More Technical Information

Cloud Architecture

Cloud based architecture is a way of delivering services over the internet. It has become hugely popular in recent years with the growth in applications for email (Gmail, MSN), CRM (Salesforce, ZoHo, Sugar), Accounting (Saasu, Xero) and customer support (Zendesk).

Cloud based services are typically accessed through a web browser or an app on a mobile device or smartphone. For Switch, the cloud means a dramatic reduction in both hardware and installation for the end user, as well as the need for expensive and ongoing technical assistance.

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For the home owner, a cloud-based automation platform saves money in a number of ways.

Because the cloud platform uses the smallest of gateway boxes to link your home with the entire range of Switch services, it costs significantly less than stand alone systems available elsewhere.
It also allows you to expand or reduce services as and when you like, paying for them incrementally as you go.

For multi-residential projects such as gated communities and apartment buildings, the Switch platform reduces capital expenditure by cutting down on installation and supporting infrastructure.
The cloud platform also allows developers to deliver a base set of services and offer residents the choice of upgrading their homes, all without having to install any additional hardware.

Internet Protocol (IP)

Internet Protocol, IP enabled or IP based simply means 'connected by network' either by cable or wireless. Until recently, most devices that could be controlled in a home or building would have had their own specific cabling and protocol, meaning that the complexity and cost would increase exponentially the more you added. Thankfully, the market is changing and more devices are now being manufactured that can automatically connect to your existing network.

A good example is video intercom. Most intercoms on the market need dedicated cabling, often called a 'two-wire system', with one cable carrying the audio and another carrying the video. Because our intercoms are IP based, they run off a single network cable.

The benefit of IP based automation is that any home or building can be set up with a single backbone cable, to which an unlimited number of devices can then be connected. This is often referred to as future proofing because as your home technology changes, you can simply upgrade, plug in, and you're connected. It's that easy.

Hardware Neutral

The Switch platform is hardware neutral. We recognise that the way you interact with your home or project is highly personal and based on your own tastes and preferences. Our platform can be controlled by any device with web browser - touch screens, iphones, ipad, android devices, or the PC in your study. We don't lock you into buying our touch screens. Being Hardware Neutral is about maximum flexibility - for home owners, for property developers, and for installers. It maximises your choice of hardware and devices, and ensures that your favourite brands and technologies can be incorporated as they come onto the market.

Open Standards

Open standards refers to the interoperability of independent products. This is particularly important in home or building automation where many systems need to come together and work seamlessly. Switch's platform has always been open standards, making life much easier for users, developers and installers.Another way to think about open standards is about enabling all devices to communicate with each other. Devices do this through their own languages, or 'protocols', and in the past every manufacturer had their own protocol, and often different protocols for different products. This meant that if you wanted to control a device then you needed to be sure that the control system or remote control had that protocol in its library.

With the adoption of global technology standards such as Zigbee, HomePlug, Z-Wave, LonWorks, EnOcean, KNX and Insteon by hardware manufacturers, there will be more and more devices that are truly interoperable. There is also some exciting work being done in the entertainment area with DLNA and UPnP. These standards will mean that you can stream content from any device or the internet to any TV or display device.