The fine folks at Automation Connection have come up with a spectacular app for the iPhone to control Vantage systems. Alpenglow prefers Vantage over other systems due to excellent dimming products, great support, and ease of use. This app makes the Vantage system even easierto use, and it can be setup without a programmer’s assistance (provided you can follow directions and are reasonably computer literate).
Alpenglow has been testing the app for several months, and it works very well. With it, you can control any Vantage-enabled house from any location, on either a Wi-Fi or cellular network (Note that you cannot just capture someone’s house – you need to link the app to the processor’s IP address). In our area, 3G is sort of a fantasy, but the app works on 2G/Edge networks, just a little slowly. It automatically finds each load and keypad in the project, and gives realtime feedback of loads (with slider bar), thermostats, and buttons. You can even create your own keypads that only exist in the app, although you will need access to the Design Center software to get the VIDs to enable the buttons.
Although it may seem excessive to be able to control a house from far away, we have found that the app is very handy when you are simply running to the store or to dinner. It is a breeze to simply start the app and check to see that you did in in fact turn the house off when you left. For vacation homes, it allows you to monitir the status of the house or to turn up the heat before you arrive. Similarly, since the Vantage system at Alpenglow is also controlling multi-room audio and video, we are using the app as a simple remote for volume, iPod control (pause, forward, reverse), TV power, and audio source selection.
With the iPad on its way soon, we expect that the iPhone/iTouch/iPad platform will become the go-to touchscreen solution for dimming and AV control.
Contact Alpenglow to see the app in action at our location or yours.
VantageiPhone site