Buttons and Dials: The New Crestron MPC4 and MPB4 Wall-Mounted Interfaces
Simple, physical control — buttons you can press without really looking, and a dial you can turn in mid-sentence
July 20
Buttons and Dials: The New Crestron MPC4 and MPB4 Wall-Mounted Interfaces

Humans have learned to swipe and scroll touch screens over the last two-plus decades. Those gestures, though, haven’t completely replaced the muscle memories we’ve developed over more than a century, such as turning a dial or pushing a button. There’s something very intuitive about rotating a knob to change a radio’s volume or the level of light in a room.

And when it comes to the screens that seem to surround us, we’ve all had the experience of using an unfamiliar interface. Hunting for the right slider or icon can be frustrating — and that feeling is greatly compounded when you’ve got an audience. Crestron’s new wall-mounted MPC4 and MPB4 series of devices offer simple, physical control — buttons you can press without really looking and a dial you can turn in mid-sentence. They’re perfect for those moments where you need on-the-fly control in the middle of a critical lecture or a major presentation.

These interfaces were built for classrooms, lecture halls, and meeting rooms where speed and confidence matter most. These PoE-powered, intuitive devices give you the option to combine keypad and control processing in a single device for rooms that need a complete solution.

Easy to Use, Easy to Deploy

The devices offer a repeatable solution with no learning or manual required for operation, so a presenter or lecturer never needs to take their eyes off the room. With physical controls that respond exactly as expected, every time, and a familiar interface in every space, there’s no relearning from room to room, no hesitation, and no hunting for the right input or icon. The technology stays out of the way so the meeting or lesson can take center stage.

The MPC4 and MPB4 devices don’t just simplify things for the user — there are benefits for installers here, too. A single PoE cable for power and connectivity speeds rough-in, delivers a cleaner finish, and lowers labor costs across multi-room projects. Built-in processing on the MPC4-301 and MPC4-302 means fewer components to spec, quote, and install, with no separate processor required for spaces that don't need one.

Remote provisioning and management through the XiO Cloud® technology operations management platform means fewer callbacks and site visits once the job is done. One platform across the lineup means the same programming approach and less complexity, regardless of deployment size.

Mount on wall ...
or on lectern

Key Product Features

Each model in the line features a sleek, low-profile wall-mount design with proximity wake and auto-brightness, and backlit capacitive buttons with replaceable icon chips. Laser engraving is an option, too. They’re PoE-powered with high-speed Ethernet connectivity and a Web UI for configuration and remote operation. Every device includes XiO Cloud platform support for provisioning, monitoring, and management, and they all offer standards-based security (802.1X, TLS, SSH/SFTP), IPv6 support, SNMP, and BACnet/IP.

The 3-gang (U.S.) MPC4-302 and 2-gang (U.S. retrofit) models include integrated 4-Series® control system processors with fully programmable functionality and built-in .AV Framework™ configurable systems software. (Those familiar with Crestron’s existing MPC3-302 keypad will note the MPC4-302’s similar dimensions and I/O layout.)

Buttons on each of these devices (with 10 on the MPC4-302 and five on the MPC4-301) are customizable and backlit with dedicated power, rotary volume control, a mute function, and an LED volume bar graph. The MPC4-302 features onboard Cresnet® communications, RS-232, IR, relay, and Versiport I/O, while the MPC4-301 offers high-speed Ethernet with expandability via bridges and I/O modules.

The MPB4‑301 is an Ethernet button panel that works with Crestron 3‑Series® and 4‑Series® control systems, with five customizable backlit buttons like the others in the line. The panel gives you web-based configuration and XiO Cloud management platform support.

No matter which option works best for your classroom, lecture hall, or conference space, these devices allow anyone to walk in on day one and operate a room’s system with confidence — no training session required, no manual to read. It’s another aspect of Crestron’s efforts to “engineer a culture of collaboration”: The best room technology is the kind nobody has to think about.

featured products

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Crestron Control

The brains of your technology ecosystem, Crestron Control Solutions ensure that everything in the room that makes your organization work–from A/V to lighting, and temperature–works together seamlessly. Designed to help you deliver consistent, intuitive in-room experiences–from a single room to a global footprint. Intelligently. Efficiently. Securely.

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Collab Compute

Purpose-built for native platforms, with multi-camera intelligent video and professional AV connectivity, Collab Compute is your foundation for Hybrid Meetings.

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Education Solutions

Only Crestron can deliver the learning technology you need today, while also setting you up to accommodate the new learning methods of tomorrow. Crestron brings it all together with ease on a simple, consistent, repeatable scale for a single building or an entire campus or school district.

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