Global Caché Launches iTach Family of WiFi and Ethernet Connectivity Products
New WiFi Products Connect Control Systems, including iPhone and iPod touch, to IR, Serial, and Relay Devices in Seconds
Jacksonville, OR and Atlanta, GA USA – September 9, 2009 - (CEDIA Expo 2009 Booth #1961) Global Caché, known for its highly successful GC-100 Network Adapters, announced today the new iTach Family of Products designed to connect any control system, including the iPhone and iPod touch, to common household devices so they can be easily accessed and controlled. Employing the iTach and remote control software available through iTunes, the Apple iPhone/iPod touch is transformed into a universal remote control in a matter of minutes. Now an iPhone/iPod touch or any WiFi-based controller can access the TV, DVD, cable box, and almost any other electrical device from any room in the house without wiring.
"With 30 million U.S. households using WiFi for home networking, a significant opportunity exists to bring a wireless non-line-of-sight control element into play for consumers' growing collections of consumer electronics," said Kurt Scherf, Vice President and principal analyst with Parks Associates. "The iTach products will bring a new level of convenience to consumers seeking to simplify control of their digital lifestyles products."
iTach Highlights:
- Ultra compact device (fits in the palm of your hand) for convenient and unobtrusive connectivity
- WiFi can be used from anywhere and does not require line-of-sight access or wiring
- Ethernet wired iTach offers Power over Ethernet (PoE) option -- no power supply required
- Infrared (IR), Serial (RS232), and Relay (contact closure) models available for installation flexibility
- Supports multiple simultaneous connections, up to eight iPhone/iPod devices can simultaneously control one iTach
- Highly reliable full-spectrum IR learning built in for easy installation and flexibility
- On board web server for fast and easy setup and configuration
- Flash upgradeable to accommodate future upgrades in the field
- Backwards compatibility with the Global Caché GC-100 Network Adapter
Global Caché has partnered with many application and system providers to offer our customers choices and plug-and-play ease of installation and use. Here is what some of them have to say about the iTach:
CommandFusion President, Jarrod Bell said, "We're really excited about iTach. Our CF iViewer users are iPhone and iPod touch owners and the WiFi version of the iTach is perfect for them. Just download CommandFusion's app off the iTunes App Store and configure it for your system, connect your entertainment system using iTach and you have the most customizable universal remote control. It's so easy and really cost-effective."
Control4 CTO Eric Smith says, "I think this is a great solution for all of those places where you need to control a few things away from the core of your system. I have a TV in a lift in my master bedroom where I needed IR control and two relays to control the motor. In order to solve the problem, I ran an additional Cat5 cable to the head end of my system. With a solution like this I could have saved myself many hours of 'fishing' and patching."
Cremote President Bob Milani says "We've been working closely with Global Caché for quite awhile and are so excited about the iTach products. Our iPhone and iPod touch customers have been asking for WiFi since we launched our Bobby software earlier this year. Wifi and the ability to support eight simultaneous users makes the iTach exactly the product we've been looking for. It will make a lot of people happy."
Stardraw CEO David Snipp says "Global Caché's network adapters have proved to be a very popular accessory in Stardraw-based control systems to date. With the iTach, our users get even more of what they want, -- simplicity, flexibility and, most importantly, cost-effectiveness. When combined with Stardraw Control, the iTach is a really useful little box."
"We consider this one of the most exciting events to happen in the CEDIA market in years," said Robin Ford, Global Caché Vice President. "We've been supporting open systems and standards-based products since our company's inception in 2002. The extreme popularity of the iPhone and iPod touch are just the catalyst the industry needs to catapult it forward with affordable, user-friendly control and automation."
Devices in the iTach product family range in price from $139.00 to $169.00 MSRP. iTach production units ship September 30, 2009. All Global Caché products are manufactured in the USA.
About Global Caché, Inc.
Global Caché is dedicated to producing state-of-the-art products that enable technology in homes and businesses. Our award-winning GC-100 Network Adapter provides the means for network-based automation and management software to access, control, and deliver services in a networked environment to diverse and previously unconnected devices and appliances. In addition, Global Caché provides an IR learner, the GC-IRL winner of the prestigious CEPro Product of the Year award for IP-enabling, an IR blaster, sensors, receivers, and conversion cabling to connect systems to a network. Global Caché sells through distributors, VARs, and OEMs. For more information on Global Caché, our products, and services, or to place an order, visit online at www.globalcache.com or call us at 541-899-4800.
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Media Contacts:
Global Caché/Rusty Keller
541-899-4800
rusty.keller@globalcache.com
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