Home automation Company Savant has decided to move down market with their Apple based home automation which in Australia is extremely expensive when compared with the USA.
Distributed by Emersive Technologies in Australian and New Zealand the local distributor has not said what they will charge for their new entry level home hub and software combo that allows people to automate their living environment. In the USA the kit is selling for $1,599.
The new product revolves around a Linux-based home server that acts as a control for lights, sound system and whatever else you have as part of your Savant system. The hub and controller costs US$799.00 and the attendant accessories adds to the overall price.
Writers in the USA claim that this is pricey as significantly cheaper systems that run on a Mac are available for sub $800.
The buyer of the entry-level Savant systems gets a host, the Linux brain running the software; a controller with radios and ports for operating connected devices and a self-configuring Wi-Fi universal remote. The challenge is that you need one controller for each room you want to automate, so it can add up.
The high-end version of Savant’s products uses a Mac Mini that runs the Savant’s software. It’s integrated so that any Apple product also runs as the control for the system; the system boasts wall-mounted iPods and iPads as controllers. So in a way, Savant is Apple’s home automation play, just done without Apple’s involvement. But the new product is not an Apple-related product.
The Apple guts run the Savant Pro line-up while a Linux machine will lie at the heart of the new, lower-cost Smart Series.
Emersive Technologies who are not known for their press announcements has not said when the kit will be launched in Australia or the price.
