HOW DO WE INTEGRATE?
ESC uses industrial-grade command and control systems and applies them with documentation, staff, and processes tested and refined over hundreds of installations. The software was developed over 20 years with some of the most experienced and talented programmers in the world.
Technically, an integrated control system is a layer that sits on top of the other sub-systems. The control systems do not replace any of the other controls, such as HVAC, but rather direct the process much like an orchestra conductor directs many individuals to produce a cohesive symphony.
THE ANATOMY OF AN INTEGRATED CONTROL SYSTEM
User Interfaces (UIs)
The most important part of control systems are the devices an owner physically reads and touches to turn on lights, adjust heat, watch TV, and otherwise command their environment. Generally, there are two types of UIs: In-Wall Devices and Handheld Devices. In-Wall devices are installed in the wall like light switches, and are robust, embedded devices used for everyday environmental control. Handheld devices are portable, wireless remote controls that are most commonly used to control televisions and media systems while seated. These handheld devices have evolved into powerful “web-tablet”-like devices that provide large, easy-to-read screens used to control every system in the house as well as access the internet and other computer functions.
Controllers
At the heart of the control system sits one or more embedded controllers, running custom, low-level code created uniquely for that home. The boxes are located in a remote Low Voltage Space close to the other subsystems they are controlling. The device is an extremely powerful router, translator, and bridge all in one box, and speaks many different machine languages using cards chosen for the application and personalized to the type of systems controlled. This is where the decisions are made. When a button is pressed on either an In-Wall Device or Handheld Device in the home, this controller decides what should happen and directs the traffic created by messages from the other subsystems. Finally, this device acts as a bridge to the larger internet and computer world, enabling standard PCs, cellphones, and other outside devices to control and monitor the system within its purvey.
ESC is leading a massive shift and improvement in the way people interact with their environment at home. Integrated Control Systems use mature technology and expertise to help us design and build homes that are easy to control, beautiful, and more powerful than ever before.
WHAT ARE WE CONTROLLING?
The modern home presents a surprising number of systems and devices that require frequent interaction. Our approach toward home automation and integration includes, but is not limited to: lighting integration, climate integration, distributed audio, HDTV and digital television, digital music systems, media rooms and home theaters, modular and installation services, home automation controls, customized user interfaces and software services, security integration, and telecommunication.
HOW WE DO IT
Why Integrate?
Simplicity - ESC’s state-of-the-art integration software, running on single, simple devices, allows the homeowner to quickly and easily accomplish what they wish. Even the most technology averse is able to master their home’s systems with little instruction. Without integration the sheer quantity of devices needed to control all the systems in today's home is not only cluttered, but also confusing. Modern digital thermostats, shade controls, security keypads, light switches and the like, without integration, present the homeowner with a puzzling, often unusable pile of devices spread throughout the home. In larger, high-end homes, integration is not an option, it is a necessity.
Architecture - Imagine a single wall in a larger home without integration: multiple unlabelled light switches, a large digital thermostat, an audio control, multiple shade and drapery controls, a security keypad, a fireplace switch, and possibly more. Integration replaces all devices with a single device that ESC can custom finish to match the architecture. The desire of ESC as expressed by company COO/CTO Anson Fogel is “the architecture and aesthetics are what’s most important. The key is making sure that the room relates to the architecture and the design.”
Power - Once the systems are integrated, possibilities exist that empower the homeowner. A single button can set the home in a “mode”, turning on hundreds of lights, adjusting the temperature, disarming the security systems, and turning on music or television. Events from one system, such as the security system, can automatically trigger other systems. ESC's WebControl software allows the owner to control and monitor, in detail, all the systems in the home from a web page anywhere in the world.