Austrian home automation specialist Loxone have this morning launched their latest controller, the Miniserver GO.
We’ve had a chance to try out a pre-production sample of the tiny controller (90 x 90 x 20 mm) and it’s a mini marvel.
The GO is powered from a 5V Micro USB and with a typical power consumption of just 1.3 watts, it’s not just green in colour. The unit plugs into your network via Ethernet and there’s a micro SD slot and a Loxone link connector too.
Loxone devices can be controlled from a normal light switch, KNX switch, PC / Mac Web Browser, touchscreen, iPad, iPhone or Android smartphone.
We tried out the GO from the iOS app and found, unlike some other smart home tech, it was fast and responsive. A press on our smartphone touchscreen resulted in the coloured LED’s in our test rig responding almost instantly.
Everyone seems to be producing wirelessly controlled bulbs these days, but Loxone aren’t just here to control your lights. Instead they want to provide a device that can bring many of your homes systems together under a single app. Their powerful Windows software allows you to program macros and logic into the GO to control almost anything you can think of.
From basic switches and off the shelf devices, to the likes of your PV inverter, everything can be combined into one smart system that’s simple to use, and affordable too. This means that a single, simple motion detector or switch could control not just lighting, but also the alarm system, heating, music and so on. Say goodbye to isolated devices!
Loxone say they now have over 20,000 Miniservers in use in over 60 countries worldwide and they are promising more wireless Air modules in the works too. The Miniserver GO is available now for £250 from the Loxone store.
loxone.com : iOS App : Android App
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Interesting.. Loxone are rounding out quite a nice product line. I hope the firmware / software is maturing well too. This product seems really good value for money.
I just wish I could interact better with their support / forums though as most useful content is still in German.
I have a miniServer (non wireless version of above) and it certainly responds really fast and has good programability using Pico C. However The web GUI is nice but not very customisable.
I have (mostly) implemented xAP so if you’re using that give me a shout.
I’m not a great fan of their dimmer modulethough as there is limited dim to level % over time flexibility.
K
The Loxone world is new to me since I am in California. Does Loxone provide an API? We are gathering hubs for review and have already learned quite a lot. If Loxone has an API we will have to get our hands on one.
Our reviews are here so far: https://nebrios.com/blog/home-automation-hub-reviews