Crestron is making waves in the smart home world, and if their showing at CEDIA Expo 2024 in Denver is any indication, the company is ready for all boats to rise with the waves. With a booth so massive it greets attendees at the show floor entrance, Crestron is flexing its muscles and showcasing a slew of innovations that have both tech enthusiasts and industry veterans buzzing.
Crestron Home OS 4: The Brain Just Got Bigger
At the heart of Crestron’s 2024 offensive is the newly unveiled Crestron Home OS 4. This major update to their smart home platform is packed with over 20 new features and integrations that promise to redefine what we expect from our living spaces.
Crestron has made their Home OS faster and more responsive but also easier to configure. At the front of the booth was a timed programming contest was featured. Contestants had to see how fast you could piece together a system with a controller, TV, Apple TV, and lighting. As you can see here, I didn’t do too shabby.
Smart Home, Smarter Decisions
The standout feature? “Smart home conditional sequences.” It’s a mouthful, but what it means is simple: your home can now think for itself. Using “if-then, when” logic, your Crestron system can make decisions based on multiple factors. Imagine this: you fire up your favorite streaming app, and your home instantly knows it’s movie night. Lights dim, blinds lower, and the surround sound system kicks into gear — all without you lifting a finger. That’s only if you want it, though. Feel free to tell your Crestron system, “No thanks”.
Fort Knox for Your Smart Home
Security gets a major boost too. The new update offers enhanced user management for door locks, including integration with the Yale Pro 2 Deadbolt Lock. You can now grant specific access to family members or guests, making home entry both convenient and secure. Plus, with new pin code protection for touch screens, you can lock down control of specific rooms or grant temporary access to guests. Your smart home just became a secure home.
Open Arms for Open Ecosystems
Crestron is doubling down on its commitment to play nice with others. Native integration with Lutron Ketra lighting expands the palette for creating the perfect ambiance. For the pros, there’s the new Home SIMPL Integration Modules, allowing seamless integration of Crestron Home OS lighting with custom-programmed control processors.
If you know Crestron programming, you know SIMPL and SIMPL #. Once you configure the system, feel free to bring in that file into the SIMPL environment. From there, customize to your heart’s content.
AV Over IP Everywhere
Crestron thinks it’s time to refocus on what really matters: high-quality AV experiences. They’re doubling down on AV over IP, and they’ve got the numbers to back it up. “We’ve shipped a million endpoints for our AVoIP solution — more than any other manufacturer,” Michael Short says. In fact, there was a golden NVX unit in the booth. It’s a not-so-subtle reminder that while others were chasing trends, Crestron was building an empire.
The Vinyl Renaissance Goes Digital
Here’s where things get really interesting. Crestron is unveiling a product that’s so cool, it might just make audiophiles and tech geeks buy into AV over IP: NAX endpoints that can send vinyl over IP. Yes, you read that right. Vinyl. Over. IP.
“Everybody wants audio everywhere, but the reason vinyl matters is the nostalgia of it — the tactile feel and that experience of it,” Short explains. “Our new NAX endpoints make it super simple to take a turntable and get it onto your distributed network.” Want to spin your favorite LP in the living room and have it play throughout your whole house? Crestron’s making it happen.
Crestron also showed off XLR, or professional audio, connections into NAX. Their demo featured a DJ turntable setup. Regardless if it’s a karaoke, DJ, or other pro-level audio, you can send it onto a Crestron AV over IP system and distribute that audio wherever there’s a network drop.
The Bottom Line
Crestron isn’t just participating in the smart home revolution — they’re leading it. With Home OS 4, they’re giving users unprecedented control and customization. Their CEDIA Expo demonstrates a commitment to education, innovation, and bridging the gap between analog nostalgia and cutting-edge tech.
As we move further into 2025, all eyes will be on Crestron to see how these new features and products perform in the real world. But one thing’s for sure: whether you’re a tech-savvy homeowner, a professional installer, or an audiophile clinging to your vinyl collection, Crestron’s got something that’ll make your home super smart.
Tim Albright is the founder of AVNation and is the driving force behind the AVNation network. He carries the InfoComm CTS, a B.S. from Greenville College and is pursuing an M.S. in Mass Communications from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. When not steering the AVNation ship, Tim has spent his career designing systems for churches both large and small, Fortune 500 companies, and education facilities.
