Crestron Introduces Smarter Work at Home Updates

Crestron added lighting, audio and configurator updates with the release of its Crestron Home OS 4.1 smart home system.

Leading audiovisual control system manufacturer Crestron has introduced support for third-party lighting ecosystem integrations, the DM-BNAX-4ZSA-50 amplifier, several DM NAX Audio Edge devices, and the DM-NAX-2XLRI-1G wall plate that provides connection to professional audio and high-end components for business calls.

The myCrestron portal, a cloud-based management system, has also been updated with thermostats and temperature sensors, support for occupancy and motion sensors, and much more.

Jason Oster, product manager for residential platform at Crestron Electronicscommented on the new Crestron Home OS 4.1:

These updates are integral to the success of the platform. We have also developed a number of new audio over IP solutions that we are integrating with the platform in version 4.1.”

Speaking about the latest audio edge enhancements, Oster said: “These are great new ways to bring ‘entertainment everywhere’ to any installation.”

Working from home in 2024

Where have we come from in terms of demand for work from home opportunities? Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the perception of this phenomenon has changed radically.

According to WISERD, before the pandemic, only 4.7 percent of UK workers worked from home.

However, one year into the pandemic, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed this figure had risen to 46.6 per cent, with 86 per cent of them attributing a change in their workplace to the pandemic.

In 2022, after the pandemic, the ONS found that this had fallen slightly to a quarter of workers working from home at least part-time, with 13 per cent working from home all year round.

The “return to office” movement has slowed down significantly. As of June last year, ONS research shows that 29 per cent of workers work from home some of the time and 10 per cent work from home all year round. That’s still more than twice the number of full-time employees working from home compared to pre-pandemic.

Smarter home, smarter work

Combining hybrid and remote workforce data shows a significant market for work-from-home solutions that goes beyond communication and collaboration technologies like the Crestron Home platform configurator — solutions that Crestron will be very familiar with as it doubles as a videoconferencing technology provider — because Improving working conditions from home can also increase productivity.

According to a study conducted by Cardiff University on the impact of working in a smart home office, comfort resulting from factors such as lighting and temperature directly correlates with employee productivity and well-being:

“The analysis found that work and work environment factors correlate with smart home office productivity and well-being, with the exception of perceived task technology, which is only important in relation to well-being.

The positive impact of service importance on productivity and well-being suggests that the ability of smart home technology to create a comfortable environment when working from home is important for ensuring good work performance and improving quality of life.

Remote workers are clearly not viewed as just an additional demographic or afterthought for product development, as technologies are still being designed solely to benefit remote and hybrid workers.

Last month, for example, Yealink released the MVC S40 video conferencing device, which features advanced artificial intelligence technology to help remote participants feel more engaged in hybrid meetings.