ESP/SurgeX Shares Best Practices at CEDIA

ESP/SurgeX will be meeting with dealers at CEDIA EXPO 2013 to discuss best practices for the integration of smart energy management products with home automation systems.

With AMX, Control4, Crestron, and Key Digital drivers already developed for its Axess Elite Web Enabled Power Conditioner and Energy Management System, SurgeX is also committed to assisting integrators in deploying, configuring, and selling SurgeX systems to ensure maximum profitability and the best possible system protection.


SurgeX representatives will be on hand to discuss the deeper functionality of its Axess Elite lineup, including:

• Temperature sensing: With the SX-AX15E and SX-AX20E's included temperature sensor, combined with their flexible and advanced trigger programming, Axess Elite systems can easily be configured to activate outlets to which cooling fans are connected at specific temperatures, and sequentially shut down devices in a specific order if the heat reaches more critical levels. Temperature sensing could also be used in conjunction with the systems' two relay outputs to measure the ambient heat of a room and close automated shades if the room gets too warm (or open them if the room is too cool).

• Net testing: Using simple drop-down lists and intuitive menus, Axess Elite systems can be programmed to ping specific internal or external IP addresses, and execute reboots on specific outlets after a determined number of failed pings. This functionality is specifically helpful in reducing service calls for network routers or switches that merely need a quick reboot, or even IP cameras that are prone to occasional lockups.

• Email reporting: There's nothing worse than visiting a client only to be blindsided by ongoing problems of which you weren't aware. Axess allows you to quickly and easily set up email reports to keep you apprised of the health and stability of your installed systems. You may wish to have the system email you if and when temperatures reach a certain threshold. Using Axess Elite's contact closure input, you could also create a global reset button that intelligently and sequentially reboots connected devices in the event of lockups, then emails you so you can keep a log of how often the system is being reset.

In addition to these time-saving (and life-extending) practices, Axess Elite systems can also be employed as IO extenders for automation systems thanks to their two-way Serial or IP capabilities. This allows a larger control system to take advantage of temperature sensing, as well as the contact closure input and relay outputs of the SX-AX15E and SX-AX20E. It also enables the outlets and relays of Axess Elite units to respond to inputs from any automated device in the home.

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