Home Automation

Topics Covered Introduction Home automation technologies INSTEON – Details Commercial products Q & A

IntroductionWhat is home automation?

• Mechanism of removing as much human interaction as technically possible and desirable in various domestic processes, and replacing them with programmed electronic systems—essentially the automation of the home and housework.

• May include centralized control of lighting, HVAC, appliances, and security locks of doors and gates

• Control of domestic activities such as home entertainment systems, yard watering, pet feeding etc.

System Elements

• Sensors to measure or detect things like temperature, humidity, daylight or motion

• Controllers such as a PC or a dedicated home automation controller,

• Actuators such as motorized valves, light switches and motors.• Buses for communication that can be wired or wireless.• Interfaces for human-machine and/or machine-to-machine

interaction

Benefits of home automation

• Results in convenience• Energy efficiency• Safety benefits• Manage devices from a central point• Save time and money• Remote control of the home when you are out

of town

Technologies

• X10• UPB – Universal Power line Bus• ZigBee• Z-Wave• INSTEON• Wi-Fi

X-10• Allow remote control access of domestic appliances• was designed to allow transmitters and receivers to work over existing

electrical wiring systems by broadcasting messages such as "turn off" and "turn on" via radio frequency burst

• there can only be 256 different X10 devices on a single powerline, because each X10 device can only be assigned one of 16 possible House Codes (A through P) and one of 16 possible Unit Codes (1 through 16)

• X10 defines only 16 different Command Codes, but not all devices can respond to all X10 commands. The six most common X10 commands are On, Off, Dim, Bright, All Units Off and All Lights On.

• Not known for robust speed or great communication between units on the home automation network

UPB – Universal Powerline Bus

• Similar to X10, using the home’s built in wiring to transmit home automation control signals

• Developed to overcome many of the shortcoming that X10 experiences – more reliable than x10

• The header packets contain the information about network ID, device ID, source ID, and a packet control word.

• UPB is not X10 compatible.

ZigBee

• Routed radio networking 802.15.4 standard developed by a group of ZigBee Alliance.

• A wireless network for industrial controls, medical devices, alarms, building automation and home automation

• makes a mesh network so that most of the devices communicate equally.

• A low data rate• Low power consumption (greater than one-year battery

life)• Devices: Philips Hue, Bloom & LightStrips

Z-wave• routed, radio-only network owned by Sigma Designs, Inc• wireless home automation protocol, supporting quality two-way communication• operates at frequencies below 1GHz so it is mostly free from interference from the

higher frequency Wi-Fi networks• can support a version of IPV6 device addressing• A level of encryption of the data is supported to keep the communication between the

devices secure and intact• A home Z-Wave network can support 232 devices, and more than one network can be

bridged together at a higher layer to support more than 232 devices• Each Z-Wave network begins with at least one primary controller and a controlled node• Z-Wave presents two clear advantages because it is wireless. The first advantage is that

you can control devices that are on nearby alternative wiring systems. The second is that you can use a handheld remote to control Z-Wave devices

• Low-cost, low power, reliable, easy n/w installations, easy association process• Devices: Honeywell Z-Wave Thermostat, GE Z-Wave Outlet

WiFi

• networking protocol we're all used to for sharing an Internet connection among laptops, game consoles

• WiFi is typically implemented in a star networking topology• WiFi networks need to run through a configuration process

which is time consuming• The typical range for a WiFi radio inside the home is 50

meters or up to 100 meters• WiFi achieves impressive performance and reliability• Devices: Belkin WeMo, Sonos Family (Play:3, Play:5,

Playbar, Sub)

INSTEON

• simple, low-cost devices to be networked together using the powerline, radio frequency (RF), or both

• All INSTEON devices are peers, meaning that any device can transmit, receive, or repeat other messages, without requiring a master controller or complex routing software

• Adding more devices makes an INSTEON network more robust, by virtue of a simple protocol for communication retransmissions and retries

• On the powerline, many INSTEON devices are compatible with legacy X10 devices

Hallmarks of INSTEON• Instantly Responsive - INSTEON devices respond to commands with

no perceptible delay. INSTEON’s signaling speed is optimized for home control—fast enough for quick response

• Easy to Install – No need to deal with network enrollment issues. Installation in existing homes does not require any new wiring, because INSTEON products communicate over powerline wires or they use the airwaves.

• Simple to Use - Getting one INSTEON device to control another is very simple—just press and hold a button on each device for 3 seconds, and they’re linked

• Reliable - Dual-band communications using both the powerline and the airwaves ensures that there are multiple pathways for messages to travel.

INSTEON Device Communication

INSTEON Message Repeating

INSTEON Peer-to-Peer Networking

INSTEON Applications and Devices

• INSTEON technology may be built into many different kinds of equipment, and it can interface with all kinds of non-INSTEON equipment via communications bridges.

• Applications include– Home management, incorporating sensors, heating ventilating and

air-conditioning (HVAC), appliances, lighting, and security systems – Audio/video (A/V) remote control, with tie-ins to home

management – Energy management – Remote monitoring via the Internet – Interoperation with voice recognition and response, cameras and

other sensors

INSTEON Messages

• two kinds of INSTEON messages: 10-byte Standard messages and 24-byte Extended messages

• Extended messages carry 14 bytes of arbitrary User Data

• both carry a From Address, a To Address, a Flag byte, two Command bytes, and a Message Integrity byte

Standard Message

INSTEON vs Other technologies

• INSTEON is dual-mesh• INSTEON propagates messages by simulcasting• INSTEON devices are peers • INSTEON requires no separate network

enrollment step

Home automation - Process Actions

• Finds the named object device in the database.• Finds or collects the desired state or predefined condition.• Converts the device name to a recognized protocol name in the physical layer address

scheme being used (example: X10).• Combines the object’s physical-layer address with the control parameters.• Sends the control signal and parameters over a serial port or USB port, or to another type

of control interface. It can also use the computer’s own communications bus to convey commands such as playing music over the sound card.

• The interface module converts the control signal into a physical layer message and sends it out on the wire (or RF) at the appropriate time.

• The physical media (house wiring or wireless or infrared) carries the control signal over the media to the connected devices.

• The target device receives the control signal and the device or module sets the new condition called for in the message and creates the new state or condition of the object of control.

• The control device in two-way protocols sends back feedback if the device is capable and feedback is needed, warranted, or requested by the controller.

Commercial Products

• Nest Learning Thermostat - a piece of digital art that controls your temperature

• Nest Protect Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector - a modern look at the smoke and carbon monoxide detector

• Samsung RF4289HARS refrigerator running Android • LG smart washing machine• Belkin WeMo - uses Wi-Fi to talk to your home

router and then to the Internet

What to look for in a smart home controller

• Wireless connectivity: A Wi-Fi enabled hub that doesn’t need to be physically connected to your router is a good bet, as this gives you more options as to where you place it in your home

• Expansion capability: The higher the number of products/devices it can support, the better• Protocol compatibility: A hub that can communicate with the major home automation

protocols—Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE—is important, but what’s more important is making sure it communicates with the devices you already have in your home, so check for compatibility

• App control: While a website interface is nice to have, make sure your hub has an app that is compatible with your smartphone. An automated home works far more smoothly from the palm of your hand than from behind a computer screen.

• Scheduling /Automation System: The hub’s software should be able to set up schedules for your devices and create actions to connect different devices, such as an action that turns your lights off when you leave the house

• Alerts/Messaging: The software should be able to send you alerts when chosen actions are completed, such as an alert when your daughter opens your front door with her unique code.

Thank you--Unni