The Nuage Nine solutions, launched on September 13 2010, provide monitoring, error discovery, resolution, and error prediction for digital home devices. The new Configuration Gateway, available with version 2.0 of the product, extends Nuage Nine’s remote capabilities to include robust configuration management. This means that ESIs can now log in to customer sites from any device in any location and no longer need visit the customer’s homes to change the configurations and set-up of devices.

Using the new tools, the Nuage Nine monitoring appliance becomes a remotely accessible configuration gateway enabling programming and configuration of both IP and RS232 attached devices at customer locations. Access is via any browser, so ESIs can utilise this capability from smart phones, iPads, PCs or Macs with connectivity being provided over a secure, encrypted connection which requires no changes to customer firewalls.

The Configuration Gateway allows ESIs to remotely run all the industry standard toolboxes from control companies such as AMX, Control 4, Crestron, and Lutron, while also providing terminal and web-based access to all the intelligent devices, such as receivers, projectors, network devices, control and computer systems – within the client site. Drag and drop capabilities enable current configuration files to be loaded onto the Nuage Nine appliance, accelerating installations and updates. All data, including program modules and configuration files, can be stored on the appliance and are automatically backed up to the Nuage Nine central system, providing a secure central repository for customer configuration data.

“My technicians no longer need to schedule time to go to the customer’s site when we need to make configuration changes,” says The Big Picture Media Systems’ Phil Giordano.

“We can do everything remotely and can leverage remote resources and technical skills on multiple jobs. We now have access from anywhere to the desktop view showing the configuration data and tools at our customer’s site, and can even use iPads to access our control device toolboxes which gives us a tremendous advantage. This tool set is extremely powerful and vastly improves our response times for configuration change requests.”

The continuing convergence of digital computing technology with home control and entertainment, dramatic increase in the sources of entertainment media, emergence of smart technologies as well as increased reliance on software have created a need for powerful remote monitoring, management and configuration tools. These tools need to improve profit margins for ESIs while also enhancing customer support and service to end customers.

“We’ve seen a tremendous response to our remote monitoring and management solutions”, says Nuage Nine president and chief executive Vaughn Petraglia.

“The remote configuration tools will further expand the number of tasks that ESIs can complete remotely which means they can be more efficient and profitable. They now have one platform for configuration, management and monitoring. Our customers that have tested the Configuration Gateway now use it daily and have seen the power in remote configuration management.”