Simple control at your fingertips

ABB intuitive operation of home and building technology

It is now over ten years since the first smartphone with a touchscreen was launched on the market. Now, a touchscreen is intrinsic to the very concept of mobile communication. ABB identified the possibilities and opportunities afforded by this technology at an early stage and used it to develop easy-to-use solutions for home and building automation. Ease of use is a key requirement for the success of smart homes and smart buildings.

Some current examples include the smart home systems/products from ABB-free@home^® and Busch-ComfortTouch^® already established internationally, as well as the ABB-Welcome door communication system. I had a very inspiring discussion with Adalbert M. Neumann, chairman of the board at Busch-Jaeger, who sums it up in a nutshell:  ‘For ABB and Busch-Jaeger, intuitive touchscreens in various sizes are now standard. Colour-coded functional areas and realistic depictions of the living scenario on high-resolution, vibrant displays make the technology easy to use.’

Lighting, window blinds and entire settings – easy to control with a tap of your finger or flick of your wrist. Thanks to an excellent working team in ABB we have received multiple awards for this ground-breaking form of intuitive control. Dramatic lighting scenes are easy to set using touchscreens, while individual timer programmes can be configured to control heating and window blinds. If desired, there is even a central switch at the main door to the home, where all lights in the house can be switched off at the touch of a button. With ABB-free@home^®, almost anything is possible when it comes to connected living.

The ABB-free@homeTouch 7″ and the new, ultra-compact ABB-free@homeTouch 4.3″ in a flush-mounted design with integrated room temperature regulator ensure ingeniously simple operation of a smart home. Up to 16 functions on the ABB-free@home^® system can be very easily controlled (e.g. central all-on or all-off functions) or the window status can be monitored. The functions are controlled via tapping or swiping on the capacitive glass display.

Imagine that: When the doorbell rings, you can let your guest in with the tap of a finger. The ABB-WelcomeTouch function reveals who is at the door by snapping an automatic camera image. While speaking to your visitor, photos can be taken spontaneously. If you are not at home, for security reasons, three photos of each visitor are automatically saved after the doorbell rings. Practical and for complete home monitoring. ABB-WelcomeTouch is controlled rapidly and intuitively via the high-resolution XXL touch display (screen size 17.8 cm). There are also six more simple hot keys.

Thanks to Busch-ControlTouch^® KNX from Busch-Jaeger, part of the ABB Group, intelligent living is now even more mobile. Home and building automation at the tap or swipe of a finger, completely independent of any fixed operating elements and panels – this is the concept to ensure maximum mobility and comfort. With Busch-ControlTouch^® KNX, all controls are carried out via a smartphone or tablet app, and also via smartwatch. This guarantees maximum operating comfort at home as well as convenient access while on the go.

Touchscreens make intelligent living even simpler. Use touch displays in your home, your smartphone while on the go, your tablet at the office or even your smartwatch from the comfort of your couch, allowing you to focus on enjoying life.