This product is made by a third party vendor called Okatu and I have put some details below:-

This is a very good news...

What is the green box? Beosystem 3...

I do understand that a Beo5 command can be sent to the Home Automation system.

However, what kind of command can be sent from the Automation system to the ML... you cannot really start a TV from the ML network itself...

Introduction for most countries: 07-2009

Instead of the connections shown on the picture above (which is MasterLinkGateway US version),

Connections

- LAN : RJ45 ethernet female

- Master Link : Master Link female

- RS232 : RS232 serial D-sub 9 female

- Mains : shaver female

Dimensions

- W x H x D : 50 cm x 12 cm x 21 cm

- Weight : 2 kg

Specifications :

- Cabinet finish : black

- Power consumption : 8 W

Do I understand and imagine it correct when I say:

This could make Masterlink -> Lan/Ethernet -> Masterlink connections possible? That would made wiring much easier.

This gateway sounds like a very good solution.

@TWG:

It is the data that is transfered probably, not the sound and vision. This is to transfer your Beo5 commands to your home automation commands.

To use Ethernet cable to carry your ML signal, B&O has some other type of adapors.

Am I the only one to get excited about this news...

I do not really need a Home Automation system. My LC2 on every lamp is sufficient for me. But I think it is a great great news for B&O and its future.

I really don't understand the benefits...

MLGW01 shown above has been available for 2 years now and only for the US market.

The recently released Masterlink Gateway is produced by Bang & Olufsen itself and is available worldwide. A completely different concept, with full integration of Beo5 and partner control systems.

Dave wrote:

I really don't understand the benefits...

Basically, a increasing number of (rich or very geeky) people want a Home Automation system. Having a computer that control the whole house appliances, curtains, heating, lights, burgler alarms, watering the plants, etc...

Today, if you want a system like that it does not integrate that well with your B&O AV network... and you needed to have a Beo remote for your AV and another remote for controlling the home.

With this gateway, you can add commands to your Beo5 menu, the IR receiver from your B&O TV, hifi, etc... will get the signal and send it to the ML bus. Then the Gateway will pass that command to Home Automation computer that can then execute a macro and turn the lights down, the heater up, close the blinds, start the dish washer...

You can add many of this commands to the Beo5.

As it is a two way system, the Home Automation system can query the status of your equipment, detects if you are listening to music, and can control your B&O equipment as well, like turning the TV on in the bedroom, etc...

You can imagine that it can turn the TV off if you have not been in a room (presence detectors) for a while.

The other advantage is that if you have those controller screens in the wall, where there is a menu to control the house applicances, you are now able to add menus to these screens that will control the B&O stuff as well.

One of the supported Home Automation system is based on the KNX standard,

You can see here (go through all the choices on the left) all the devices that you could control with such a system: