SQ Blaster with SQ Remote: Perfect Home Control System

I bet you must have thought that if you had one device that will synchronize all your home entertainment at one place and with one single remote to control all of them, life could be simpler. Be happy, because now you can get more than you wish.

Square Connect SQ Blaster and SQ Remote not only synchronize your gadgets but you can also dim or switch off/on the lights of your home.

How? I will talk about that later. Let’s begin with the hardware part because this SQ Blaster is a “beauty with the brain” IR Blaster.

Hardware
It’s probably the most unique looking IR blaster ever. It looks like a puck.

The IR blaster is available in a solid cherry or "achitectual grade" bamboo wood case.

It has a 3.5 mm jack and three front facing IR emitters. For additional $11, you can get a 9-foot cable with 3x peripheral IR-LED emitters for fairly secured control over devices, while a long range IR Blaster slung off of a 7-foot cable will cost you $10.

If you want to synchronize the system even better, then a six-foot $9.99 Y-adapter cable will split the signal and allow you to mix and match the two.

A clip-on ariel meant to boost the WiFi signal is also integrated in the SQ Blaster box.

This highly customized device has a USB wall plug and can get power from any device with a USB port.

The most common problem with any IR blaster is that signal reception gets disturbed due to moving objects and the commands get lost.

Square Connect understood the problem and thankfully they provided a near perfect solution so that all the gadgets receive seamless signal.

Software
The software is even more interesting and that’s where you come to know about the remote.

Most interesting part of the Square Connect control solution is its SQ Remote iOS app. It comes free with SQ Blaster.

If you want to buy it separately as a separate remote control for the Mi Casa Verde Vera home automation server, then it will cost you $30.

The set up is very easy. First you search a database for preconfigured IR codes for the components you have. The Z-Wave home automation devices will be added automatically as soon as you enter the Vera home automation gateway's login ID into SQ Blaster's configuration panel.

Once the gadgets are configured you can generate the "control pads" and fill each with the device you want to control.

Each pad can be further increased with up to six slide-out panels.

Square Connect provides numerous preconfigured generic and specific button arrangements. These buttons can be automatically consigned to each device you own. You can also reassign and relocate the controls anytime you wish.

How Good it Works?
Once you are done with installation and software configuration you can actually control all your home entertainment devices wirelessly.

With the iOS app, your iPhone will be transformed into one touch solution for everything. You will practically play the role of a magician and be able to dim the lights and switch-on the home theater with a touch of a single button.

Final Verdict
The Square Connect SQ Blaster with the free SQ Remote iOS software is a perfect solution for unified home automation.

It works brilliantly with Z-Wave home automation system built around the Mi Casa Verde Vera. It fully integrates lighting, power, and home theater controls through a very customizable and easy to use iPhone or iPod touch remote control app.

The Square Connect SQ Blaster will cost you $200 and even if you add the additional cost of the cables you buy, it’s justified.

If you want to transform your home into a wireless hub where all the gadgets works like a “dream come true” fashion, then this one is surely for you.