New Nobu 8" touchpanel available

[Ripper99]

I'd love a tabletop model also but it has to have a battery pack thats gonna at least last one day of normal use..with wireless connection the battery will drain as fast as the UMPC's.

 

[upstatemike]

I'd love a tabletop model also but it has to have a battery pack thats gonna at least last one day of normal use..with wireless connection the battery will drain as fast as the UMPC's.

I wasn't thinking battery and wireless. POE on a wired connection would work for me.

 

[Rupp]

My question is - Do you guys really find wall mounted touch screens usable for a lot of HA uses? I can't for the life of me figure out where to mount one that will be in the "best location". I also do not have the need to interface with my HA system. It's mostly automated. I will say I rarely listen to music so is this why most have this need?

 

[gregoryx]

I've had a touchscreen (Leopard) mounted near the front door entry serving as the interface for security, lights, sprinklers, and basic AV for years now.

It has been temporarily replaced by the basic Elk keypad while I decide between installing an Elk touchscreen or an inwall PC for this purpose.

Since the web interface for the Elk (or ElkRM) would also serve as a semi-reliable interface, I am leaning toward a PC with full ML now... and ElkRM or Java as the fallback.

Not having the wall-mounted controller has actually been a bit of a bummer even though there are desk-top, cradled touchscreen tablets in the two adjacent rooms.

I look forward to putting one back in there. Prolly 10", though... and prolly not $3600.

 

[electron]

Rupp, it's very user friendly, high WAF for sure. Mine is located in an area which connects the kitchen, dining room, stairs, living room, and the hallway to the bedrooms, so it's very easy to access from most rooms. I am not doing music yet, but I am planning on doing this in the near future (another big WAF). I got rid of all my stick-a-switches too, and rarely use remotes anymore.

 

[TonyNo]

e, you installed a touch screen? When did you sneak that in?

I also have one near my front door. Great, handy, central location. If I was able to make it in-wall, I would have (I did not want to reroute all the conduit I found in that location).

I also still use Stick-a-Switches and Palm Pads until I find a cheap touch solution for multiple locations (under $600 per, so I'll keep dreaming).

 

[Rupp]

I could see the need for a touch screen being useful for arming/disarming a security system but I do not have a security system. I constantly have a laptop in my lap so I guess that's why I do not see the benefit. I've asked my wife if she would use one wall mounted and see said she didn't want to have to get up and go to a screen. She does use the Audry in the Kitchen but only to check voice mail and email. Out house is only 2800 sq ft and it's 2 stories so the thermostat is centrally located but we rarely change set points because this is automated with house occupancy. I have 2 Audry's but these are getting used less and less. I guess if a user doesn't do music or video or security the uses fall off quite quickly.

 

[upstatemike]

I could see the need for a touch screen being useful for arming/disarming a security system but I do not have a security system. I constantly have a laptop in my lap so I guess that's why I do not see the benefit. I've asked my wife if she would use one wall mounted and see said she didn't want to have to get up and go to a screen. She does use the Audry in the Kitchen but only to check voice mail and email. Out house is only 2800 sq ft and it's 2 stories so the thermostat is centrally located but we rarely change set points because this is automated with house occupancy. I have 2 Audry's but these are getting used less and less. I guess if a user doesn't do music or video or security the uses fall off quite quickly.

My primary use would be security camera views triggered by motion or doorbells. Unfortunately this application is not well supported with any system except the HAI OmniPro II.

Of course I'm not a big fan of being tethered to wireless electronic leashes like cell phones or laptops either so If I can't find a use for touch screens I will stick with my current strategy. I place Universal learning remotes in strategic locations with feedback delivered by the displays of my Squeezbox music players. I also have lots of phones in my phone system and they also double as control portals. 20 phones is a lot more affordable than 20 touch screens!