19Nov

Since iViewer was released, it has changed quite a bit. The R&D team are constantly adding new features to keep up not just with the needs of our customers, but also to keep up with the abilities of the devices that iViewer runs on.
So we thought it was about time we put together a list of features that will help show you why iViewer is the best automation and control mobile device application on the market.

What is iViewer?

Firstly, lets go over what iViewer is and what it does. iViewer is an application designed for iOS and Android devices that allows you to create a completely customized graphical user interface (GUI) to control any hardware capable of TCP/IP or UDP communications. Throw in some control hardware and with iViewer you can control almost any device imaginable.

iViewer works seamlessly with our own CommandFusion hardware, as well as other systems such as Crestron, AMX, Control4, Global Caché, and any other product that can be accessed over Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Not only does iViewer allow you to create customized GUI’s, but it's JavaScript API also allows for full logic processing – giving your mobile device amazing automation and control features that are usually only available on the most expensive control systems.

iViewer is used by the following types of customers:

• Residential integrators for controlling whole house control and automation systems
• Commercial integrators for controlling offices, board rooms or whole buildings
• Product manufacturers to allow control of their products with a GUI designed to suit their needs
• DIY users wanting to control their home theater
• and many more.

Contact us to see if iViewer can suit your needs!

Anyway, let’s get into the list of features and frequently asked questions so you can take the first steps to start learning about iViewer!

Customise your interface down to a pixel level

Because you create your GUI in our free Windows application guiDesigner, you have complete control over what your interface will look like, right down to each individual pixel. Simply drag and drop your GUI elements where you want them, guiDesigner makes it quick and easy to create an interface for any Android or iOS mobile device. Some solutions require you to create your GUI using a web interface or even directly on your mobile device. This severely limits just how customizable your interfaces are.

guiDesigner comes complete with a selection of premium themes – all for free. Although if this isn’t enough for you, simply purchase new templates and themes created by quality third party designers. If you are a budding graphic designer, you can even create your own graphics to ensure the end users experience is exactly what they desired.

Simple Licensing to Suit All Job Sizes

We understand that one size does NOT suit all, that’s why we offer 3 different versions of iViewer so you can pick one to suit each jobs requirements. iViewer’s licensing model is very easy to understand. You simply pay for the version of iViewer you want to use, there are no additional charges for connecting to a certain system type or for adding additional system connections. This allows you to know for certain exactly what iViewer is going to cost you on any particular project. There are no unknowns or additional licensing fees if the customer makes a drastic last minute decision such as changing or adding systems to be controlled.

	iViewer 4 FREE	iViewer Lite	iViewer 4 Pro
Fully customisable GUI with guiDesigner View customer examples on youtube: iPad - iPhone
Simultaneously control multiple systems TCP Client/Server, UDP Unicast/Multicast/Broadcast, HTTP, HTTPS	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
JavaScript API
GUI Linking
iPhone Pages/Subpages Portrait & landscape orientations count as 1 page combined	1	Unlimited	Unlimited
iPad Pages/Subpages Portrait & landscape orientations count as 1 page combined	1	10	Unlimited
GUI Objects (buttons, sliders, etc)	Unlimited	200	Unlimited
Licensing model	N/A	App store model	Per mobile device
More Info	View Downloads	App Store	Buy Licenses

iViewer 4 Free

iViewer 4 Free is designed for very simple systems or for basic iViewer testing. All versions allow for use of the JavaScript API so you can take advantage of iViewers advanced functionality. The main restrictions are that you cannot link to other GUIs, and you are limited to 1 page only.

iViewer Lite

iViewer Lite is available on the Apple App Store. It is designed to make iViewer much more affordable for DIY users. It is also suited for use in smaller jobs by integrators. iViewer Lite is priced at $49.99USD to make it an affordable alternative to iViewer 4 Pro. It also uses the App store model for licensing, which allows you to install it on any device that uses the Apple ID you purchased it with! iViewer Lite is not available for Android devices.

iViewer 4 Pro

iViewer 4 Pro is our original iViewer that many users have come to know and love. It has no restrictions and licenses are purchased through our online store. Licenses are purchased per mobile device. It is designed for anyone who wants to create powerful GUIs to control anything that can be controlled via Ethernet! Whether it is a home automation system, a commercial control system, direct control of an AV Receiver or anything else you can imagine.

Keep a Track of Your Licenses

If you are a customer who needs to install your GUI application on many different jobs, then you will know how hard it is to keep track of the devices you have licensed.

With CommandFusion’s account management system, you can easily see how many un-used license credits you have, manage your licensed devices, transfer licenses to a new device, or transfer a license credit to another account.

Connect to as many systems as you like!

Whichever version of iViewer you decide to use, there are absolutely no restrictions on how many external systems you can control.

Whether you want to control 1 TV, or 10 different devices or control systems - you are not required to pay any additional fees or charges for connecting to and controlling an additional system.

Create a GUI to Suit Any Device Size

With so many different device sizes available from many different manufacturers, it’s a daunting task to decide on what device to design your interface for. With guiDesigner, you can easily design a GUI to suit a device of any size. All iOS devices are supported and have preset resolutions built in. Full retina support is also built into guiDesigner and iViewer. Common Android devices also have resolutions presets. If you have a device that isn’t covered by the presets, simply enter the screen height and width in pixels! iViewer features an autoscaling feature for Android devices. iViewer will automatically, proportionately re-scale the GUI to suit whatever device it is being loaded onto.

What Communications Protocols Can I Use?

Any protocol that sits on top of TCP or UDP can be controlled via iViewer. This includes HTTP and SSL encrypted communications. Just some of the protocols and products our customers are using include: * CFLink * Crestron CIP * Modbus * KNX * SOAP * JSON-RPC * Russound * Philips Hue * XBMC * Sonos * Denon/Marantz * Onkyo/Integra Most standard equipment can be controlled without any programming knowledge, taking advantage of the feedback processing engine built into iViewer. More advanced protocols may require some use of iViewer’s JavaScript API.

What control systems is iViewer compatible with?

iViewer is compatible with any control system that can be controlled via Ethernet. One of the most common uses of iViewer is using it to control 3rd party systems such as Crestron, AMX, Lutron, Control 4, Global Cache and many more! Modules exist for systems to allow simple integration.

Upload Your GUI to a Device

Uploading your GUI to a device or to a group of devices is super easy. guiDesigner includes a built in webserver, simply start the upload process and enter the server address in your iViewer settings. The next time you open iViewer, it will automatically have the GUI uploaded to it.

Want to update a customer’s GUI from a remote location? No problem! Simply upload the GUI files to a hosting service such as dropbox, and give your customer the download address. Maybe you want to make it an automatic process. With some simple JavaScript, you can make iViewer automatically check a server to see if there is an updated version of their GUI – if there is it will update the clients GUI without them needing to touch a single setting!

GUI Files Are Stored on the Device – Internet Access Not Required

Because the GUI files are stored directly on each device, there is no need to maintain a connection to the internet. This means that if for some reason a client’s internet connection goes down, they are not relying on a webpage hosted on an external server to be able to control their system.

Utilise Devices Advanced Sensors and Features

Take advantage of your devices advanced sensors and features to create a GUI that really makes people go “Wow”. The GPS can be used to implement interesting location based features, and the accelerometer and gyro sensors can also be put to imaginative use to allow for display rotation and other specific actions based on user movement.

Multi touch is another feature that is not widely included in proprietary devices - this is an extremely powerful feature that allows us to improve human-device interaction through gestures using a different number of fingers to interact with the display.

Designed Specifically for iOS and Android Devices

Cross platform applications that are not targeted at specific operating system generally do not take advantage of native drawing routines and results in slow and jerky graphic animations and scrolling within dynamic interfaces. We have taken another approach and iViewer is designed specifically for the operating system it is running on (either iOS or Android). This means that the code is written specifically for that operating system, and not designed to cover many different types of device. This approach means we can take advantage of built in animations and features that cross platform apps cannot and results in better hardware integration, and smoother animations and touch responsiveness. This gives the end user the best possible experience.

Use JavaScript to Supercharge Your System!

iViewer is a very flexible and powerful platform that provides many ways to perform logic and complex integration functionality. Without any coding at all, a user can control many systems with two-way feedback. But for the advanced users, iViewer offers a well-documented JavaScript API to take your projects to the next level. Utilizing the power of JavaScript, users can create highly dynamic interfaces with animations and program complex logic to handle communications and integration with any IP-enabled device. The JavaScript API also allows for accessing hardware sensor information such as GPS, accelerometer and gyro. This sensor data can then be used in a variety of ways including performing dynamic interface animations and even using the data to dynamically control a third party IP-enabled device. Scripts can be used to simplify projects by creating reusable code and sharing it across jobs.

Try iViewer for Free

You can get iViewer 4 Free by searching for iViewer 4 on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Simply locate iViewer 4 and download it. Yes - this is the same download as iViewer 4 Pro, but to keep it free we simply do not load any licensing information into our GUI in guiDesigner. iViewer 4 Free is designed for very simple systems or for basic iViewer testing. It allows for full use of the JavaScript API so you can take advantage of iViewer’s advanced functionality. The main restrictions are that you cannot link to other GUIs, and you are limited to 1 page only.

Integrators – Get a Free Development License!

We offer integrators, or other business’ who are interested in using iViewer for commercial purposes iViewer 1 x free development license. This is a fully function license with no limitations, it allows you to learn iViewer and decide if it is the right solution for you.

You can learn more about applying for a free development license here.

OEM

CommandFusion offers a customised rebranding program for iViewer, allowing your company to present a uniform corporate identity to your clients. The end result is your own branded application on the App Store, with the same powerful functionality as our CommandFusion iViewer application.

You can learn more about the CommandFusion OEM service here.