Oxford Entrepreneur Brings Automation to Home

The future of everything is all based in technology, and a local entrepreneur has created a home and business automation system that is both advanced and practical.

Alex Movitz of Oxford is a self-proclaimed tech nerd who wanted to turn his new home into a futuristic living space with an automated system.

“After doing a lot of research, I found that there’s not really a good platform for home automation. There’s certainly nothing economical or simple to install and, for manufacturers, there’s nothing that makes integration easy,” Movitz said. “I did a lot more research to discover why there are home control devices out there, like Nest, that get really big but not a complete system where everything ‘talks.’ I’ve found that, for most companies, it’s too expensive to develop a whole system and certainly too difficult to build a system that others can use, so I set out to build something that any manufacturer could use and any geek like me can put into their home.”

And with that came CHARLES.

Though Movitz is an expert in the world of technology, he said CHARLES is something everyone should be able to install and use at home or at work.

“It’s a way to have that sci-fi Smart Home, complete with a new type of Artificial Intelligence to automate daily life,” Movitz said. “It’s an easy to install, low cost solution to automate everything.”

Kits will be available that replace all light switches, door locks, and thermostats as well as add sensors to every major room. New CHARLES devices can be purchased from the CHARLES Marketplace to make every home unique to make every home smarter and more efficient.

But, Movitz said CHARLES is not just for fun, it can also help save on utility bills and keep your home running smoothly.

“CHARLES makes simple changes such as turning off lights when you leave the room or when your window lets in enough light,” he said. “The CHARLES thermostat controls the temperature and can alert you when one room is too hot or cold and tell you how to fix it. CHARLES learns from your behavior interacting with every device in the system and becomes even more efficient over time.

“CHARLES is also a new way to think about your home. If you have a morning routine, CHARLES will start to automate without extra input. CHARLES will start your coffee in the morning, heat up the shower, lock the doors when you leave, and turn off the lights. If you go on vacation, CHARLES will monitor your home, turn lights on and off like a vacation timer, water your plants, and let your friend in to check on your pets. There are endless possibilities with one intelligent, interconnected system.”

CHARLES has been in development for two years now and Movitz expects for a beta option to be ready in about six months and have a signup form on the website. For more information, visit the website. For questions, email Movitz.

Amelia Camurati is editor of HottyToddy.com and can be reached at amelia.camurati@hottytoddy.com.