Home automation startup brand TiO, which bowed its inaugural...

Home automation startup brand TiO, which bowed its inaugural line of products this week at Infocomm, said it’s the first hardware system in the CEDIA channel that will drive traffic to dealers. When a new feature becomes available on the Android-based TiO platform, touchscreens on a homeowner’s TiO system will automatically show a new icon for the feature, which users can tap to be directed to the installing dealer for more information, Mike Anderson, president of TiO parent company Automated Control Technology Partners, told us. Apps will update four times a year, and one of the upcoming features will be security control, he said. TiO unveiled the Master Coordinator ($599), an 802.11n wireless access point that operates at a range of up to 450 feet and is the “overhead piece” that creates a “subnet” on the home network, Anderson said. The StealthStream 1 ($599) digital audio zone player, a 100-watt amplifier with built-in streamer, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth receiver, is designed to fit into a single-gang wall box. Touchscreen-based versions of the streaming amplifier include the 4-inch TouchStream 4 ($799) and the 7-inch TouchStream 7 ($899). Additional products include a Wi-Fi-based universal dimmer/light switch capable of controlling all major lighting types ($249) and a Wi-Fi-based thermostat ($299), the company said. Products will ship in July and August, Anderson said. The TiO’s integration with security systems will be “at arm’s length,” Anderson said. “We won’t mess with the integrity of the security system,” he said. The TiO system is designed to be installed and programmed quickly -- in less than a day for a 2,000-square-foot home -- and homeowners will be able to make changes to the system via a simple interface, he said. Dealers will have recurring revenue opportunities through $99 annual remote access fees that allow homeowners to access the system in up to two homes, he said. The TiO system won’t be controllable via iOS devices at launch, “but that doesn’t mean it won’t be,” said Matt Curtin, vice president-sales and marketing. Curtin said TiO is the only home automation system that can be set up by dealers using a tablet.