INVENSYS PROVIDES IN-HOME COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ONSTAR AT HOME CONTROL MANAGEMENT PILOT
08 January 2002 - Invensys plc

Invensys will provide the in-home communication infrastructure for the pilot of OnStar at Home, the world's first system that will allow homeowners to access and control home systems from their vehicle, PC, wireless phone or PDA. The OnStar at Home pilot will enable homeowners to remotely manage household activities such as locking and unlocking doors; operating the security system, thermostats, and lights; and viewing the home's interior via a Web cam. The pilot program, which will be tested in the coming months in approximately 100 Detroit area households, is an initiative of the Internet Home Alliance, of which Invensys and its four corporate OnStar at Home partners - General Motors, Panasonic, Hewlett-Packard and ADT Security Services, Inc. - are members.

'With the OnStar at Home pilot, Invensys is showing how we can put the infrastructure in place that can deliver a service like security management, while also laying the foundation for future services to the home,' said Jim Devlin, president, Invensys Home Control Systems. 'Invensys already has put energy management in place for businesses, and we're working to put energy management in the home, because we see this as one of the future services that will help make the connected home a reality.'

In the pilot, the Invensys server manages the homeowner's communications to the home, ensuring commands received via any OnStar channel reach the correct house in a form that can be understood by an Invensys gateway device. Inside the home, the gateway enables communication between an Invensys thermostat, the lighting and the home security system, all while communicating over the Internet with the Invensys server.

Participation in the OnStar at Home pilot program is a natural extension of Invensys' commitment to building intelligence into the thousands of different controls the company makes; Invensys believes using intelligent controls to create intelligent systems adds value for customers.

This broader corporate vision is evident in all Invensys Home Control Systems' projects. Home Control Systems is working to bring services - including energy and equipment management - over the Internet to the homeowner by leveraging company expertise in the areas of HVAC controls, utility metering, power systems and appliance controls. Later this year, for example, Invensys will offer the Home Manager Energy Management System (EMS), a service that will give utilities a cost-effective way to implement price-responsive load control and obtain vital usage data while giving homeowners a tool to easily control their energy consumption. The company views the OnStar at Home pilot program as an opportunity to showcase its ability to provide in-home communication infrastructure.

'It's a significant event when five premier companies from diverse industries come together to create a single packaged solution that shows how we collectively envision the future of home control and security management,' said Devlin. 'Each partner in this pilot program brings a significant amount of expertise and innovation to the table, and we've leveraged those resources to create a system that will positively affect the way we go about our day-to-day lives.'

Internet Home Alliance, Inc. is a non-profit association of leading companies working together to advance the home technology industry by developing the ecosystem needed to support the delivery of Internet lifestyle solutions and educating consumers on the value of an Internet Lifestyle. Internet Home Alliance is an open alliance that encourages cross-industry participation. Currently, 32 companies participate in the Alliance. Principal members include Best Buy Co. Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, Invensys, Invensys, The New Power Company, Panasonic (Matsushita Electric Corporation of America), Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Sun Microsystems. For more information on Internet Home Alliance, visit www.internethomealliance.com.

http://www.invensys.com

More News:
  • For January 2002
  • From Invensys plc
  • For Cables