iPhone application for IHC control®

Mobile grænseflader til intelligente bygninger

18 november 2010.

Jesper Plass og Mark Folkenberg

Schneider Electric 2- PM – Jesper Plass

iPhone application for IHC control

The situation then

● The trend within home automation is that easy access to the system is mandatory.

● Our competitors are launching smart access solutions – if we want to stay in the game and still be the market leader – we have to do the same!!!

● This can be solved through touch screens and portable devices like smart phones.

● This presentation is focusing on iPhones, but future applications for android and Windows Mobile phones is easy to implement later.

Schneider Electric 3- PM – Jesper Plass

iPhone application for IHC control

The sales of applications for smart phones is growing rapidly and App store is selling 99,4% of all!!! (Figures from 2009)

Why choosing iPhone application?

Schneider Electric 4- PM – Jesper Plass

iPhone application for IHC control

● The IHCRemote application will allow LK IHC Control® owners, to use their Apple device as a remote to their LK IHC® installation.

● It will act as an extension to the existing input units in the LK IHC® installation by triggering them on the IHC Controller/Viewer,

through a wireless connection.● The application can be used both at home (intranet)

and globaly (internet).

Schneider Electric 5- PM – Jesper Plass

iPhone application for IHC control

Objectives:

●Minimize user setup / maximize user friendliness●Emphasize responsiveness – use local caching. ●Realtime interaction●Connect through WIFI, 3G, EDGE, GPRS.●Easy to personalize.●Hide unnessasary information.●Simplified interface to the IHC system

Schneider Electric 6- PM – Jesper Plass

iPhone application for IHC controlHow does it looks like?

Schneider Electric 7- PM – Jesper Plass

iPhone application for IHC control

Implementation options

● IHCRemote had two options of implementations:

Schneider Electric 8- PM – Jesper Plass

iPhone application for IHC control

Lessons learned:

●Consider performance from the beginning●Overhead in the Network Protocol●Work with the platforms design patterns, and not against.●Maximize the screen real estate for the purpose at hand; ●Avoid functionalities not regarding the purpose of the current view.●Use Depth Disclosure instead. The more specific functionality, the

deeper the user must go.●Be aware of Apple’s approval review.●An App is not static. It requires ongoing updates and maintenance.●Be aware of localization of texts. Choose a strategy from the

beginning.

Schneider Electric 9- PM – Jesper Plass

iPhone application for IHC control

● Android has in Q2 2010 overtaken Apple in numbers of sold devices.

● Be aware of different screen formats and processors.

Next step - Android

Schneider Electric 10- PM – Jesper Plass

iPhone application for IHC control

LK/Schneider Electrics will handle first level support: Basic setup and connection problems.

Support

Comet Peole will handle second level support: Advanced technical issues.No direct contact to the customer.

Schneider Electric 11- PM – Jesper Plass

iPhone application for IHC control

●New established company with big experience in gaming business.●Huge experience within mobile units, real time systems, graphical

programming and GUI design.

●In total more than 20 years professional experience with software development.

●Experience with launch of iPhone and windows mobile applications.●The customer portefolio contains CBS, British Chamber Of Commerce

and Thomas Cook Airlines.●Officiel microsoft partner.

Who is the partner?

Schneider Electric 12- PM – Jesper Plass

iPhone application for IHC control

● Regularly updates is better than one big update once a year. ● Listen to the costumers – feedback is very useful

It’s important to keep it alive!!!