4Home, the category-creator and leader in home control services,
announced today significant enhancements to its end-to-end software
platform. The software, both the ControlPointTMembedded software and the backend Portal Server product, now
enjoy a multitude of new capabilities; the 4Home SDK is now
generally available (GA) for partners; the 4Home MonitoringSMand 4Home ControlSM for-fee monthly
services for OEMs now showcase advanced features; and 4Home EnergySM,
and a new service offering built to run on the 4Home platform, will be
officially announced tomorrow at the 2009 International Consumer
Electronics Show (CES). The 4Home 2.x home control services platform,
enabling a suite of related but unique services, is immediately
available for rollout with CPE vendors and service providers worldwide.
"Home automation systems are becoming more mainstream and managed
services are growing," says ABI Research senior analyst Sam Lucero. A
recent report from ABI Research provided strong evidence that managed
home automation will show the strongest growth of all, with an
anticipated 1.3 million annual shipments in 2013. The study also notes
that the most significant growth will be driven by broadband and telecom
service providers who will start to offer managed services, which
provide functionality and remote monitoring via a computer or
Smartphone, as part of a "quintuple play" bundle.
Select new 4Home 2.x features and capabilities include the following:
Local and remote MPEG-4 streaming from IP cameras
Optimized M-JPEG IP Camera streaming to mobile phones
Advanced dynamic real-time settings management for preferred IP Cameras
Audio sensors and audio-triggered events in automations
Upstream Rate Management (URG) for dynamic network condition-based
optimization for streaming video parameters
Portal-managed Online Storage of media assets
Media sharing mechanisms enabling new services and providing Web 2.0
style user experiences (Social networking)
Unified view of home monitoring & control devices across multiple
locations
Home Ecosystem Management
TM
(HEM) – a
comprehensive devices knowledgebase and a set of modules for
monitoring and managing the complete client ecosystem
-
Global Security State (GSS) support for intelligent home security
states
Advanced graphical Setup Wizards for trouble-free installation and
system expansion
Display and management of numerous new connected devices for the
digital home
Energy-measuring, usage charting, and algorithmic support for energy
applications
Comprehensive billing and credit card support for out-sourced service
offerings
A Software Developers Kit (SDK) to customize and extend the 4Home
platform
“4Home has been in trials and working with leading tier-one and tier-two
service providers throughout 2008 and now our software is mature for
broad rollouts in 2009,” said Alex Fedosseev, VP of Product Management
for 4Home. “With the rapid commoditization of the ‘triple-play’ services
of voice-video-data, new broadband services – such as the home control
services of home monitoring, home control, broadband home security,
energy management, media management, among others – have become a
strategic imperative with broadband providers for service rollouts
around the globe. The key differentiator of 4Home solution is that it
not only provides a set of applications ready for deployment, but also
tools for our partners to create their own applications.”
4Home will be exhibiting its platform January 8th through the
11th at CES in a private suite at the Las Vegas Hilton and at
the Z-Wave Partner Pavilion, booth #20619 of the South Hall of the Las
Vegas Convention Center. The 4Home Energy product/service has won
“Best of Innovations” at CES and will be on exhibit at the Innovations
2009 Design and Engineering Showcase at both the Grand Lobby in the Las
Vegas Convention Center and at the Sands Expo and Convention Center,
booth #72062.
About 4Home
4Home is the leading provider of “home control services,” which include
energy management, home security and monitoring, media and entertainment
management, and home health. 4Home’s ControlPoint,™ Portal Server, and
SDK software products allow hardware vendors and service providers to
create and deploy compelling, easy-to-use, and profitable new
applications and services for the connected home. A single copy of the
networked ControlPoint software installed anywhere on the home network
provides whole home coverage — from anywhere and at anytime. Portal
Server is a robust application server for the NOC providing scalable and
manageable home control services for a broad, mass-market rollout.
4Home, Inc. is based in Sunnyvale, CA. For more information on 4Home and
its award-winning solutions, please visit www.4Home.com.