Crestron is bring smartphone-based NFC (Near Field Communications) technology to the home automation market customers for one-tap triggering of room settings for lighting, temperature, shades, entertainment systems and other systems connected to a Crestron automation system.
Paper-thin tags, about one-square-inch in size, can be embedded in convenient locations in a room such as behind wall keypads and faceplates. When an NFC-equipped smartphone is near the specially programmed NFC tag, a room’s systems will automatically change to a user’s preferred settings.
Homeowners would program their own settings on their smart devices, and Crestron integrators will be able to easily program in NFC support into Crestron controllers, the company said.
Many Android smartphones are NFC-enabled, and Crestron said it add iPhone and iPad support as soon as Apple adds NFC to them.
The technology, dubed airConnect, “introduces a level of personalization that users could only dream of before,” said marketing VP Sean Goldstein. “It enables the Crestron control system to recognize who you are and instantly activate your preferences, all by simply walking near a NFC tag with your smart device.”
“With minimal additional programming and simple modifications to current procedures, Crestron integrators will be able to personalize control based on the NFC technology,” said Fred Bargetzi, Crestron VP of Technology. “For existing customers, implementing airConnect requires no system reprogramming, just programming of the NFC tags, which can be done in minutes. And homeowners will be able to easily program their own settings on their smart devices.”
Many Android smart devices are currently NFC-enabled. Crestron will add iPhone and iPad support as soon as Apple enables these devices for NFC.
