LATEST ADDITIONS

Proving the you’re never too far away from home to be in control, the Z-Wave Alliance sponsored a Himalayan expedition where climber Mariusz Malkowski went to the top of Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world. When Malkowski reached the 29,609 foot summit, he Skype’d in live to the Expo show floor on a satellite phone. Malkowski said it was midnight his time with local temps at minus 40-degrees! Using his satellite phone, he was able to check the status of several Z-Wave devices, and after speaking to the assembled crowd for a moment, he then unlocked a Kwikset Z-Wave enabled door lock, and turned on Fibaro Z-Wave enabled lights and then adjusted his Remotec Z-Wave thermostat. Definite proof that you are never too far away from home for technology to keep you in touch!

The ReQuest media server and media player system has added a new 3D media player and has improved it web-based controller for easier discovery and playback of movies.

I have two problems with my Internet connection. First, I have to get Internet access at my home through satellite, and the inherent latency issues are sometimes a problem. As bad as the first – or even worse – is that the AC power coming into my house fluctuates quite a bit. So gadgets and devices with microprocessors tend to get confused and irritable, and I wind up having to reboot or restart said devices often enough that it makes me confused and irritable.

Autonomic announced at CEDIA 2013 that its Mirage whole-house distributed audio system is now compatible with SiriusXM Radio 2.0, Slacker Radio, and Gracenote and supports remote diagnostics for troubleshooting via the Internet. The system comprises Mirage Media Servers with a choice of two digital amplifiers, two in-wall control options, and mix and match applications for iOS and Android devices.

The company has also enhanced the user experience by blending control across multiple rooms with music browsing. When a song is heard on Sirius XM, the TuneBridge feature allows listeners to jump to the entire album on Rhapsody or create a new Pandora station. Pricing for four- and eight-zone versions of the system is $4,945 and $8,350, respectively.