How do you rate the XP-8?
A 9.5 out of 10. This is an excellent product and is the backbone of our IR and control system architecture. The 0.5 is because I know RTI is adding two-way communication features, which I’m anxiously awaiting.
For what types of installations is it best suited?
Larger installs where you have many of the same brands of devices or lots of RS-232 controlled devices. I often use most of the eight RS-232 ports and eight GPIO (IR) ports.
Describe the feature set of the XP-8.
The XP-8 handles multiple room systems very well and the command stack means multiple macros can run simultaneously. This simplifies programming and eliminates the need to calculate how long a script will take to complete before triggering the next one and getting “IR overlap.” It’s super stable; I’ve never had to restart one, reboot it, or have it lock up. It just works, which is paramount to the remote system’s features. Because we support systems anywhere in the U.S., the ability to program it via IP is a real time saver. We can make macro changes, upgrades, or repairs without rolling a service van.
What features would you like to see changed or added?
I would like to see the following feature set added to the XP-8’s capabilities, which I know RTI is planning to include in a future iteration:
1) The ability to trigger macros and IR commands via IP or RS-232 is very important to me because we use the XP-8 to do all the IR control of the field devices.
2) There was early talk of being able to use the XP-8 USB port to program the remotes in the system. Implementing this or creating a standalone download app. so a client could simply plug in their remotes to their PC USB port and have the correct code uploaded would be ideal.
3) It would be nice to add status messages in the in-wall devices and larger touchpanels. This would display the text on a screen that was received via IP or RS-232.
RTI is very receptive to dealer feedback, and once these updates are integrated, it will take the product to the next level of control. The wait will be worth it as RTI consistently delivers powerful, reliable and stable products so I look forward to the next-generation of processors and controllers.
