I recently sat down with Fritz Werder, Vice President and General Manager – Systems, Legrand | AV about QMotion and the company’s latest design trends, constant system improvement program, and third party integration. Part 1
Maureen Jenson: How has QMotion responded to the trend of open-concept home designs featuring larger windows?
Fritz Werder: Our Qadvanced line is continually evolving to help make motorized shading easy for homeowners to take advantage of. Previously we had introduced the industry’s smallest battery-operated shades. And now with the proliferation of larger windows, we’ve responded with our new Wider Qadvanced Shades, which made their debut at CEDIA EXPO 2019.
We now offer some of the largest battery-operated shades on the market available in sizes as large as 13 feet wide by 15 feet tall in select fabric options, all made with our patented design having the batteries and motor inside the shade tube. These larger shades are also available in a hard-wired configuration.
MJ: QMotion has recently updated the Qadvanced Intelligent System (QIS) Power and Communication Panel for control over hardwired shades. What improvements have you made?
FW: We’re always looking to make things simpler for integrators. To that end, the latest version of our QIS Power and Communication Panel has been redesigned to be smaller, sleeker, and easier to install.
We’ve made them shorter and slimmer to fit in a Vantage Controls Auxiliary Enclosure, the updated system measures 6.9 inches by 4.4 inches by 1.7 inches. To offer a more straightforward installation, we’ve also eliminated needless potential motor damage when power is accidentally added to a data pin.
The panel ships with a male connector and an in-line coupler keystone insert module to make the wiring connections even easier.
MJ: What third-party control and automation systems does QMotion integrate with?
FW: We integrate with a wide range of control and automation systems, including native Zigbee integration with Control4. Also, our new QzHub3 provides both standalone mobile device control or integration with QDR2 remotes and integration with other leading control systems including Savant, ELAN Home Systems, RTI, URC, Crestron, and of course, native integration with Vantage Controls.
Stay tuned next week when Fritz and I discuss Human Centric Lighting and improving the customer experience! Part Two here