Family home gets new functionality with RTI

Bristol home technology specialists Connected was recently asked to tidy up and rethink an older installation at a family home. Some of the equipment was of good quality, but the control aspect was severely lacking and the original install was very untidy.

The project comprised of two good quality surround systems downstairs, with master bed and guest bed TVs upstairs. All the video sources - two satellite boxes, two XBoxes, Apple TV and a Popcorn Hour media server - were managed from a central cupboard. A Wyrestorm 6x6 HDBaseT matrix switcher was used for the video distribution. The music came from a mixture of Nuvo and Sonos multiroom products, with different user interfaces – which caused some confusion for the customer.

Connected recommended an RTI-based control system as the ideal scalable solution to their client. 

At the centre of the system an RTI XP6 control processor was installed in the hub location, to control source products. Downstairs, where family and friends gather for entertainment, two T2i touch screen remote controls keep offerings at the users’ fingertips. The remote’s innovative features include an accelerometer for rapid ‘instant-on’ control, a flush-mount 2.8-inch edge-to-edge LCD touchscreen, a cursor button for simple list navigation, and a backlit keypad for continued control within darker settings. For even further simplicity and convenience, the T2i provides 47 programmable keypad buttons including four buttons with removable keycaps that can be custom engraved using the RTI Laser Shark service.

Connected was able to create a custom UI tailored to the customer's tastes. The Nuvo and Sonos interfaces were combined so that everything looks exactly the same to the end users, ending the confusion.

Upstairs, two SurfIR remotes give easy handheld control for the TVs and music.

Replacing the light switch and older music system keypads in the new kitchen diner there is an RTI KX2 wall panel. The KX2 in-wall controller has a clean, sleek design with twelve programmable hard buttons and a 2.8" colour touch screen.

In addition, the family can now control the Rako lighting inside and out, and the motorised window blinds, from a single control panel, again featuring custom-designed UI. The combination of hard buttons and touch screen means all functions are immediately accessible and easy to find.

As a final touch, Connected added TV control to the KX2 - this way Mum can easily get the rest of the family to come in for dinner.

Connected used a combination of Luxul Multi-Wan router and 4G modems to boost the household's broadband speed from 1.5Mbps to a much more useful 20Mbps, really improving the entertainment possibilities.

Owen Maddock, from Connected commented, "Without RTI this project wouldn't have been possible. Thanks guys.”

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