Add Practical Control through Telnet to your AV Installation Now!

Budget conscious designs can now have the features and control of the “Grand” System

Leave a Comment
Add Practical Control through Telnet to your AV Installation Now!

Many educational facilities and mid level businesses do not have the budget, or need, for all of the bells and whistles of a high-end or “Grand” system. Sure it might give prestige to be part of that club, but if you could only afford to do one room (not the whole facility) and have programming and functions you will never understand or use, what is the point?

Hall Research has designed a device that can control IoT and IP-enabled devices on the network. The UI-IP8-DP is a programmable 8-button wall-plate keypad that can be programmed to send TCP/Telnet commands to any target device based on pressing buttons or by scheduling events in its real-time clock/calendar. In other words you can add on control to any IP enabled system with a minimal investment and a user-friendly GUI.

Commands can be triggered by pressing any of its 8 buttons on the front panel, by accessing the webpage embedded in it, or by programming day/time schedules. You can program and recall up to 16 individual macros to send TCP messages/commands to many IP enabled and IoT systems such as AV distribution, factory automation, security and keypad access.

The keypad’s 8 buttons have multi-color LEDs for backlighting. The color and brightness of each button are user definable as part of the configuration. This flexibility allows users to create keys that toggle between two states or work in a mutually exclusive radio-group. The UI-IP8-DP also provides a Relay output that can be used to trigger devices with contact closure control. Programming is done using the intuitive embedded web GUI eliminating the need for installing apps.

For convenience the wall plate keypad is PoE powered so when connected to a network router or switch with PoE, it gets its power through the LAN connection. For convenience a separate power supply is also included for cases where PoE may not be available.

This is the ultimate “glue” add-on to any installation with an IP-enabled device that requires control. For example an IP enabled matrix integrated with an extension layout or a Video over IP installation where the controller works through the Ethernet switch to control the system. The applications are as varied as the designers’ skill and the end users needs.

Take a look at the UI-IP8-DP for your next design that needs a little control: AV system control, home or building automation, factory floors, manufacturing facilities, interactive kiosks and more.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

Commercial Integrator Magazine

Read More Articles Like This… With A FREE Subscription

Commercial Integrator is dedicated to addressing the technological and business needs of professional integrators who serve the small and midsize business market. Whether you design, sell, service, or install… work on offices, churches, hospitals, schools or restaurants, Commercial Integrator is the dedicated resource you need.

Comments

  • Although I thank the author for the article we AV-guys should be totally aware, that people from the “real IT” world would think we stayed in a time capsule for a decade or so.
    Telnet is for good reason totally outdated. There is zero security whatsoever in it and suggesting to “modernize” AV-systems by hooking them onto the corporate network with Telnet is beyond me.

    • Ali Haghjoo says:

      Harald Steindl, you are 100% correct. AV system control over IP in general is lagging behind what you call “real IT”. I think it is partially because network control of AV gear is relatively recent (about a decade) and since traditionally control was done via RS-232/RS-485, Telnet became the default choice since functionally it is pretty much analogous. In many closed and dedicated networks using Telnet for control of AV equipment is probably fine, but the point you brought up about security is absolutely valid. Telnet does not encrypt the information that is passed on the network. So even if the Telnet session requires a password/login, it is subject to snooping.
      In the past, when customers have demanded something more secure than Telnet, we have offered SSH (Secure Shell) which provides a secure alternative to Telnet where all data on the network is encrypted.
      Similarly, if the device has an embedded http server, that too can be exploited by a hacker. In that case, for enhanced security one may wish to disable http function or use SSL (Secure Sockets Layer).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *