Vantage has debuted its Equinox 4, the first in an expanding line of easy-to-use in-wall LCD Keypads that epitomize the ultimate luxury space User Experience.
Equinox 4 is a single-gang LCD keypad that combines the advantages of a full-sized touchscreen and the simplicity of a multi-gang keypad, the company says, presenting users with a minimalist on-wall presence, and a single layer user interface that provides quick and intuitive control of lighting scenarios, interior climate, and audio systems like no product before it.
Equinox 4 also gives users and integrators their first taste of Vantage’s new User Experience Platform, an overarching initiative that will result in a unified signature physical and graphical aesthetic that remains consistent across all control devices in a Vantage system.
Equinox 4 is designed to be a simple, straightforward path to accessing lighting control, comfort, and local zone audio. Given its “always on” design, the keypad senses presence, and wakes up with a simple gesture. And, with two tactile buttons, it’s flexible and easy to update as the user’s needs and preferences change. Its Vantage station bus connection also means full compatibility with the existing InFusion station bus-based systems, as well as Vantage’s new Enhanced InFusion Lighting Solution.
“We can’t wait for our end-users to enjoy their first experience with Equinox 4,” said Andrew Wale, Vantage Controls’ vice president of marketing. “In addition to delivering the sophistication of a larger touchscreen without the larger real estate investment, and with a level of precise control unachievable with mobile devices, it represents the future of our design philosophy: ultimate simplicity, ultimate consistency, and an end to the clutter and confusion that have defined home automation to this point.”
The introduction of additional Equinox interfaces — the Equinox 7-UX, a larger in-wall touchscreen by the end of 2012, and the Equinox 4-UX in Q2 2013 — as well as iOS and Android apps, will allow integrators to design more advanced UIs that go beyond the single-layer experience of Equinox 4, while maintaining the same simplicity, intuitiveness, and consistent look and feel across all platforms.
Vantage Controls’ Energy Widget for the Equinox platform, for example, will allow users to dig deep into energy usage around the home, monitoring electrical, gas, and water usage in either textual or graphical form, all while navigating only one additional layer, and with the same swipe, press, drag, and press-and-hold gestures that are entirely intuitive to anyone who has ever used a smart phone or tablet.
Equinox 4 will be available in November. Additional Equinox models will be formally announced in Q4 ’12.
