CastleOS is a smart home operating system designed to provide advanced capability and intelligence without complexity.
When we set out to design the CastleHUB, our first dedicated host for CastleOS, we set forward some very simple criteria:
it must be powerful enough to run not
only the CastleOS of today, but the CastleOS of tomorrow; it must be capable of supporting all smart devices and protocols;
it must be extremely energy efficient; it must be capable of supporting the Microsoft Kinect for
voice control; and it must be capable of using apps to extend functionality.
We wanted one HUB to replace all the other hubs in your home. We shot for the moon - and we're proud of the results!
Introducing the CastleHUB®!
For each of our goals, we found a solution. Powerful? How about a desktop-class CPU and Windows 10?
Broad device and protocol support?
With the CastleOS software and seven USB ports, no Hub supports as many devices and protocols as CastleOS!
Energy efficient? It uses just 7 watts under normal conditions - that's less than an LED bulb!
Support the Kinect? The CastleHUB supports up to two Kinects!
Apps for new functionality? Not only does it feature all of the great Windows 10 apps like Hulu, Netflix, and others, it supports Windows
desktop and server apps as well, so you can turn your Hub into a media server for all your music and videos!
The CastleHUB is the most powerful smart home hub in the world. Combining home automation, voice control, security, entertainment,
and apps like Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, and more, the CastleHUB does it all! It's truly One HUB to Rule Them All™, fit for your castle!
There are too many smart devices that don't speak the same language, and more often than not true
home "automation" has been confused with mere home "remote control". Users have been forced to
choose between easy to use, but limited, options, or more complicated apps that usually come with a much higher
price tag. We created CastleOS to solve these problems.
Select any CastleOS feature below to learn more!
The CastleHUB is the only smart home or entertainment hub in existence with integrated support for advanced
microphone arrays. CastleOS takes advantage of this capability with the Microsoft Kinect to offer a true whole-home
voice control system. In addition, it supports voice control on additional platforms like Android and Android Wear.
The future of home intelligence is powered by your voice!
CastleOS offers a whole-home voice control system that allows you to conveniently speak out
loud from anywhere in your home, to your home. To accomplish this, we leverage the power of the incredible Microsoft Kinect along with our own
custom natural language processing software to provide the best voice control experience possible, bar none.
CastleOS offers the most powerful and most flexible voice control available, right out of the box! CastleOS automatically recognizes
thousands of natural-language commands that you can speak, and automatically recognizes each of your smart devices by name.
No voice training or programming is necessary, it just works!
For instance, you can say "computer, turn on the living room chandelier" or "computer, turn on the master bathroom lights".
You can even set a "master" light for each room, and simply say "computer, lights" to toggle the lights on and off!
Want to adjust the thermostat? "Computer, turn up the heat." Or, "Computer, set the cool setpoint to 70 degrees". Wondering
what to wear to work? Just ask your home, "Computer, what is today's forecast?" You can even change the "computer" hot word to
anything you'd like! "Jarvis, lower the shades in the bedroom."
Click Above to See a Video of CastleOS on Discovery Channel's Epic!
In addition, CastleOS also offers the ability to add your own custom voice commands that then run
custom C# scripts, allowing you
literally unlimited flexibility in what you can do with your voice!
The CastleHUB also supports Android Wear smartwatches, allowing you to control your home with your voice from anywhere in the
world by simply speaking to your watch.
One of the primary goals of CastleOS is to break down the barriers and silos between smart devices and protocols.
To accomplish this we've built our own smart device translation system, allowing any smart device to interact with any
other smart device.
As a result, the CastleHUB ships with fully integrated support* for more smart devices than
any other home automation controller. Currently, CastleOS supports the following brands and protocols:
In addition, CastleOS is committed to integrally support the following brands and protocols, as well as many others not listed here:
But that's not all! The Hub also offers a full API and custom device capability (described below),
so there is no limit to the devices CastleOS and the CastleHUB can support!
*Special note: The CastleHUB has built in WiFi, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth LE radios. Any device using those radios,
as well as cloud-based devices, are supported with no additional hardware required. Other protocols and devices
may require an adapter. If you're unsure if your device needs an adapter, please
join us on the CastleHUB forum and we'd be happy to help answer your questions!
CastleOS is available on every major mobile platform, including Apple iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, Firefox OS,
and Linux-based phones.
To accomplish this CastleOS has built a powerful HTML5 app that works across platforms and screen sizes. The CastleHUB
inside your home serves up the app to mobile devices - no cloud required!
This allows you the freedom of choice in what device to use, and even whether to restrict remote access for privacy reasons.
The CastleHUB is the only home automation hub that offers built in support for Hulu, Netflix, Pandora, YouTube and many other Windows 10 apps.
Not only that, but the CastleHUB supports media servers like MediaBrowser, Plex, and Kodi/XBMC! With the ability to easily add
an internal 2.5" or USB 3.0 hard drive of your choosing, you can host your entire music, TV, and movie collection right on the Hub!
Last but certainly not least, if you use a Kinect or Android Wear smartwatch for voice control, you'll be able to control
media apps with your voice! No more fumbling for remotes, just speak out loud to your TV!
CastleOS takes your privacy INCREDIBLY seriously. So much so we've done something nearly every one of our competitors have not: we avoided the cloud.
With CastleOS, your data never leaves your home! Why should a simple command, to a light switch to turn on,
or a thermostat to adjust the temperature, require a round trip to a server thousands of miles away?
We don't believe your data should be at risk in the cloud. We also don't like the thought of a Denial of Service attack preventing our customers from accessing and controlling their smart homes.
So instead we built CastleOS to run in your home, so that such issues cannot affect it. All data is encrypted when necessary and stored in your home.
Our cloud-based competitors risk your privacy. Many even sell your privacy for their profit. In comparison we give you complete control and ownership of your own privacy.
At CastleOS we believe in the community, and are amazed at what you've already accomplished with our custom scripting capability.
The CastleHUB ships with our expanded API which opens up the amazing capabilities the system offers to developers.
The API features complete access to the Core Service, including access to retrieve and manipulate all smart devices, groups, scenes,
events, and more. In fact, it features everything you need to build a custom UI to interface with CastleOS, our own UIs use the same
API!
Not only can you access the devices CastleOS supports, but you can expand CastleOS' compatibility by using our base device drivers to
create your own custom device driver! Simply fill in the C# driver skeleton with a few custom functions, and drop the file in a folder!
CastleOS will discover the driver and load it automatically. Want to share your custom driver with the community? Submit it to the
community and it will be visible in an Extension Library that can be browsed from within the CastleOS app.
In addition to the API, CastleOS features an integrated scripting capability, allowing you to use the power of C# to do just
about anything. You can trigger a custom script based on a schedule, a triggered event, or even a custom voice command.
You can also use a custom script as a condition in scheduled and triggered events, allowing you to use data from outside CastleOS
to influence your schedules and intelligence.
Not only do you have the limitless options that CastleOS and Windows 10 provide, the CastleHUB is user upgradable to as much as 16 GB of RAM,
and features an empty 2.5" HDD/SSD slot to allow use as a DVR or media server. With built in Gigabit ethernet and 802.11ac WiFi, getting
your media on and off the Hub is a breeze!
Upgrading the Hub is super simple: just twist off the cover and you have immediate access to the two RAM slots and an empty 2.5" drive slot.
Upgrade away!
Don't want to install your own internal upgrades? No problem! Just use the USB 3.0 ports to add an external hard drive instead,
and you can still use the Hub as a DVR or media server!
While we hype all the amazing features and capabilities the Hub provides, at its core it's primary function is to be the
central controller of the smart home. If you're only looking to use the Hub as a rock-solid automation brain, you can take
the Hub out of the box, set it on a shelf in a closet, plug it in, and never have to touch it again. The Hub self-updates,
and all interaction from there forward will be through the apps.
Please join us in our dedicated forum for the CastleHUB to ask us questions: