Control4's Strategy Is To Be the OS of Choice for Smart Homes
January 15, 2010

Control4, the second most used home automation manufacturer among top custom installers, expects to release OS 2.0 in the first half of 2010 according to company representatives at the CES show last week. This major step forward for the Utah-based company supports their strategy "to be the OS of choice for smart homes".

To prepare their Dealers, Control4 released version 1.8 of the OS last summer which is a transition step to get customers to OS 2.0 when it arrives. Releases 1.8 supports new ZigBeePro wireless communications and is a more robust implementation of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. An important feature of OS 1.8 is the ability to support the original ZigBee protocol, now dubbed "EmberNet", in addition to ZigBeePro. This enables Dealers to install new products released last fall into an existing customer home without adversely affecting the operation of previously installed components.

In addition, ZigBeePro opens up third party integration with Control4's core products allowing seemless operability with products like Pioneer A/V Receivers, Kwikset Door Locks, Lutron's HomeWorks® and RadioRA®2 lighting systems, MechoShade Home Systems, and others who participated in the Control4 Partner Pavilion at CES.

In addition to more choices for homeowners on sub-systems and components, OS 2.0 will allow dealers to further customize the on-screen interface to individual homeowner needs. One new component of the 2.0 interface shown in the above picture is the 4Store screen, which is a wide-ranging app store for its users. 4Store includes everything from weather and Facebook apps to first aid and door lock usage monitoring apps. 4Store works similar to iTunes by allowing users to add new applications via download from a central site.

Among the applications currently available for free or a small fee are apps for Netflix, eBay and energy monitoring and management. But then, there are also apps for wine management (eSommelier) and games.

There is even a first aid app that walks you through the steps of helping a sick or injured member of the household. Simply select the category – airway or bleeding, for example – and follow the steps in the tutorial.

Established in 2003, 2010 is shaping up as a cornerstone year in Control4's evolution toward the smart home technology of choice for savvy homeowners.