IEEE Communications Society Denver Chapter: April Meeting Announcement

April 2005

Home Automation using Powerline Carrier Technology

Introduction

Company – Web Mountain Technologies

Speakers –      Terry Bolinger, President

            Web Mountain Technologies develops and manufactures products for home automation based upon a new standard for powerline carrier technology known as UPB, Universal Powerline Bus.  These products include actual UPB devices, as well as an intelligent, Linux based whole home server.  These products are intended for installation into homes with a home network.  The server is IP based and accessed using a web browser.  UPB is a state of the art powerline carrier technology that WORKS!

What is Home Control?

            (Structured wiring becoming common place)

The four reasons for home automation / lighting control:

            Safety,             Convenience,            Energy Savings,             Ego           

Powerline Carrier Technology

            X10 – 25 year old technology that has sold millions of devices

                        Technical details of X10

                        Limitations and performance issues with X10

                        Available devices

                        Usage within the home automation industry

            UPB – developed 3 years ago and patented by Powerline Control Systems

                        Web Mountain first residential licensee

                        Overcomes many of the performance issues and limitations of X10

                        Still fairly expensive, but price is coming down

                        Technical details of UPB

                        Available devices

                        How UPB will revolutionize the powerline carrier industry

            Alternatives to powerline carrier technology

                        Hard wired (Vantage, Centralite, Lightolier, Lutron)

                        Wireless (Z-Wave, Zigbee, RadioRA)

IP Spoken Here

            Brief discussion of IP based Home Controls

            Traditional Security/Audio/Video VS New Style IT / IP professionals

            Integrating IP with traditional home control systems

            Where does Linux come in?

Demonstration

            UPB,             Digital Audio Video,             Residential server

Bio – Terry Bolinger

            Founder and President of Web Mountain Technologies.  28 years in the high tech world, mostly with telecomm equipment manufacturers.  VP Engineering, XEL Communications for 7 years.  Founded Web Mountain Technologies in 1999.   Web Mountain Technologies develops and manufactures products for home automation and control based upon a new standard for powerline carrier technology known as UPB, Universal Powerline Bus.  These products include actual UPB devices, as well as an intelligent, Linux based whole home server.