Daniel J SaitSonance’s innovative Launchport mounting and charging system for iOS devices had been enhanced with buttons, which offer immediate and independent access to automation functionality.
With the provision of a simple adaptor kit, Habitech says installers can add the programmable, wireless, battery-powered buttons to the LaunchPort Sleeve for iPad and in the process transform the utility of CI’s favourite control screen.
Although iPad Apps have the ability to provide a feature-rich, customised and intuitive interface for installers and customers, they can be longwinded to operate in an automation scenario because of the need to wake up the screen, navigate to the App and find the control.
By adding hard buttons to the functionality, Sonance provides immediate and continuous access to key controls as well as the mobile convenience of fully-featured Apps.
The set-up also allows user to ‘find’ key controls with their fingers, without having to look at the controller just like with conventional hand-held AV remote controls.
The product promotes lighting control compatibility by duplicating the functionality of Lutron’s Pico 3BRL and by utilising the power of Lutron’s Clear Connect wireless technology.
The LaunchPort sleeve buttons communicate independently with any Lutron RadioRA 2, HomeWorks QS or Caséta network device.
Once paired, the buttons can control Lutron HomeWorks QS, RadioRA 2, Caseta, Maestro and GRAFIK Eye, as well as whole-home automation systems such as Savant, RTI and Control4.
The buttons have ten years of independent battery life so can offer control even when the iPad is turned off. The LaunchPort kit comprises a clip-in AM.2 sleeve component carrying the buttons and battery and thirty-five soft-touch icon-enhanced buttons.
At launch the button kits are available for iPad mini/mini Retina only.