A while back Crestron produced an App for Apple iPads and Apple iPhone / iPod touch that will control your Crestron System. We've programmed systems that include control specifically from iPads and receive more & more requests to include this functionality. I've been wondering if this is the best way for organizations to go.
In the world of AV we (Inland AV) specialize in commercial grade control systems for boardrooms, meeting rooms, classrooms, lecture theatres and the like. My comments are focused on professional AV and not home theatres or home automation.
Traditionally the control system user interface is a graphical one - a touch panel. There are many different sizes and types depending on the application.
Crestron control via Apple products is a great idea. Actually prior to this we've done many systems where an IP based control panel (Crestron X-Panel) is a duplicate of the primary touch panel hardware, could be accessed anywhere via a web browser from a PC, and of course the almighty Mac.
An example of where this feature is beneficial is in a Help Desk application. In a facility using touch panels in many training rooms (Schools, Universities, Colleges, manufacturing facilities, etc.), or even a smaller facility but with many different first time users (education, hotels, public/rental facilities, etc) the Help Desk personnel can see any rooms' touch panel pages on their own computer and assist the user to know what button to press, and even press it for them.
While the X-Panel works great in the AV world, and while I believe control via Apple products is fantastic, the iPad control system doesn't necessarily have its place in the professional AV World. It's more of a residential thing, as marketed in this ad.
I doubt the education market will ever want to use control via iPads but the corporate market - boardrooms - seem to want this. While that's cool, and the iPad looks really good, the corporate boardroom and training rooms should still have the customary Crestron touch panel. The iPad may be a great secondary device but the touch panel should not be replaced.
Reasons: a touch panel is attached, ideally, to the room and is always there - like a light switch, and not like remotes getting misplaced or inadvertently stuffed in a laptop bag. Also, the user needs to be able to access the touch panel when required - it should be there close by and readily available - the user shouldn't need to flip through Apps or wait for the App to load and connect. That's not corporate boardroom functionality.
The touch panel is a solid commercial grade device and should not be replaced by an iPad. An iPad makes a great secondary control but it is not quite ready to be the sole source of an organization's AV system control.
Grant
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