Control4 adds a sleek new remote to its smart home platform
0Reported today on The Verge
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Reported today in The Verge.
Control4 adds a sleek new remote to its smart home platform
Smart home platform vendor Control4 is launching a new way to interact with its system called the Neeo. The Neeo is a touchscreen remote control that lets Control4 customers access their smart home devices and adjust settings, schedules, music playback, and more. It’s available in either black or silver through Control4 dealers starting today for $600.
The Neeo works with Control4’s Smart Home OS 3 platform, and it will automatically work with all of the devices that are set up through an existing Control4 system. Homeowners can just turn the remote on, sign in to their system, and everything they have set up will be available to control with it.
The remote itself is a sleek metal-and-rubber device with a small touchscreen and a handful of dedicated buttons for volume and other frequent controls. The touchscreen is customizable and can be set up to display favorite devices or one-tap buttons to play Netflix or run other more complicated routines. The remote’s rechargeable battery lasts for five days and is charged when the Neeo is placed on the included magnetic dock.
Control4’s system is a professionally installed smart home, and it supports 14,000 direct integrations with third-party devices. It is purchased through a network of dealers across the world that have created over 175,000 integrations tailored to their customers’ needs.
The remote was originally a product of a company called Neeo, which Control4 acquired earlier this year. The hardware design and features of the original Neeo have carried over to Control4’s version, but the software is fully new to integrate with the Smart Home OS 3 system. In addition to the Neeo, Control4 also has keypads, touchscreens, mobile apps, voice assistant integrations, and a more traditional-looking remote that’s available for its customers to control their homes.
Control4’s appeal has always been for those who want the capabilities of a smart home but don’t want to deal with the hassles of installing one and setting it up themselves. But with the Neeo, Control4 might also attract those who are into sleekly designed gadgets — even if they are woefully expensive.