I guess EHX is a let down

[BryanE]

I have a RTI control system fully integrated to the M1 system. It's brilliant and whilst it has IR it also has RF which is really nice. I can control anything from anywhere in the house or outside and around our house using the RTI system. I communicate to the M1 via a XSP serial expander and is rock solid.

Hi Fleetz,

So you are controlling the Elk with the RTI or the other way around? 2-way support?

 

[mikhaily]

Too bad you guys did not make it to EHX. I had dinner with JaysonC, WayneW, Steve, and Lott plus BP, the Dancing With The Stars audio engineer, plus others.

So you missed:
The new iPhone interfaces - basic, plus, pro, and enterprise with free samples.
The latest ELK M1 software
The new ELK-SBA Wave File Audio Announcer
The new ELK-RMS
The new ELK-RMS Configurator
The new ELKRP.net
The new ELK-TS071 Touchscreen
The new SquareD/Clipsal interface
The new Elk Russound interface
The new Nuvo interface
The new Proficient Audio interface
The three Touchscreens that were given away
All the new 3rd party interfaces
Fantastic Show Specials.

All the talk about upcoming products not yet announced that will interface to Elk:
The new RCS WiFi Thermostat
Centralite's Jetstream Zigbee Thermostat

One interesting booth was OnQ's booth where they stayed at home, but motorcycles were being show in it.
The crowds were smaller, but the quality of attendance was great.

Steve and WayneW should have other show reports because they were crusing everywhere.

Will you have an interface to Global Cashe to controll IR?

 

[Spanky]

I talked with Global Cache at the EHX Show and they are coming out with a unit that stores the IR codes internally later this year. Currently, they do not store the IR codes and the M1 does not either.

BitWise has an interesting IR unit under consideration that others are private labeling.

 

[Digger]

I talked with Global Cache at the EHX Show and they are coming out with a unit that stores the IR codes internally later this year. Currently, they do not store the IR codes and the M1 does not either.

Cool beans!!

 

[fleetz]

I have a RTI control system fully integrated to the M1 system. It's brilliant and whilst it has IR it also has RF which is really nice. I can control anything from anywhere in the house or outside and around our house using the RTI system. I communicate to the M1 via a XSP serial expander and is rock solid.

Hi Fleetz,

So you are controlling the Elk with the RTI or the other way around? 2-way support?

Hi Bryan,

Currently I am sending ASCII strings to the M1 via the XSP. Contolling lights, fans etc. I can send an ASCII string from the M1 to the RTI system although I have not needed to do this yet. Gradually programming the system to compliment how we live in the new house so I can see a need to have the M1 communicate an ASCII string fired from a rule to the RTI coming up soon.

There is no two way support it is a simplex one way which works well. I have had issues with multiple lighting instructions on the C-BUS lighting being over run and the odd one missed all I do is instructed the RTI to repeat the command 2 or three times under it's programming and all is fine. I expect that this issue is now resolved as there is a new updated C-Bus interface just released to address this and some other issues so I suspect now only one instruction set will be required. Hope to be getting the updated card next week to give it a spin.

Regards,

Fleetz

 

[BryanE]

Where are all the new Elk announcements discussed earlier in this thread? I continue to see a flurry of new HAI announcements but still nothing from the fine folks at Elk.

 

[icellama21]

Where are all the new Elk announcements discussed earlier in this thread? I continue to see a flurry of new HAI announcements but still nothing from the fine folks at Elk.

I think spanky has been very careful not to commit to a release date. He was just communicating that work is in progress. Better not to set any expectations. I also wouldn't compare HAI to ELK, HAI is a larger company with a lot of PR resources.

 

[Neurorad]

Seems like Elk would benefit tremendously from an injection of cash.

And OnQ is lacking in a real security division...hmm...

But we know what happened when Moose was eaten by GE. Maybe some kind of expanded partnership?

I'm guessing the direction Elk Products takes still remains to be seen, as Spanky was only recently appointed president. The only drawback to the Chief Engineer becoming president is that he won't have time for this forum as much anymore.

 

[Digger]

Seems like Elk would benefit tremendously from an injection of cash.

What makes you think there is a cash problem? Maybe (probably) they are making sure the products are complete and ready for prime time before they release it. We would not want them to become another SH.

I'm guessing the direction Elk Products takes still remains to be seen, as Spanky was only recently appointed president. The only drawback to the Chief Engineer becoming president is that he won't have time for this forum as much anymore.

I would bet that you will see Spanky about as much as we always have. The past few weeks with EHX and ISC has probably occupied his time more than usual. I think Spanky becoming "Herd Leader" will be a tremendous asset.

I think HAI is going through a growing phase just like kids do. But it is very likely ELK will also do the same yet again and then after ELK I would bet HAI will also and rinse and repeat over and over.

 

[icellama21]

I think HAI is going through a growing phase just like kids do. But it is very likely ELK will also do the same yet again and then after ELK I would bet HAI will also and rinse and repeat over and over.

I think it is sweet how loyal you guys are to elk. I think we need to stop comparing HAI to ELK. At this point HAI's product offerings are an order of magnitude larger than ELK and growing much faster. Lets look at the things ELK does well instead. My instinct is that the home automation market is not doing too well right now. ELK has been trying hard to be upbeat about the future, but no one in the consumer electronics industry can be that optimistic. The M1 is not the only thing that ELK produces, they also build a lot of handy components used in a lot of industries. If you want to support ELK, maybe we can start evangelizing their strengths instead of insisting that they will "catch up" to HAI someday.

 

[Neurorad]

At this point HAI's product offerings are an order of magnitude larger than ELK and growing much faster.

It's really hard to tell what new products that HAI has, with all the 'news release' fluff.

I've been wading through it the past week, and it seems like a lot of stuff I don't want, or announcements of 'things to come' (thus doubling the # of 'press releases'. Or its an announcement of a new 'partner', or an industry 'award'.

Yes, they have an HAI-branded door strike, 2 thermostats, a bullet camera, a dome camera, and a network DVR, but would I choose to use their product over another company's? I don't like the idea of powerline technology so I'm certainly not a fan of UPB.

The only tangible difference for me, that I can see, is the IR/Pronto integration, though I'm eager to see how much customization HAI's Automation Studio touchscreen design software allows.

Still waiting on the new RMS release, and the TS071 TS...maybe the solid royal blue background is just a tease, and it's fully customizable...

Anyways, after a busy work weekend, I'm leaning toward the M1, in part because I'm put off by an overload of marketing fluff from HAI.