Technology

Connect, Control, and Converge your Home with Cortexa Overview

INSTEON-compatible to provide superior performance and reliability Home-control system offers full integration of all of your home systems Internet-enabled for instant access from anywhere in the world Set schedules to minimize energy consumption and maximize green living Essential Info Cortexa is an easy-to-install home automation controller that enables owners to intuitively synchronize their home with their lifestyle, all from a single location. Cortexa lets you have it all - security and peace-of-mind together with real energy-savings. Subsystems within and without your home can now be managed, monitored, and adjusted at the touch of a button or based on time of day, weather, season, or planned events. When you add INSTEON or any number of top home automation devices to a Cortexa Controller, you exponentially expand your total home control. Cortexa controllers support other off-the-shelf subsystems such as Elk, HAI, NuVo, Global Cache, and Aprilaire to name a few. Simply and intelligently, Cortexa gives you the ability to control lighting, security, HVAC, video and audio, home entertainment, motorized shades, video camera surveillance, leak detectors, automated water valves, irrigation, pool, and spa from one source. Use your iPhone, iPod touch, cell phone, computer or any device with a web-enabled browser to monitor and control your home from anywhere in the world, you can even receive text messages from your home based on your own customized criteria. With Cortexa, you can even make energy conservation a priority by setting schedules to limit energy consumption or water usage. A Cortexa controller gives you the ability to schedule the daily functions in your home such as lighting, climate, security, and the sprinkler system, giving you more time to enjoy your life and eliminating the need to perform everyday, mundane tasks. About the Cortexa Home Edition Automation Controller The Home Edition Automation Controller is the entry level model from Cortexa, ideal for single home systems. It has been designed as a shelf mount unit and has a 1.6 GHz single-core processor with 1 GB of system memory and 4GB of Flash Memory. It features five serial ports for connecting your subsystems: Security, Lighting, HVAC, Audio Distribution, IR A/V control, Irrigation, Pool Controllers, IP cameras or digital video servers (each sold separately). Additionally, there are four USB ports and an input for a keyboard and mouse (each sold separately). Please note that this product can not accept additional memory nor is it multi-home capable. `Manuals/Software Quick Start Guide iPhone / iPod Touch Application Instructions Network Guide Compatible Subsystems What's Included Cortexa Home Edition Automation Controller, Canister Style Power cord and adapter Canister Ears Software Quick-start Guide

More Info

As of June 1st, 2009, every new Cortexa controller includes the following improvements over legacy Cortexa controllers: Better User Experience Enhanced First Level Support New Remote Diagnostic Tools On-Line User Documentation More Efficient Event Setup Improved User Experience Diagnose and Fix Software Problems Enhanced System Design New Hardware Models Improve and Broaden System Performance and Range Capacity to Add New Application Features ViziaRF Lighting Water Leak Monitoring and Control INSTEON PLM for Lighting and Other Devices Russound NEW FEATURE Downloads Available FREE Later This Year Energy and Water Monitoring, Control, Management, and Reporting Feature Integration and Support for Assisted and Disabled Living Feature Optional Multi-Residence Monitoring, Control, and Management (Pro-Line models only) New System Level Capabilities Added Regularly Note: If you currently have a legacy Cortexa, Version 4.10 is compatible with the original touch screens available through Smarthome. Other Features We all have bedtime routines: turn off the lights, music, and TVs, set the thermostat, close the garage doors, turn on the security, etc. What if one touch of a button or mouse click did all of this automatically? This is one small example of an unlimited number of "events" that you can easily customize and enable using the Cortexa. You can set up events that cause your window shades to raise or lower, your indoor temperature to adjust, and/or your sprinklers to come on depending on such triggers as the time of the day or the weather. The possibilities are endless and are completely customizable to fit your lifestyle. In addition to all of the wonderful ways that having a fully automated home can improve your daily life, it can also make reducing your impact on the environment, as well as lowering your energy costs an afterthought. Having a Cortexa system installed in your home gives you the unique ability to successfully reduce your home’s energy consumption by allowing you to easily monitor, schedule and modify specific electronic functions such as your home’s interior climate, lighting, and irrigation system from one place. These functions can be scheduled to activate depending on factors such as location of the sun, outdoor weather, and the time of day. There are countless ways to make your home environment-friendly home using the Cortexa system. Going Green Being green means living an energy-conscience lifestyle. Let Cortexa create a green-friendly environment for you and your family by effectively creating a healthier home and reducing your energy consumption. Security - Monitor your home through your security system when you are away, especially if a garage door or window is mistakenly left open, that can cost you both money and security. Lighting - Lights emit CO2, which is the main greenhouse gas involved in Global Warming. By monitoring, scheduling, and controlling when lights are on, Cortexa can help decrease energy costs by optimizing light usage to reduce your home’s use of electricity, as well as decreasing your impact on the environment through lower production of CO2. Cortexa can be setup for many different energy management settings. With Cortexa lighting management, you can assure your home is not wasting electricity from excessive lighting and still create beautiful interior lighting effects. Temperature - By managing and controlling your heating and air conditioning, Cortexa can decrease a home’s electrical consumption by scheduling and controlling the temperature in your home. Merely raising the thermostat 2 degrees during the summer months can save 15% on your energy bill and lowering the temperature 2 degrees in the winter can save 6% or more. Cortexa can schedule and control temperature changes to ensure you have a comfortable environment while you are home as well as reduce the energy consumed while you are away with reasonable setting changes - these changes can be setup to reflect different dates, times, and even seasons. Cortexa also enables you to easily change the schedule or temperature whether you are at home or remotely if you are away using the Internet or your iPhone. In each case your home’s impact on the environment is reduced. Video - When you partner Cortexa with Aspen Media Products and Video Giants, you can now easily purchase movies digitally and reduce landfill waste by eliminating the need for owning excess DVDs and VHS tapes. Audio - When you partner Cortexa with Aspen Media Products and Music Giants, you can now easily purchase music digitally and reduce landfill waste by eliminating the need for owning CDs and cassette tapes. Shades - Motorized shades and awnings are great for reducing glare and blocking out or letting in sunlight’s Ultra Violet (UV) rays, which makes it easier to cool or heat your home. The Cortexa can help reduce your impact on the environment by scheduling your motorized window shades and awnings to individually or collectively raise or lower depending on the weather, time of day, season, and / or the indoor or outdoor temperature. Camera - Cameras can be triggered to record certain customized events automatically, such as someone entering or leaving your home, opening a window, or entering your garage. IR Leak Detectors - Cortexa can protect your home from water leaks and potential flooding using a series of unique infrared moisture detectors that intelligently sense and notify you of water leaks that could result in water damage to your home. This Leak Detection setup can monitor a digital flow meter installed downstream from an automated control valve for the entire residence or for individual zones, measure the flow for the entire residence or by zone, and determine whether the flow is outside of the configured range. If it is outside of the configured range it can command the automated master valve to close, notify via email that this has occurred, and measure and record the total amount of water consumed over regular time periods. Irrigation - Water conservation is a global issue. Cortexa can help make sure you aren’t wasting water with excessive watering or watering at the wrong time. One example of Smart Irrigation is that Cortexa can control your sprinklers to activate or deactivate based on the time of day, current, forecasted weather conditions or vegetation type. For example, if the temperature is below 40°, the wind exceeds 10 MPH and / or it has recently rained more than .5 inches, it is probably best not to water that day at all or maybe just for selected zones using bubblers for specific vegetation. As with all events, changing the settings can be quickly and simply done at home or away using the Internet or your iPhone. Another Smart Irrigation function of the Cortexa is to monitor flow sensors and control water shut off valves throughout your sprinkler system. If excessive water flow is detected or a zone fails to shut off, Cortexa can be set to "sense" it and automatically shut off the zone as well as email you and / or your service provider of the problem. About Cortexa: Cortexa’s capability to simply and intelligently manage off-the-shelf residential subsystems using pre-configured and user-defined events positions it as one of the most flexible and easy-to-use home automation controllers in the market today. Cortexa delivers peace of mind for homeowners by enabling power and water monitoring and management, reducing the time, effort, and cost to running a home, and providing a sense of personal enjoyment and safety. It utilizes broad multi-media management, web access, Microsoft’s Windows Media Center, and intuitive setup and operation to provide users quick, easy access to monitor and manage the operation of their intelligent home. Cortexa offers a complete range of subsystem support to collaboratively manage the entire residential environment to ensure that users’ homes automatically operate in a manner that complements and supports their lifestyle. Supported subsystems include lighting, interior climate control, whole home audio and video entertainment, motorized shades and curtains, security, video cameras, irrigation systems, pools and spas, garage doors, and automatic gates. This product has been awarded the ENERGY STAR. Click here to view all ENERGY STAR products.

Specifications

Specifications Manufacturer: Cortexa Manufacturer Product No.: CXHE-CS System Processor: Single Core 1.6 GHz System Memory: 1GB Internal Storage: 4 GB Flash memory Expandable Memory: No Serial Ports: Five Ethernet: Gigabit Ethernet Port Connections for Console: USB Ports (4), VGA, Keyboard and Mouse (PS/2) Power: External Power Supply, included Multi-Home Capable: No Video Capture: Through IP Cameras or Digital Video Servers Warranty: One (1) year, limited

Images/Video

Rear View Complete Home Automation Control Sample iPod Screen Shot - 1 Sample iPod Screen Shot - 2 Sample iPod Screen Shot - 3 Sample Computer Screen Shot - 1 Sample Computer Screen Shot - 2 Sample Computer Screen Shot - 3 Sample Computer Screen Shot - 4