For the owners of an upscale home in Los Angeles, a remodel of their 3,300-square-foot residence included a number of new electronics systems, from A/V and lighting to HVAC and security. However, all of this sophisticated technology would just collect dust without a simple and convenient way for the homeowners to operate it. For California-based integrator Coupe Automation, this made the inclusion of an intuitive control and automation system a high priority for the project. In addition, to maintain a clean look throughout the space, the homeowners wanted to minimize the number of on-wall keypads utilized for control. Coupe Automation was able to meet both of these needs using solutions from RTI.

In addition to Samsung displays, the numerous electronic systems incorporated into the revamped L.A. home include security, Vantage InFusion lighting, Somfy shades, an Aprilaire thermostat, a Marantz receiver, eHolovision entry intercoms, automated door locks, and a Pentair pool filter. Bringing all of this equipment from different manufacturers together into one seamless control and automation system is RTI's XP8 control processor. Ideal for large-scale and more advanced projects, the processor offers an abundance of advanced control interface options, such as two-way RS-232, routable IR, relay control, and Ethernet control.

The XP8 integrates with the systems via two-way drivers created by RTI and Coupe Automation. For example, Coupe Automation's Virtual Matrix Selector driver allows the homeowners to easily keep track of which sources are playing in the home's rooms or zones, and provides dynamic naming to simplify programming of multi-room audio for integrators. RTI's driver for the Marantz receiver takes audio even further by allowing users to view album artwork and song metadata right on their controller. Additionally, the XP8 incorporates an astronomical clock for time-based events. To ensure a darker room during early morning hours, Coupe Automation used this functionality to program the shades to automatically lower at 5 a.m. each day.

For the homeowners and guests, each main room in the home is equipped with a T3-V+ handheld controller featuring a 3.5-inch, full-VGA touchscreen; built-in Web browser; and RTI's dual RF board technology to support both 433 MHz RF for one-way control and 2.4 GHz ZigBee^®for bi-directional communication. To minimize the number of keypad interfaces in the home, Coupe Automation utilized RTI's Virtual Panel control interface, which allows the homeowner to control and monitor their system from any PC running Microsoft^® Windows^®. The Virtual Panel is being run on nine Samsung Windows 8 tablet PCs, which are wall-mounted in the home's main rooms. The sleek interfaces provide a clean look and complete control over all systems as users enter or leave a room. The only keypads needed are two RTI two-button RK1s located at the front door and laundry room for control over the automated door locks.

"When choosing a control solutions provider for this installation, RTI was the perfect fit. Other manufacturers were either too expensive or simply weren't capable of doing the job. RTI's solutions provide high-end features at a low price point, and the company's Integration Designer™ software makes it simple to create one customized interface for both the handheld and tablet controllers, providing complete control without cluttering the walls with keypads for each individual component," said Terry Coupe, president of Coupe Automation. "The client has been very pleased with the results. They love the look of the PCs and the minimal number of interfaces throughout the home. Most importantly, they are wowed by the ease of use and level of control they have over such sophisticated home electronics."