And it's bigger, better than ever. For the latest in CE pro integration and information be there September 22nd - 26th in Atlanta Georgia.
http://www.cedia.net/
Thursday, September 9, 2010
CEDIA 2010 is here
And it's bigger, better than ever. For the latest in CE pro integration and information be there September 22nd - 26th in Atlanta Georgia.
http://www.cedia.net/
Monday, August 30, 2010
More Than Just a Meter
The term "smart grid" is getting a lot of use these days, with related stimulus funding reaching into the billions of dollars and the popular press promising Jetson like advances, it has been predicted to enable our control of home appliances from our office desktops and allow us to supply electricity back to the grid and to use our plug in electric vehicles. What this sometimes hyperbolic coverage overlooks, however, are the many small tweaks that will add up to big reliability improvements for the larger transmission system, with fewer and shorter outages and irregularities, in a process that will be more evolutionary that revolutionary.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Wireless multi-room audio and video
The days are gone where we must run wires everywhere to achieve our audio and video distribution. Now thanks to state of the art wireless products we can give you all the content you need anywhere at the touch of a finger.
Stream your 1080p video to any room, stream your favorite internet radio, itunes, Pandora or other play list to the back porch or where ever you need it. LiteSync has the products and knowledge you need to make it all happen effortlessly.
Take a look at Sonos www.sonos.com for the audio streaming needs. They have created a multi-room music system that's second to none. Or look at Avior avior.iogear.com they taken home entertainment to a new level of connectivity, convenience and decor.
Stream your 1080p video to any room, stream your favorite internet radio, itunes, Pandora or other play list to the back porch or where ever you need it. LiteSync has the products and knowledge you need to make it all happen effortlessly.
Take a look at Sonos www.sonos.com for the audio streaming needs. They have created a multi-room music system that's second to none. Or look at Avior avior.iogear.com they taken home entertainment to a new level of connectivity, convenience and decor.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Saving Energy in Residential Lighting: The Other Half of the Story
What is the best way to reduce the amount of electrical energy used for residential lighting? The answer is to use more efficient light sources so the light can be provided with fewer watts.
A 100 watt incandescent household bulb rated for 1,700 lumens, for example, can be replaced by a 29 watt compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) rated for the same 1,700 lumens for an energy savings of 71percent, assuming that both are burned for the same number of hours.
ENERGY = (Power) x (Time)
Reducing the power draw (watts) of a luminaire by 50 percent certainly reduces the energy used by that luminaire by 50 percent; but so does leaving the power the same and reducing the operating time by 50 percent instead.
Why, then, are lighting regulations so focused on the "Power" part of the equation rather than the "Time" part? The answer is that, so far, it is relatively easy to do, and we have not figured out a way to control - or even reliably estimate - how long a luminaire is turned on every day.
We've also been fortunate that lamp manufacturers have been able to develop ever more efficient lamps - CFLs and, now, LEDs - which can replace less-efficient incandescent bulbs.
There's also the question of certification and verification. If an electric utility is paid by regulators for reducing lighting energy use, how does that utility prove its claims?
Utilities do that now by counting the CFLs or other energy-efficient products that their customers put into service via a rebate or incentive process.
One way a portable luminaire can be certified to be energy efficient is by inspection - simply look to see if the portable luminaire has a GU-24 socket.
In California, GU-24 sockets are designated for use only with energy-efficient CFL and LED lamps. Adapters which convert the GU-24 socket to accept another type of lamp base are illegal.
New Generation of Lighting Controls
However, suppose that we could verify that a luminaire was operated for a given length of time. We know the rated wattage of the luminaire, and if we also know the time, we would know the energy used. That's the concept behind a new generation of lighting controls. Not only can they control the lighting, but they are also smart enough to know which luminaires are on and for how long.
The idea is being experimentally applied now to roadway lighting. Each luminaire is equipped with a "smart chip" and assigned an Internet address so a computer control can switch the luminaire, change its output, query the luminaire to find out if it is on or off, monitor energy use, track lamp burning hours for maintenance purposes and even report a lamp failure should the luminaire be switched on but not draw power.
Would the idea benefit the residential lighting industry? It might offer alternatives to the ever-more-stringent regulations being applied to lamps and luminaires. For example, energy savings due to dimming could be quantified since a "smart" luminaire could report the actual power draw of a dimmed lamp.
A 100 watt incandescent household bulb rated for 1,700 lumens, for example, can be replaced by a 29 watt compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) rated for the same 1,700 lumens for an energy savings of 71percent, assuming that both are burned for the same number of hours.
ENERGY = (Power) x (Time)
Reducing the power draw (watts) of a luminaire by 50 percent certainly reduces the energy used by that luminaire by 50 percent; but so does leaving the power the same and reducing the operating time by 50 percent instead.
Why, then, are lighting regulations so focused on the "Power" part of the equation rather than the "Time" part? The answer is that, so far, it is relatively easy to do, and we have not figured out a way to control - or even reliably estimate - how long a luminaire is turned on every day.
We've also been fortunate that lamp manufacturers have been able to develop ever more efficient lamps - CFLs and, now, LEDs - which can replace less-efficient incandescent bulbs.
There's also the question of certification and verification. If an electric utility is paid by regulators for reducing lighting energy use, how does that utility prove its claims?
Utilities do that now by counting the CFLs or other energy-efficient products that their customers put into service via a rebate or incentive process.
One way a portable luminaire can be certified to be energy efficient is by inspection - simply look to see if the portable luminaire has a GU-24 socket.
In California, GU-24 sockets are designated for use only with energy-efficient CFL and LED lamps. Adapters which convert the GU-24 socket to accept another type of lamp base are illegal.
New Generation of Lighting Controls
However, suppose that we could verify that a luminaire was operated for a given length of time. We know the rated wattage of the luminaire, and if we also know the time, we would know the energy used. That's the concept behind a new generation of lighting controls. Not only can they control the lighting, but they are also smart enough to know which luminaires are on and for how long.
The idea is being experimentally applied now to roadway lighting. Each luminaire is equipped with a "smart chip" and assigned an Internet address so a computer control can switch the luminaire, change its output, query the luminaire to find out if it is on or off, monitor energy use, track lamp burning hours for maintenance purposes and even report a lamp failure should the luminaire be switched on but not draw power.
Would the idea benefit the residential lighting industry? It might offer alternatives to the ever-more-stringent regulations being applied to lamps and luminaires. For example, energy savings due to dimming could be quantified since a "smart" luminaire could report the actual power draw of a dimmed lamp.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Elan's New "g" Control System
11 devices, 1 interface...an affordable solution.
LiteSync is excited about the new line called "g". It is history in the making and a blend of Elan and Home Logic. In the new g line, the graphics are consistent across a variety of interfaces, including an OLED display, IPhone, PC, new touchscreens and two firsts for Elan" an on-screen display for controlling the system via the television, and a two-way hand held remote.
The system is more scalable in design making it suitable for a range of installations, from single-room to large-scale mansion level.
LiteSync is excited about the new line called "g". It is history in the making and a blend of Elan and Home Logic. In the new g line, the graphics are consistent across a variety of interfaces, including an OLED display, IPhone, PC, new touchscreens and two firsts for Elan" an on-screen display for controlling the system via the television, and a two-way hand held remote.
The system is more scalable in design making it suitable for a range of installations, from single-room to large-scale mansion level.
Monday, January 11, 2010
LiteSync and Elan.
LiteSync is proud to be a Elan "g" system installer. "g" formerly Home Logic is coming out with a new touchscreen interface that mimics the one it designed for the iphone. The company is applying iphone-like flick technology to the HomeLogic's own touchscreens which gives people the features that they enjoy the most in the iphone.
Users can flip through thermostats, music lists, rooms, A/V options and more. Devices now sync up with each other with lighting speed. The new graphical user interface (GUI) will be standard with the "g" new controller and touchscreen platforms that are expected to be available in Q2 in 2010.
Users can flip through thermostats, music lists, rooms, A/V options and more. Devices now sync up with each other with lighting speed. The new graphical user interface (GUI) will be standard with the "g" new controller and touchscreen platforms that are expected to be available in Q2 in 2010.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Chose your automation product carefully
At the LiteSync/about us/David Rishor web site, we wrote a paper about "The Evolution of an Industry". In that we state how today there is a bumper crop of low voltage only contractors with the flavor of the month automation manufacturer that may or may not be in business tomorrow. Such is the case with one vendor Colorado vNet whom supplied varying types of home automation integration products.
This rather recent entry into the market closed it's doors in September 2009. In 2008 LiteSync was approached by a developer whom was in the process of building a LEED certified home. They desired to utilize this new start up Automation vendor and while we could have helped them, our advise was to stick with manufactures that can survive tough economic climates and whom have proven track records related to themselves and their products.
We also advised them to avoid utilizing a low voltage only contractor as they do not have the license to connect high voltage wires into their automation products nor do they have the credentials to properly configure lighting control.
This rather recent entry into the market closed it's doors in September 2009. In 2008 LiteSync was approached by a developer whom was in the process of building a LEED certified home. They desired to utilize this new start up Automation vendor and while we could have helped them, our advise was to stick with manufactures that can survive tough economic climates and whom have proven track records related to themselves and their products.
We also advised them to avoid utilizing a low voltage only contractor as they do not have the license to connect high voltage wires into their automation products nor do they have the credentials to properly configure lighting control.
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