Well we are officially moved into our new home at 50 Hudson Street. It was an exhausting process that everyone worked so hard together to complete. Now that we are moved in, it’s already starting to feel like home. Our old address has signs up in the window pointing our visitors to our new address.
Hey thanks to Atlantic Metro Communications we are officially up and running on our fiber connection. Check out this speed test. (Fastest Internet Connection Ever)
Here is a quick test 61MB Down 71MB Up. Ridiculous!
If anyone wants to come stop by make sure to look on the buzzer for our name. Our sign is coming
компютриHopefully we will get some pictures online of the move and the new office for everyone to see.
In April, CYTEXONE will move into our new lair at 50 Hudson Street in Tribeca. The building was built in 1925 and is a registered New York City Landmark Building. It beautiful inside and BIG - we’re going to grow tremendously in the coming years and this place is our home base. Once we’re up and running you’re all welcome to stop in to check out the new diggs. We’re going to have a full showroom, conference room, office area, build room and stock room!
Today we fixed some bugs that were in our website that some people complained about. We realized that when we transferred our website from our old hosting infrastructure to the new cluster it didn’t fully function. Server side includes were not enabled which made some of the pages render incorrectly.
You can now access the Home section fully as well as other sections.
If you have any issues please let us know Thanks to those of you that brought this to our attention.
Although we’ve yet to get Time Warner NYC to admit it, their current offering of HD Cable Boxes are not so sweet. The model in question is pictured above; it’s a Scientific Atlantic 8300HDC HD DVR cable box.
The symptoms of a terrible cable box? slow/ugly interface, awful picture & sound, automatic power off almost every day, rebooting needed weekly.
This is a big issue when you build state of the art automation systems and the one piece you can’t supply (cable company’s equipment) is poorly built and designed. We’ve found ways around it, but these things are rough. Happily, there is still hope for Time Warner NYC customers who read this — when you get a cable box from them — be sure to insist on the Scientific Atlantic 8300HD (no ‘C’ on the end). Those boxes are great but they look exactly the same…
By ROBYN FRIEDMAN
Special to the Sun
October 18, 2007
Technology is the latest amenity New York’s condominium developers are using to wow potential buyers.
Many developers are installing building integration systems that allow residents to communicate with the concierge, valet, doorman, and others by using an interactive touch screen. Also offered are home automation features that control lighting, temperature, blinds, music, and video. Techno-savvy buyers expect, and even demand, a high level of automation in their new homes, and many are plunking down hundreds of thousands of dollars to obtain it.
“Everyone’s got granite, stainless steel, and wood floors,” Nick DeClemente, the director of operations for Concierge Direct Corp., a provider of home automation and building integration technology, said. “At a given price point, there’s a certain amount of parity as to what a developer can offer. The way to distinguish the property is with services and technology.”
According to the National Association of Home Builders, a growing number of homes are being built with technology in mind. It is said that 34% of home builders offer structured wiring packages as standard or optional amenities, and industry experts predict that number will grow as high-tech automation systems become de rigueur.
“For buyers, the idea of having this incredible ease of lifestyle is very seductive,” a broker with the Corcoran Group , Wendy Sarasohn, said. “They expect it.” The condominiums at the former Plaza Hotel, the Plaza Residences, are among the projects to use such high-tech amenities. The 181 apartments there feature 8.4-inch Modero ViewPoint Touch Panels by Richardson, Texas-based AMX that enable residents to choose from a wide variety of services. Requests are transmitted over the building’s network to the AMX Amenities Server, which then disseminates the information to the appropriate party. Plaza residents can also order room service, make a reservation at the Palm Court, or arrange for theater tickets via the panel, as well as control their home’s temperature and lighting. Future enhancements include the ability to order groceries, wine, or other goods from local vendors and charge the cost back to the unit.
Most developers incorporate a basic automation system into their units and allow buyers to upgrade as they desire. Mr. DeClemente has created systems with 16 zones of distributed audio, full lighting, and shading packages that control multiple shades on each window and extensive lighting controls. He’s also installed high-end components such as Krell Evolution amplifiers and $18,000 Aviamo televisions for his clients. Despite the complexity and cost of these systems, they’re intuitive and easy to use.
Condominiums at Linden78, under development at 230 W. 78th St., come pre-wired for speakers throughout the unit as well as for motorized shades and climate control. The “brain” of the system is a Control4 automation and network system installed by CYTEXONE that operates via a simple remote control or touch screen. Upgrade packages are available that include in-wall speakers, a home theater controller, and even an in-wall iPod docking station.
The technology “is certainly one of the hot aspects” of the Upper West Side development, Christopher Westley, the vice president of sales and marketing for the project’s developer, Urban Residential, said.
Extell Development Co.’s 995 Fifth Ave. features many of the same high-tech capabilities as the Plaza Residences. Residents can use their touch panels as video intercoms to order groceries, coordinate valet parking, reserve building amenities, or control the apartment’s HVAC system. An array of optional features includes a custom plasma TV that can be hidden under the bed when not in use, controls for shades and lighting, and theater-quality sound and video options, all controlled via the same 7-inch touch panel.
We have identified and rectified a major problem we were having with a few of our systems. I’m sure many of you out there are having similiar issues so I figured posting this may help others. The switch pictured above has put us through a tremendous amount of frustration.
Many people commonly disregard the importance of the network switch. The network switch is the backbone of the entire network. If you have a problematic device (ie slow, underpowered) or you are using an all in one device you may want to rethink your networks. All in one devices are as good in the networking world as they are in the printer world (they are not that sweet).
In our Home Automation division we have identified a problem specifically with the Netgear Prosafe GS724TP POE Switch. This switch can cause sporadic issues with Control4 devices as well as other network devices including Apple. There is a workaround available that helps most issues out but is not a 100% fix.
We will no longer be using Netgear Switches with our systems. We have now switched to Dell, HP and Foundry switches.
If you are looking for a replacement switch to use, you can use the following.
Dell PowerConnect 3424 24 Port 100Mbps Switch
Dell PowerConnect 3424P 24 Port 100Mbps Switch with POE
Dell PowerConnect 5324 24 Port GigE Switch
I tried to keep the switches listed under $1000. There are more expensive switches out there if you want more management, these should do just fine for the small to medium sized systems.
We have been replacing all of the problematic GS724TP switches with dell switches and all of the systems since then have been problem free since.
Here are the issues that occurred
- Devices fall off network
- Devices could not be located in ARP Table
- Switch needed to be rebooted in order for network to function
This workaround is enabling the IGMP setting found in the advanced settings.
I have been hiding in a cave for several weeks studying the mating habits of the endangered Tooth Cave ground beetle (Rhadine Persephone). Not only have I become an expert in the ways of the Tooth Cave, but I also feel I am now an expert of all beetles and even some types of man. Anyway, after a few cold showers I am back in the CYTEXONE offices ready to report on what’s new and fabulous here.
Offsite Backup
CYTEXONE will be offering super secure offsite backup for businesses before you can count to ten (in latin.) Data storage and protection is absolutely vital in today’s market, and we intend to make this as easy, safe, and affordable as possible (so you can sleep at night even without your meds.)
CYTEXONE is also about to offer offsite backup to individuals for a monthly fee. This is something we are so excited about. Being able to store all your photos, documents, and music somewhere safe and nearly indestructible is totally awesome. Totally, totally awesome. If you’ve ever had a hard drive crash, you know what kind of tears result. Let us dry your eyes!
Element
Dude, we are making this very cool home entertainment automation unit that you can basically plug in to your house and enjoy in no time. We designed something sleek and affordable to make everyone’s entertainment appliances work smoother and smarter. Watch out for a formal release announcement with some gorgeous photos soon.
One Moment to Brag
Our home automation systems are obviously stunning and fascinating, but did you know they are being built in to new developments? This means some lucky apartment buyers get a CYTEXONE system built in before they even get the keys. How sweet it is to be loved by you…
1. White Water Rafting/ Water War
2. Singing and dancing in the office
3. Endless discussions about Cat5
4. Dan and Maggie talking about going tanning but not going tanning
5. Company-wide haircuts at Mudhoney by Bethany
6. DeVry Career Fair
7. Car towing
8. Company-wide trip to BB Kings to watch “Tragedy” the metal tribute band to the Bee-Gees
9. Marcos studying for and passing tests
10. CEDIA in Denver
11. Mass accumulation of awards for being awesome
12. Keleidescape obsession
13. Kelly Clarkson obsession
14. Trips to Israel
15. Extreme growth in Tommy’s parking ticket collection
16. Connected Ventures love affair
17. Loving LeRoy Jenkins
18. In office building
19. Paintball
20. Happiness
Last night my car broke down a few blocks from home on a busy NYC street. The car ceased and smoked while Saturday night traffic honked a consolatory symphony. Just when it looked like the evening was ruined and a greasy tow truck was eminent, a superhero emerged from a sidestreet. It was none other than Jamie Thompson of the NY Jets, who helped me push the jeep 4 blocks to a parking spot for the night.
To our my favorite football player - thanks broha.
DENVER –(Business Wire)– Control4, the leader in affordable IP-based home control and entertainment systems, today announced the release of the Control4(R) Home Controller HC-1000, which will be unveiled at the 2007 CEDIA Expo (booth #480). Control4’s new high-performance controller, the HC-1000, is optimized to run as a dedicated master controller in a Control4 Home Automation System. The HC-1000 provides the capacity and performance for the most demanding home automation projects, complementing the latest release of Control4’s Home Automation System Software (v. 1.3.2).
“As homes are becoming more digital and filled with more feature-rich applications and media, our customers are requiring more horsepower and performance to manage whole-home automation,” said Will West, Chief Executive Officer, Control4. “The HC-1000 represents a natural evolution of our product line and strengthens our ability to make home automation available and affordable for the broadest market possible.”
The HC-1000 joins Control4’s successful line of high-performance home controllers that also includes the Media Controller, HC-300 and Home Theater Controller. When increased processing capabilities are required, the HC-1000 is the best solution for whole home automation:
– Memory, storage, and processing power to maximize the performance of demanding Control4 whole-home automation systems, and systems with extensive media libraries
– Optimized system software to control projects with numerous Control4 and 3rd party devices, and extensive automation programming
– Ideally suited for rack-mount installations
“With the new Control4 Home Controller HC-1000, CYTEXONE will be able to build large, complex systems that are extremely user-friendly and easily programmable,” said Dan Levine, CEO with CYTEXONE in New York. “We are very excited about this new product and anticipate integrating it into every system we build.”
Ideal for managing large whole-home automation installations and multi-dwelling units (MDUs), the HC-1000 can control the home theater, multi-room music, smart lighting, advanced temperature control, security and many other home automation sub-systems. For a complete listing of HC-1000 product specifications visit www.control4.com.
The HC-1000 is expected to ship in the 4th Quarter of 2007.
In addition to the expanded functionality offered by the HC-1000, the latest version of Control4’s System software (v. 1.3.2) enables a range of new features across the Control4 product line:
– Control IP-based cameras set up for home monitoring and security
– Improved system performance, especially in customer interaction.
– Turn any Control4 graphical interface into a digital photo display for still images
– Stream audio throughout the house with enhanced iPod integration through the iPort(TM), enabling recognition of all Apple iPod(TM)-supported audio files, including Apple FairPlay, AAC and mp3 formats.
