A homeowner in Houston, Texas, was looking for a powerful yet intuitive control solution to manage the various technologies being incorporated into their new 5,500 square-foot residence. While full A/V automation, lighting and shade control, and security features were of major importance, the family’s top priority was simplicity and ease of use. Therefore, the integration team at Digital Delight needed a solution that would not only manage all of the technology in the residence, but also would not overwhelm users in their day-to-day interaction with the home’s technology. By combining several RTI SURFiR companion remotes with the RTiPanel application, Digital Delight was able to deliver a reliable, fully automated, and easy-to-use system that exceeded the client’s expectations.

“When reviewing the design plans for the installation, our client’s primary concern was simplicity, but we knew there was a wide range of technologies beyond just basic A/V that we had to think about managing,” said JJ Canon, owner of Digital Delight. “We looked to RTI because the company’s RTiPanel app would allow us to give our client the flexibility and convenience to use their Apple products to control and manage the home. With RTI’s automation processing power and audio distribution system solutions, we knew we had all the tools needed to provide the right solutions for the project.”

The initial design goal was efficiently and effectively distributing audio and video throughout the large residence. To accomplish this, the automation system is powered by an RTI XP-8s control processor. The XP-8s provides two-way communication with the home’s A/V and environmental components including a Lutron^® lighting and shade control system, Channel Plus Gate Access, IC Realtime^® security cameras, NuVo media player, AT&T U-verse^® DVRs, Apple TV^®, Sony^® Blu-ray player, Just Add Power^™ video matrix switcher, and Onkyo receiver. This powerful integration enables benefits such as the ability to access and control seven different video sources on displays throughout the residence, as well as have full control and feedback  of favorite stations from Pandora, SiriusXM Radio, and iTunes^® media streams when listening to music via RTI’s AD-4x and AD-8x audio distribution systems.

With RTI’s award-winning Integration Designer^® programming software, Digital Delight was able to completely customize the RTiPanel user interface to provide the client with a comprehensive home automation system. For example, the client is now able to control the Lutron lighting and shade system, monitor the gate status, and view security camera footage all within the RTiPanel user interface on their iPads. Also incorporated into the custom RTiPanel interface was access to real-time traffic cameras and weather radars, providing the homeowner with quick and easy access to current local conditions. For a seamless control experience, Digital Delight included seven SURFiR companion remotes, which conveniently keep track of the device being controlled by RTiPanel to provide “instant on” tactile control with hard buttons and eliminates the numerous screen swipes needed for control tasks that require frequent interaction, such as volume control or changing channels. This allows users to enjoy many of the other benefits of their mobile devices, such as checking emails, while still having convenient and intuitive control of their electronic system.

“From a design perspective, we wanted to make sure the system’s complexity would not compromise its usability,” said Canon. “By customizing the RTiPanel user interface and giving our client the added convenience of the SURFiR companion remotes, we were able to design a solution that manages all of the home’s technologies in a simple and elegant fashion, designed for real day-to-day functionality and ease of use. The owners were amazed by the level of sophistication and how simple it was for them to use in their daily lives.”