Home Automation Technologies
Home automation has really taken off in recent years because of the improvements in networking and wireless networking technologies. The arrival of broadband Internet, with its 'always on' network connection to your home has made so much more possible than could be acheived with a dial-up Internet connection too. The arrival of Super Fast Broadband (SFBB) is taking home automation to the next level.
Android@Home
In May 2011 Google announced Android@Home.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth already has a major place in the home, being used in the Nintendo Wii, Xbox and the Sony Playstation 3 games consoles. It is a relatively low power and short range technology in its currently incarnation. It is also the primary mechanism for short range communications on mobile phones.
Bluetooth 4.0
The Bluetooth V4.0 standard is due to make it into devices at the end of 2010, becoming more mianstream throughout 2011. It promises reduced power usage and an increased range of over 60m (in ideal conditions). Bluetooth will soon gradually replace IR (infrared) as the standard for remote controls.
Byron
Clipsal Cbus
Dallas 1-Wire
Has its own section
Ethernet IO
These are Ethernet connected I/O boards that provide input and outputs that can be monitored and controlled remotely, via communication over the network. Typically they have a number of digital inputs and outputs. Some also suppport analogue inputs, relays for higher power switching, serial ports, 1-wire interfaces, etc. Some also support 'power over Ethernet' to avoid running a separate power supply to the device.
Infra-Red
Infra-red because it is an old and simple technology but this is not a reason to rule it out. It's also one of the cheapest and most reliable for line of sight control. Many of the remotes and universal remotes use this technology and controllers exist to integrate these remotes into your home automation designs.LightwaveRF
LightwaveRF is a relatively new (first appeared at Gadget Show Live in April 2011) entrant into the budget home automation market. The LightwaveRF proprietary protocol is capable of two-way communication, but to keep costs down most are only one-way. The wireless communication is done using the 433MHz and 868MHz bands.
The range of LightwaveRF devices is impressive, with replacement wall plates for 1, 2, 3 and 4-gang dimmer light switches and for single and double wall sockets. There are also slave dimmer modules for 2-way lighting and battery-powered 'transmit only' devices. Five different styles are available: white plastic, brass, stainless-steel, chrome and black chrome. Each comes with amber and blue LEDs to provide indication of current state.
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Other accessories are available, including a wide range of handheld remotes, a current-clamp power meter, battery powered LED lights, and PIR sensors. There is also a 'WifiLink' unit, which acts as a gateway between the LightwaveRF network and the internet for PC, browser, and smartphone control. There is also a dimmable 20W CFL bulb with integrated communications.
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Automated Home have done an in-depth review.
Insteon
Insteon uses both existing wires (power line) and radio-frequency communication. Insteon is backwards compatible with X10, so if you have existing X10 devices they don't need to be thrown away. Each Insteon compatible device is also a repeater, so the signal gets stronger the more devices you have in your home. Each message also contains error detection, to improve the reliability and reduce false switching.
There are many more devices available for Insteon installations than there are for the other other technologies described here (X10 aside), and they are more reasonably priced than many.
Evidence to date suggests that Insteon controllers do not work well with low-voltage and low-energy lighting, with frequent failures being reported. Perhaps the biggest problem for UK designers though, is that the equipment is not available for our 240Vac main supply and with standard UK 3-pin plugs and sockets.
Powerline
Powerline technologies utilise the existing mains wiring in your home and use it to send communications messages. There are a few downsides with this technology. The first one is that it won't work in the event of a power cut! The second one is that your mains power network has all sorts of devices plugged into it that generate interference and can reduce the reliability of communications sent over the mains power network. A third issue is that your mains network is electrically connected to that of you neighbours and if they are using similar equipment, this can also interfere with your system. Different powerline technologies can also often not co-exist happily in the same home.
Powerline Ethernet technology allows you to network devices using adaptors plugged into mains power sockets. Speeds of up to 200Mbps are currently available and newer standards will enable speeds up to 380Mbps.
Structured Wiring
Structured wiring is a concept where all wires and cabling run from one single point in your home, to enable communications, entertainment and home automation. Structured wiring is the network for all of these services and is where you would typically install your home automation system. The approach allows flexible use of the installed networking cables and simply reconfiguration to support new services and requirements.
One of the main benefits of structured wiring is its inherent network capability. The frequency which the wires are capable of transmitting is often referred to as the bandwidth. Category 3 (Cat-3) cable is rated up to 16MHz. Category 5 (Cat-5) cable is more common in the UK and is rated to 100MHz. In a new build Category 6 (Cat-6) wiring is now most likely to be used, as it supports Gigabit Ethernet and bandwidths of over 500Mhz. It is ideal for people who wish to install large or complex home automation systems and transmit high-definition video around their home.
If you are considering home automation in a new house build, the question is not whether you should install structured wiring but one of how much and of what quality. The higher the quality of the cabling you use, the more superior your system will be and the more future-proof it will be. You may not need all of the capabilities that advanced cables can provide right away, but they might be just what you want in 5 years time. Because it is very expensive to upgrade your system retrospectively, your best bet is to think about your the future today.
You might want to read our section on cabling and ducting.
X10
X10 is an international and open standard for communication between electronic devices used for home automation. It was pretty much the first such technology on the market and is thus widely available and at mass-market prices.
The existing household electrical wiring (mains sockets and lighting) is used to send digital data between X10 devices. The data is encoded onto a 120kHz carrier which is transmitted as bursts during the zero crossing points of the 50 or 60Hz alternating current waveform. One bit is transmitted at each zero crossing and the zero crossing is used to improve signal to noise ratios.
To allow the operation of wireless keypads, remote switches, etc., a radio protocol is also defined. This operates at a frequency of 310MHz in the U.S. and 433MHz in Europe. The wireless devices send data packets that are very similar to ordinary X10 power line control packets. A radio receiver provides a bridge which translates the radio packets into ordinary X10 power line control packets.
ZigBee
ZigBee is more of a standard (802.15) than a brand name, which is why you won't find much when searching for 'Zigbee products'. There is an entire framework for development with the ZigBee Alliance, ZigBee PRO standard and ZigBee Home Automation application profile. The idea is that by making life simpler for product developers we will see a variety of competing brands offering every product the consumer could imagine. It has taken many years for the ZigBee concept to ratify itself into a standard.
One of the main companies using ZigBee technology is Control4, who sell a variety of lighting switches and controls. The main issue with their product set is that they are primarily sold through installers and not for a DIY solutions.
One of the key advantages of ZigBee is its very low power consumption, which made it ideal for battery operated devices and locations where wiring would be difficult. Another advantage is that ZigBee is an open standard, so in theory there is no dependency on a single manufacturer or supplier.
Z-Wave
Z-Wave is another proprietary mesh networking technology but, is has wide support and supports command acknowledgements. In terms of pricing, it is about mid-range.
