RocketGUI, a Spokane, Washington-based company offering programming services and user interface design expertise, has created an iPad solution designed for the mid- to high-end residential control system market.
The new iPad software, named Home Pilot, doesn’t rely on a separate processor-based controller. Instead, the control intelligence is integrated into the Home Pilot application itself providing the reliability of built-in control redundancy in multi-interface systems, plus an extremely powerful, fluid and engaging user experience, the company says.
According to the company, Home Pilot can be installed on as many iPad devices as desired to provide access to controls and information anywhere in the home. The program controls HVAC, lighting, shades, home security, audio sources like CD changers, music servers, and streaming music clients, and video sources such as Blu-ray players, DVD changers, video servers, and streaming video clients. Home Pilot also manages whole-house audio and video routing and distribution.
“While the Home Pilot interface and core UI navigation programming are built into the Home Pilot software application,” said Michael Balch, RocketGUI’s president, “the communication intelligence and specific commands for controlling devices and sub-systems in the home are accomplished with a custom configuration file, or ‘program’ that we write for the system. This allows Home Pilot to accommodate a wide array of brands and types of controlled devices in a custom integrated home.”
Because each Home Pilot system is custom programmed to the specific needs and hardware of each home, the programming cost is variable but should average around 20 percent lower than other high-end solutions in addition to a reduced hardware cost, Balch says. He added that RocketGUI is just finishing the first full in-home test installation of Home Pilot and plans to start new projects with dealers soon. A video of the Home Pilot user interface can be viewed on the product website at homepilot.rocketgui.com.
