×40 watts and feature a subwoofer output and aux input.
In other
networking launches, On-Q plans before the Expo to ship its first two
power-over-Ethernet adapters for its structured-wiring enclosures. The adapters
are designed to deliver power to such devices as IP cameras and in-wall
touchscreens. One adapter is rated at 15 watts to 100 meters, and the other is
rated at 30 watts to 100 meters. Pricing wasn’t disclosed.
Also before the Expo,
the company will ship an eight-port Gigabit switch with four ports that can be
used to deliver power over an Ethernet cable. Also new will be a four-port
Gigabit router than can be converted into a five-port Gigabit switch. They’re
the first products of their kind from On-Q. Pricing wasn’t disclosed.
