New Smart Office and Home Automation Driver Interfaces for Netio Power Products

The Internet of Things brings many opportunities in the field of smart home and business automation. Linking up, what were once separate systems into a single management console requires the use of industry wide protocols and interfaces. All of these systems require electrical power and with that comes the need to be able to monitor their energy usage and control the power outlets and sockets that supply them.

NETIO smart power products include a wide range of devices that can be used for this purpose including rack mount PDUs and smart power strips. New interface drivers for NETIO products now include ELAN and Control4 providing users with a single pane of glass application with which to control their home and office lighting, audio, video, climate control (heating and ventilation), fridges, freezers, boilers, intercoms, security and camera systems.

What is ELAN Smart Home Automation and Control?

ELAN is a smart home automation and control system. ELAN gives users complete control of their smart home and entertainment systems in an intuitive and response way. ELAN uses smart touch panels with facial recognition and voice control and ELAN remote control units. The system is easy to set-up and can also integrate with smart devices including Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Typical features including control for lighting, heating, and control of connected devices.

The new NETIO ELAN driver is available in two versions: BASIC and PRO. The BASIC version is free, and the PRO version is charged for as it provides more functionality. With the NETIO Control4 BASIC driver, users turn power outlets ON/OFF. The NETIO Control4 PRO driver provides additional functionality including energy monitoring (device dependent), power outlet restarts and output state toggle.

PowerPDUs and PowerBox Smart Power Devices

The new drivers for ELAN and Control4 make it easy for installers to integrate Netio power products including the PowerPDU-4C and PowerBOX-3PG into these building systems and allow for remote power output socket control (ON/OFF and restart) and monitoring of the electrical power and energy usage of connected devices.

What is Control4 Smart Home and Office Automation?

Control4 and ELAN provider similar functionality. The Control4 is a smart home automation operating system with an easy to use interface panel and remote control. The system is compatible with over 13,500 devices from leading hardware manufacturers and system suppliers including Samsung, LG, Sony, Sharp, somfy, Denon, Bose, Qmotion, SONOS, Kwikset, Yale, Honeywell, Harman, dish, ROKU, Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Microsoft XBOX.

The NETIO Control4 driver is available in BASIC and PRO versions and provides outlet power on/off or in the PRO version additional functionality including power monitoring, outlet restart and power state toggle.

For more information on the smart home automation market and devices see:
https://uk.pcmag.com/smart-home/85/the-best-smart-home-devices-for-2020

Smart Power Device Management via the Cloud

Large buildings typically have centralised building management systems (BMS) to monitor and control critical infrastructure systems such as lighting, heating, and ventilation. For smaller offices, retail outlets, warehouses, and distribution centres, the BMS approach may be too expensive.

IoT, Edge and 5G mobile technologies provide a lower cost way to bring the benefits of smart automation and control. Their application with smart power management products, via a Cloud based software application, can help lower energy costs, and remotely control the power to critical infrastructure systems down.

Summary

Any system is only as strong as its weakest link. Within a more connected world, using intelligent and autonomous systems, it is important to be able to control power feeds quickly and remotely. Whether to a device such as a rack mount power distribution unit or smart power strip outlet running an audio-visual system, IT server or networking device.

Drivers are software interfaces that allow for smarter integration of what were once considered separate and standalone systems. The new ELAN and Control4 drivers allow system users to implement NETIO smart power products into their automation and control systems and provide for greater control of power to their connected loads. More drivers are on the development roadmap at NETIO.