Day: August 1, 2012

Wouldn’t it be nice to have your own digital butler

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What is KAROTZ? KAROTZ is fun and convenience that the whole family can enjoy on a daily basis. The KAROTZ Smart Rabbit connects to your network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable and once it is setup it will bring the internet to life. KAROTZ can read you the news in the morning, update you on sports scores, give you the daily weather report in the morning and much, much more! The Smart Rabbit can also play your favorite MP3 files or stream your favorite internet radio stations. KAROTZ adds new appz everyday to allow for customization just the way you want it.

Are you a Facebook and Twitter fanatic? If so, you can audibly update either feed by speaking to the Smart Rabbit and letting it know what status to post or ask it to read you your Twitter feed. For those of you that are more email oriented the KAROTZ Smart Rabbit will alert you when new emails arrive. It also comes with a built-in webcam so you can keep an eye on your house when you aren’t home as well as set it to notify you when your child gets home from school in the afternoons. Best of all, the KAROTZ Smart Rabbit is Smartphone and tablet controlled with a multitude of Apple® and Android applications available.

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We are celebrating our 20 year anniversary with one of our LARGEST SALES EVENTS ever!

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Smarthome® Celebrates 20th Anniversary in August

Month-Long Celebration Includes Sales, Daily Deals and Product Giveaways

IRVINE, CA– Smarthome, the leading home automation retailer, is celebrating its 20 Year Anniversary with a month-long celebration in August. The company, which began as a mail order catalog company in 1992, will be offering its retail customers special daily deals, sales and product giveaways throughout August.

 “We are extremely proud to be celebrating our 20th Anniversary,” commented Mike Scharnagl, Director of Marketing. “In 20 years, the company has grown and evolved, but very much kept its core values. We are looking forward to providing great products and excellent service to our customers for the next 20 years and beyond.”

Since mailing its first catalog in 1992, Smarthome’s mission has been to offer homeowners and contractors the widest selection of affordable electronic home improvement and home automation products. The company has grown from a distributor of technical products to the destination for home control enthusiasts, becoming a single, easy-to-use source for thousands of affordable lighting, security, and home entertainment products that the average do-it-yourselfer can safely install, including INSTEON® products, the award-winning remote control product line that includes a growing list of devices from lamp dimmers to thermostats.

During the month, Smarthome will be offering weekly sales promotions, product giveaways, and a daily deal featuring a different discounted product each day. The promotion begins August 1 with a free shipping offer. More information about the sales and deals can be found online at www.smarthome.com/20thsale.

Add Wireless Z-Wave Remote Control to an Exiting Switch and Monitor Energy Consumption

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Aeotec DSC19xxx-ZWUS Z-Wave Micro Smart Energy Illuminator Dimmer Switch G2, 600 Watt
It has long been thought that a house becomes a home when we make it reflect who we are, when we personalize it, when we fill it with objects we treasure. And all of that remains true, but it no longer needs to be just the objects we put in our home that personalizes it. Like the music that gently fills the background of your favorite restaurant, Aeotec’s Micro Switches create the perfect ambiance for your home, and then some. They also give you the perfect control and the perfect, intelligent automation.

The Aeotec Z-Wave Micro Smart Energy Illuminator Dimmer Switch G2 is a low-cost Z-Wave dimmer module specifically used to enable Z-Wave command and control (on/off/dim) for existing in-wall switches. It can also report immediate wattage consumption or kWh energy usage over a period of time. The wireless module is powered from the mains supply and is a three-wire design which requires a neutral connection. In the event of power failure, non-volatile memory retains all programmed information relating to the unit’s operating status. It also is a repeater in the Z-Wave network. Acting as a bridge for communication, it will forward Z-Wave command messages to their destinations if the originating controller is out of range from the destination node. By taking advantage of the Z-Wave mesh network, commands can be routed to their destination via intermediary ‘listening’ Z-Wave products. Products that are Z-Wave certified can be used and communicate with other Z-Wave certified devices.
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