If you’re considering having a Crestron controlled system installed in your home or office, there’s a great solution that you should consider, which allows you to control the systems in your home or office from any computer. It’s called the Crestron XPanel.
With Crestron XPanel you can create a replica of your system’s in-wall touch panel for your desktop or laptop computer and use it just like you would use your in-wall touch panel. It operates almost identically and has the same look and feel. It doesn’t matter if you have a Mac or PC—Crestron XPanel can work on both when you use Adobe Air to run it. XPanel works with Ethernet-enabled Crestron control systems, giving you remote access to your system over IP.
Many homeowners love this option because it allows them to have fewer in-wall touch panels around the house. They can just mount panels in a few key areas, and then use their desktop computers or laptops to control their home’s systems when they are in other areas of the home. This is a great option for homeowners who enjoy a more minimalist look, or who like the advantages of smart home technology, but not necessarily the look of having multiple devices displayed around their home.
There are other advantages to the Crestron XPanel that make utilizing it well worth your while. For example, if you’re in the middle of working at your computer and don’t want to get up from your desk to turn off the lights in a part of the house or activate the security system, you can simply take care of it from your desk. In an office setting, you can install Crestron XPanel on multiple computers, giving certain employees the ability to do things like turn on the AV system in the conference room for meetings, or control the temperature in the building. In an educational setting, the XPanel can be used to run a classroom’s AV system on the same laptop the teacher or professor uses to give a presentation.
As mentioned earlier, what you see on your computer screen is almost identical to what you see on the in-wall touch panel, giving you a consistent user experience.
Installing Crestron XPanel is not complicated. You simply download a program to your computer and run it as you would any desktop application. Its very intuitive, even for those who are not necessarily tech savvy.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Crestron programming we provide, or more about Crestron XPanel specifically, contact us at AVPA. When you work with us for Crestron programming, we can give you the option of using Crestron XPanel, in addition to in-wall and remote touch panels. All our clients who have taken advantage of this technology are glad they did! It is a great add-on to any Crestron-controlled smart home or AV system.
