CE Pro July 2021 - 18

Networking+Home Control
SECURITY | LIGHTING/SHADING | ENERGY MANAGEMENT | AMENITIES
URC TKP-8600
Touchscreen Features
Voice Control
Latest interface device employs
push-to-talk activation and proximity
sensors to enable hands-free operations
by residential/commercial clients.
By Jason Knott
PRIVACY AND COVID-19
safety are top of mind among
clients these days, and the
new URC TKP-8600 8-inch,
in-wall touchscreen with
built-in voice control is addressing
both those issues.
With built-in Amazon Alexa
voice control (and Google
Home expansion on the
way) support, the interface
can be activated without
physical touching it, easing
germ spread fears in communal
settings like a commercial
workplace. Meanwhile, URC
uses push-to-talk activation
and has clear indicators in
place to notify users when
both microphones and cameras
are in use.
The panel, which is well
suited for both commercial/
resimercial and residential
applications, offers a
high-resolution LCD screen
with a slim profile. A proximity
sensor activates the
screen as a person approaches.
In addition to a keypad
interface, it can display live
MJPEG and/or H.264 camera
18 | CE Pro July 2021
streams from surveillance
cameras and door stations.
Integrators can use URC's
Accelerator 3 operating
system software to create
custom backgrounds
in grid or ribbon patterns,
along with pictures for the
interface. In commercial
settings, floorplan images
can be produced for room
scheduling. A flush-mount kit
is sold separately to enable
the TKP-8600 to sit flush on
a wall surface. The interface
also can act as a native AV
intercom that allows for
audio-only or audio + video
calls between rooms.
The larger size of the
panel makes it well suited
for commercial kiosk
applications, according to
Lars Granoe, vice president
of product development at
URC, " because it's easier to
see. " For conference room
applications, for instance,
the TKP-8600 displays red
or green, depending on if the
room is occupied or available.
In terms of voice control,
Integrators can customize the 8-inch touchpanel using
URC's Total Control Accelerator 3 OS.
users can voice activate it
with a wake-up phrase or
push-to-talk to activate Amazon
Alexa, and eventually
Google Home.
" The push-to-talk function
is key, " says Granoe, " because
it allows for privacy. "
He says the microphone
button will light white when
in use, blue when a wake-up
word is used, and red when
the microphone is turned
off. A blue LED light will also
indicate when the built-in
camera is being used. The
camera can also be disabled.
The same push-to-talk
privacy feature is in URC's
TRC-1480 remote. Both devices
allow users to initiate
commands for URC's Total
Control platform. Using
Accelerator, integrators can
create custom voice commands
that can initiate macros.
They can also program in
custom responses.
" For example, you can
ask Alexa or Google to start
reading a bedtime story, then
program it so in 10 minutes
after that voice command,
the lights will dim and the
stairway path lights will illuminate, "
says Granoe.
Additionally, URC also
recently announced it is
releasing an integration of
its Total Control automation
platform with Yamaha
MusicCast wireless streaming
audio products.
This interoperability
between URC's automation
technology and Yamaha's
ecosystem means dozens of
the latest MusicCast-enabled
devices from Yamaha can
now be controlled via URC's
user interfaces or mobile app.
This new module connects
Yamaha devices equipped
with MusicCast technology
with URC's Accelerator 3 OS.
Among the supported Yamaha
devices include the newly
introduced AVENTAGE AV
receiver models RX-A8A, RXA6A
and RX-A4A.
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CE Pro July 2021

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