The core feature of any smart home platform, then, has to be adaptability.
And the key to an adaptable platform — one that can also welcome third-party devices and systems with full, seamless operability — is software that can be updated constantly, with reliable results.
For our part, the creation of a platform that’s updated and tweaked throughout its life in ways large and small has allowed Crestron solutions to keep pace with both the wider technological landscape and growing consumer demands. The Crestron Home® OS recently saw the addition — and subsequent expansion — of conditional logic. These conditional sequences introduce the ability to create “if-then, else” statements to the automation process, giving integrators the ability to create complex and nuanced automation scenarios with a defined set of conditions that must be met before an action is triggered.
As we explained on the Crestron blog regarding the update to the software:
For example, a sunset sequence could be created so that if the light sensor in the living room falls below 30%, the living room's lights rise to 80%,” explains Michael Short, Crestron’s senior director of marketing operations and residential. That transition can be made gradually so that the shift into a warm and inviting ambiance is hardly noticeable.
“A multi-trigger sequence could also be introduced so that when, say, a movie streaming source is selected, the system ‘knows’ to dim the lights, close the blinds, and adjust the speaker volume for the best viewing experience,” says Short. Because it’s all been made easier in the latest Crestron Home OS update, integrators can quickly and efficiently customize those functions to the client’s preferences.
That conditional logic is just one of the recent updates. And those consumer-facing features are only half the story.
The other aspect of any platform that sees regular updates has to provide more than just “additional magic” for the smart home client. Features that allow for greater backend control when it's needed, features that allow an integrator to configure aspects of the project such as lighting and shading before even setting foot on the property, remote access, and other enhancements that continually reduce the need for truck rolls — all of these should be part of the big picture.
Ultimately, change is a given when it comes to the ever-evolving smart home — so adaptability is an absolute must.