Introduction
We use so many appliances at home that it often becomes a headache to know whether everything is turned off or not, especially after leaving the house. Home automation or smart home is the key that takes you away from all these worries, automating home appliances and connecting them to a common network. It's basically a house where everything, including lights, alarm clocks, television, doors, windows, blinds, heating and cooling systems, can communicate with each other. Furthermore, all these automated devices also receive and interpret instructions from their owners and then behave accordingly.
Figure 1: Home Automation Technology
The success of home automation, to some extent, depends on the availability of smartphones, as they can be easily connected to other devices via the internet and are highly portable. The concept uses Internet of Things technology that integrates objects with the internet, linking them to a common connection that can be controlled by the user. It is speculated that the home automation industry could witness highly favorable sales figures in the coming years.
Home automation technology
Figure 2: Smart Home
The two main constituents of a smart home are:
Automation: Refers to the ability to schedule events in advance so that the device learns to perform certain activities daily at that specific time. For example, every night when you go to sleep, the lights turn off by themselves. It can also include rare incidents, such as turning on the lights whenever the alarm is triggered.
Remote control: Home automation uses monitoring apps that can be accessed through your smartphone or tablet. These apps provide information in the form of a live feed or you can schedule them to receive notifications in the form of emails or text messages if there is a potential security threat or any other issue.
Terms associated with home automation
The foundation of home automation technology is based on a few important elements that form the entire hardware and software configuration required in building a smart home. Let's take a look at some important terms.
X10: It is a protocol that allows communication between devices used for home automation. Developed by Pico Electronics in 1975, it allows remote control of devices and appliances that act as receivers while keyboards and other means act as transmitters.
While there are numerous X10 devices that use electrical wires, some new systems have also been developed that use radio waves to communicate. Two important home automation radio networks are listed below.
Figure 3: Home Automation Protocol
Z Wave: In this, each device is embedded with a code and when connected, the controller recognizes the code and adds it to the network after determining the location. There is a hierarchy between devices and the fastest route to transmit a message is chosen.
ZigBee: It uses the concept of a mesh network where messages travel in a zigzag pattern, determining the best path to reach the receiver. The platform is based on the standard established by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) for wireless personal networks. This implies that any company can build a Zig-Bee compatible device without paying any license fees.
Insteon: This technology integrates radio waves and electrical signals to form a double-mesh network. Instead of routing, the message is broadcast across all devices until the command is implemented. There is no hierarchy and therefore all devices act as peers.
Smart Home Setup
Figure 4: Home automation setup
Setting up a smart home requires fundamental technology, including protocols and all hardware and software. Additionally, you need smart devices that can be connected to the Internet on your home network. For example, cameras, motion sensors, LED lights, devices with integrated web servers, etc. They are readily available online or in electronics stores.
Before purchasing these products, you need to make sure that all devices use the same technology. If two devices use different technologies, say one uses X10 and another uses Z-Wave, then a bridging device is required as well as a lot of technical knowledge. It is generally recommended to seek professional help when designing a smart home. Technicians with CEA-Comp TIA certification are considered more proficient in installing and troubleshooting home networking equipment.
The cost of home automation depends on how smart the home is. Users can keep it basic with smart lighting or add high-tech security systems. You need to decide where to place the nodes to have an effective routing range and plan as renovation or reconstruction of certain parts of the house may be necessary.
Smart home benefits
Figure 5: Smart home benefits
A smart home makes life easier by imparting the ability to control appliances remotely, regardless of their location. It can turn on the TV program of your choice at a fixed time, make coffee for you, set the lighting according to your mood, and so on. However, there are many more important ways in which this technology is useful. When you wake up in the dark and go to the bathroom, it's smart enough to light the way. If the fire alarm sounds, it can even be programmed to unlock the doors and make a call to the fire department.
In addition, it also saves electricity and reduces bills by detecting the presence of residents in the house and turning off appliances when they are not in use. These things can be useful specifically for seniors who live alone and their children can monitor the house even when they are away from home. In short, a smart home never leaves you feeling alone and takes care of everything you want.
Challenges
It is known that home automation is still limited to a few homes due to its high cost and complexity. There are certain reasons why smart homes aren't exactly mainstream. The most basic obstacle is people's ability and knowledge to deal with and understand the technicalities of the system. It's not as simple as it seems. One must know how to operate and configure the device so that it works as per the demands as no device can work without instructions.
Secondly, there is still no standard system for home automation and therefore people are reluctant to invest a huge amount of money in something they are not sure about. Many think of this as a concept that may not flourish for a long time. Furthermore, as everything is automated, a smart home is subject to a high risk of being hacked, allowing intruders to invade. Once hacked, all control would be handed over to the hacker and even the owner would lose access to their own home.
Some Popular Home Automation Products
Figure 6: Smart home products
Due to technical aspects, the home automation product market is not operating at full steam. However, the wide-scale availability of smartphones and tablets can help even tech novices download apps and then automate any device they want. Listed below are some popular and commonly used smart home products that are easy to set up.
Nest Thermostat
It comes integrated with WiFi that allows the user to remotely monitor the temperature of the house, regardless of its location. It can even learn your behavior and set the temperature itself. Additionally, it has the ability to remind you how much power is being used by your device and remind you to change filters.
WeMo Switches
WeMo home automation switches come with a switch and motion detector, all costing about $100. Simply plug the WeMo switch into an outlet and plug the device into the switch. After downloading the Belkin app, you will be able to remotely control the connected device, for example, turning the lights on or off.
Philips Hue Lights
The $200 starter pack comes with three LED bulbs and a bridge. Once fixed, your smartphone app connects to the lights and you can perform various tasks, such as changing the brightness and color of the bulbs.
Amazon Echo
Amazon Echo is a Bluetooth speaker with a built-in voice control assistant called Alexa. It answers questions in a similar way to Siri (iPhone) and also performs various tasks at the user's command. It is 9.25 inches long and 3.27 inches wide and can be sold for around $180.
Conclusion
Despite all the technological advances and innovative products, there is a constant mental conflict about the importance of automating everything around us. The question is: do we really need smart homes? While it's less about convenience and more about home security, the most basic things always start with handing over work (which we can easily do) to machines.
However, aspects such as home security and fire detection are some crucial factors that largely justify the use of home automation. Simply put, we are the ones who have to decide how smart our home is and whether we need it as a companion or just a slave that follows commands.
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