Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI), the pioneer in wireless universal control solutions for home entertainment and smart home devices, announced at the Air-conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration (AHR) Expo trade show in Las Vegas, three of its latest innovations.
Building on more than 20 years of experience in creating control solutions for the HVAC brands, the company announced the launch of its next generation of connected thermostats marketed as the UEI Comfort Line. The UEI Comfort Line is a white label smart thermostat platform designed for HVAC OEMs as well as hospitality-branded applications.
Lifecycle support services
Designed with UEI’s QuickSet® Widget, the line offers native Cloud connectivity, featuring UEI’s latest device management and lifecycle support services, which simplifies setup and control, and allows interoperability with a variety of smart home devices and ecosystems.
The UEI Comfort Line includes all the necessary connectivity technologies to address the evolving smart home
The UEI Comfort Line includes all the necessary connectivity technologies to address the evolving smart home, including seamless connection to the cloud over Wi-Fi plus local device connectivity via Bluetooth Smart, Zigbee, and Infrared, including support for Matter, the industry’s latest smart home connectivity standard. With built-in HVAC control and sensing capabilities for occupancy, temperature, humidity, and CO2 as well as interoperability with external Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) sensors, the UEI Comfort line offers the best of what to expect from an advanced thermostat.
Adaptive user interface
The products feature an adaptive user interface that provides intuitive feedback on the status of your home climate. Users can easily navigate through all of the advanced features with confidence and ease via the large color display. The UEI Comfort line-up includes two smart thermostat products, and a versatile universal module pack accessory that provides global multi-voltage and sensing capabilities beyond just temperature control for the thermostat.
UEI TIDE DIAL, Smart Thermostat, launching Q2, 2022, includes all the advanced control functionality centered around a large 2.8” color LCD screen that intuitively navigates by means of a precision jog dial. UEI TIDE TOUCH, Smart Thermostat, planned for late 2022, features a 4” color touch screen interface with proximity sensing and all the advanced control functions of HVAC systems plus built-in support for smart home interoperability such as lighting, blinds, and other IoT devices.
Reimagining climate control
The UEI TIDE BRIDGE offers multi-voltage HVAC system support and can integrate with any HVAC system
UEI TIDE BRIDGE, with UEI’s Universal Modular Pack, reimagines climate control in the home by allowing users to position their UEI TIDE DIAL or UEI TIDE TOUCH Smart Thermostats anywhere in the home, such as a nightstand or kitchen counter, and wirelessly communicates back to the HVAC system wiring on the wall.
This system offers consumers the flexibility of placing their thermostat control interface to adjust any setting and provide optimal room condition feedback with the built-in sensors. The UEI TIDE BRIDGE offers multi-voltage HVAC system support (24V AC, 16V DC, 230V AC, 277V AC) and can integrate with any HVAC system anywhere in the world. It is planned for introduction later this year.
Energy management systems
Helpful by design, the Comfort Line Smart thermostats also include UEI’s Virtual Agent to support simple network and system onboarding, as well as system maintenance and support. UEI’s Virtual Agent helps address many support queries and provides friendly reminders to change air filters and provides CO2 alerts.
The Comfort Line Smart thermostats also include UEI’s Virtual Agent to support simple network
This feature is available both on-device, as well as through a companion app which can address ongoing support needs including compatibility checks with HVAC systems to simplify the professional installation process. Via the Virtual Agent, the platform can also provide integration with third-party energy management systems to optimize energy usage based on connected sensory data.
Expensive aftermarket products
“Now more than ever our global customer base can integrate products that work across regions and support their different HVAC system requirements and protocols, while offering seamless interoperability with a growing ecosystem of smart home devices consumers have already installed,” said Arsham Hatambeiki, UEI Senior Vice President of Product and Technology. “It’s an exciting time for us and our HVAC and hospitality customers to deliver intelligent climate control solutions built into OEM systems, removing the need for expensive aftermarket products with limited reach, and improving the user experience around home or room climate control that helps save energy at much larger scale.”
UEI has been at the forefront of developing entertainment and smart home control technologies for over three decades. It continues to drive innovation around universal control, wireless connectivity, sustainability, energy efficiency, and ultimate ease-of-use.