URC is going to the CEDIA Expo with new one- and two-way remotes, a new wireless Z-Wave gateway, and new SKUs for the company’s Z-Wave Vivido lighting-control system.
The MX-990 remote for the company’s Complete Control home-automation systems is positioned as the company’s most advanced one-way IR/RF remote. It features a color 2.4-inch touchscreen with customizable on-screen graphics, and it talks to the existing MRX-350 and MRF-260URC 418 MHz RF base stations.
The latest entry-level Total Control handheld remote is the $399-suggested TRC-820, designed to work with all URC system controllers, including the MRX-20,MRX-10 and new MRX-8. The two-way remote is Wi-Fi-based, whereas its predecessor communicated via proprietary 2.4GHz protocol. It features 2-inch color LCD screen.
The TRC-820 is available in a bundle with the MRX-8 system controller at an entry-level price of less than $1,000. The controller can also be controlled from iOS and Android apps.
Gateway: In new gateways, the TRF-ZW2 Wi-Fi-connected Z-Wave gateway is smaller and up to 20 percent faster than its predecessor, and it comes with new GUI that lets consumers set their own lighting scenes quickly, the company said. It also comes with programming for URC’s Vivido lighting system. WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) allows for pushbutton pairing. Connected Z-Wave devices can be controlled from offsite. Pricing was unavailable.
Vivido: The company also announced shipments of the latest SKUs in its Vivido wireless lighting-control system. The $145 Vivido wall-mount five-scene keypad and an appliance switching module join the RF Duplex receptacle, battery-operated switch/dimmer, and an assortment of dimmers and switches.
Vivido uses two-way Z-Wave and controls almost every type of dimmable bulb, including tungsten, halogen, LED, CFL, ELV and MLV bulbs.
The Vivido keypad mounts in a standard single-gang electrical box and is powered by normal household line voltage (120V/AC 60Hz). It activates up to five preset scenes when one of the five buttons on the keypad is pressed. Each button turns a different scene on and off. A blue LED on each button provides scene-status notification. The LEDs dim when a scene has been deactivated. Each scene can be brightened or dimmed by pressing and holding the button of an active scene.
The appliance switching module plugs directly into the wall and turns on/off any plugged-in device up to 600 watts, including appliances. The module provides programmable functions such as scenes, events, and child lockout when installed as part of a Total Control system. Plug-in modules can be manually controlled and remotely controlled by commands sent from URC and other Z-Wave compatible controllers or programs.
The appliance module price was unavailable.
